Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I join with the members for Eden-Monaro and Cowan and colleagues on both sides of this House to pay my respects following the death of Sergeant Brett Wood during operations in Afghanistan. Sergeant Wood's death is a tragedy for his family and a tragedy for our nation. Sergeant Wood was the 24th Australian soldier to lose his life in Afghanistan, and with two more casualties in recent days that number has risen to 26.

Only 32 years of age, Sergeant Wood was widely respected for his decency as a human being and his bravery on the battlefield. In the words of the outgoing Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, Sergeant Wood was 'an exceptional leader, a great warrior'. There could be no higher praise. A Victorian by birth, Sergeant Wood joined the Army 15 years ago, trained with the 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment and undertook commando selection and training before becoming a member of the 2nd Commando Regiment, based in Sydney.

Sergeant Wood served his nation on numerous deployments abroad—Bougainville in 2000, East Timor in 2001 on Operation Tanager, Iraq in 2003 on Operation Falconer and more recently Operation Slipper in Afghanistan in 2006. It was for his efforts in Afghanistan in 2006 on the first of three deployments there that he in his role as team commander was awarded the Medal for Gallantry. It is therefore appropriate to read from that citation for gallantry. It says:

Corporal Wood displayed extraordinary leadership and courage, inspiring his team and the remainder of the commando platoon to repel the continued attacks … Only after the engagement had been completed and the threat to the platoon subsided did Corporal Wood inform his commander of the fragmentation wound that he had sustained during the original contact earlier that day.

That is why he was awarded a medal for bravery and gallantry, because he put the interests and the lives of his fellow soldiers before his own.

Having been to Afghanistan in recent weeks as part of a bipartisan parliamentary delegation, I saw first-hand the work that Sergeant Wood and his comrades in uniform, men and women of the Australian Defence Force, were undertaking to make Afghanistan a better place so that it can never again become a haven for terrorism. We are making improvements in this difficult cause. It is a worthwhile cause, and we are not alone. We, Australia, are serving with many other nations, many other NATO countries, and much of the heavy lifting is being done by our most important ally, the United States. We need to stay the course, and it would be wrong to leave the battlefield precipitously.

Sergeant Wood will be sadly missed by his family, his friends and, in particular, his wife, Elvi, who described him as:

… a much loved son, grandson and brother who inspired his family with his dedication and generosity.

I have not only lost my husband, I have lost my best friend. The past six years with him were the happiest of my life and it was the biggest honour ever to become his wife and to be part of his family.

There can be no greater tribute to a man who lived his life to the fullest and who will never be forgotten. Sergeant Wood, your grateful country salutes you.

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