Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

The tragedy of Wednesday, 7 March is very much etched in my mind and memory. As I sat in the terminal in Jakarta, waiting for others who were joining the party to travel to Yogyakarta, I first heard that a plane on which Australians were on board had overshot the runway in Yogyakarta. No further news was received at that time. A number of those amongst us—including Louise Hand, the Deputy Head of Mission, and Deputy Commissioner John Lawler—were on the phone endeavouring to see whether they could raise those they knew were on board. None of the phones were answered. We waited further and then heard that, as it was described to me, a fireball had surrounded the aircraft.

Bill Farmer and the Minister for Foreign Affairs were with us. Mention has been made of the way in which they immediately initiated arrangements at the embassy for a situation room and the collection of relevant information about the parties. Progressively over time, information came to us about who were thought to be missing, and there were reports of those who were thought to have survived. It became very apparent that we were going to suffer personal loss, as we did, with Liz O’Neill, Allison Sudradjat, Morgan Mellish, and Federal Agents Brice Steele and Mark Scott. We had all bonded together in the short time that we were there, as you would expect. The professionalism of each of them was there to be seen.

I was briefed by Brice Steele and Mark Scott on the work that they were doing—work that is of fundamental importance to the safety and security of Australians. The way in which they, as part of the Federal Police, built a relationship with the police of Indonesia will pay dividends in the future. I will not go into it further, save to say that it was a task that we asked them to undertake in the national interest. I have grieved with their families at the funerals that I have attended to date. I know that the performance of each of them is very much appreciated by their fellow Australians. I mourn for their families, for their children, for their wives, Kellie and Sally, and for all those that I have come to know over time—the families that I have dealt with. It may surprise people to know that, inevitably when you face a tragedy of the magnitude of this sort, you have had dealings with people in other aspects of your life, and that means that you focus very much on the loss that has occurred.

Finally, I would also like to add my personal good wishes to Cynthia Banham. Cynthia, if you are listening, we are all delighted to know that you are on the road to recovery. For those who have not yet had a chance to send their best wishes, I am told there is a message book for Cynthia in the Parliament House gym. We look forward to seeing her back. Prime Minister, I thank you for this condolence motion and the privilege of being able to be associated with it.

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