Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On 19 March 2009, Sergeant Brett Till was killed in Afghanistan. He was a member of the Army’s Incident Response Regiment, although he was serving in Afghanistan with the Special Operations Task Group. Sergeant Till lost his life whilst attempting to render safe an improvised explosive device that had been discovered during a patrol. It is clear that Brett Till’s profession as an EOD tech was a high-risk one. Despite the protective clothing worn by EOD technicians, the reality is that, if the device explodes, the chances of survival are remote. It is a tribute to his character that he chose this trade, this profession, in the Army to make his contribution to this nation.

As a former Army officer myself, in 2000 I had significant contact with the Joint Incident Response Unit, which, after the Olympics, became the Army’s Incident Response Regiment. Although the conditions under which the EOD teams operated during the Olympics were less onerous than the extremes of combat in Afghanistan, I came to appreciate the courage and the fortitude of those who put themselves between an explosive device and those who need to be defended from its effects.

My point is that there are a lot of very special and courageous people in the Australian Defence Force. We hold the SAS in the highest regard for their skill, effectiveness and courage, yet it is also right to hold up as great examples men like Brett Till, who put themselves at risk of certain death to protect others. The loss of Brett Till’s life is another tragedy for Australia, as all losses of our soldiers’ lives have been tragedies. We must nevertheless remember that Australians have always been prepared to fight and, if required, to die in the defence of other peoples and countries.

Afghanistan is an example where the weak must be defended and the extremists, the murderers, must be opposed. Brett Till knew what the mission was and the risk of letting the Taliban win. He knew that, as all our service men and women understand that. In Afghanistan, our soldiers fight extremists who would like to see Afghanistan dominated by strict Islamic law and the oppression that comes with that. The extremists are the Taliban. The world they want is one where males would have greater rights than females, where only boys would be allowed to go to school and have the opportunity to achieve in their own right, but would nevertheless still be limited by repression. Apart from all their extreme interpretations of their religion, the Taliban also oppose democracy.

Brett Till fought and, sadly, died to protect the ordinary people of Afghanistan, who do not want the Taliban to take over their country again. We must always remember that the Taliban need to be fought against, because they will not listen, they will not talk and they cannot be reasoned with. Their indiscriminate attacks, even on civilians, are evidence of a brutality that must be fought against and must be opposed. As we have recently come to know, the Taliban are not happy with just trying to rule Afghanistan; they have tried to take over part of Pakistan. There, the Pakistani army is fighting hard to free the Swat Valley, and I wish them rapid success in that fight.

Brett Till lost his life less than a year after marrying Bree and after finding out that he would again be a father. I know that he will be greatly missed by his wife and by his children, Jacob and Taleah. That makes his loss even more significant, as most of us here are ourselves parents. His loss will be greatly felt by his wife, his children, his family and his friends, yet I hope that they will always take comfort in the fact that he gave his life to oppose the spread of the Islamic extremists that threaten the opportunities for the children and the future of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is an example of where those that cannot defend themselves must be protected. The harsh reality is that Australians have fought and died in Afghanistan for the belief that the world can and must be a better place, that the forces of oppression and domination must be defeated. Australians have done so and continue to do so with a grave acceptance of the fact that some things must be fought for.

I pay tribute to his life, his commitment to this nation and to a better world. I offer my condolences to his wife, his children and his family. Brett Till was a great Australian who will always be remembered, not just by his family but by the nation for his dedication, his courage and, ultimately, his sacrifice for the cause of freedom and democracy.

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