Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the motion moved by the member for Bruce, Mr Alan Griffin, to acknowledge the excellent work undertaken by our Australian naval forces in the Middle East and in particular by HMAS Melbourne. I applaud the contribution being made by our service men and women, regardless of where they are placed or which military forces they are in. In particular, the Royal Australian Navy is part of the international coalition in the Middle East. The HMAS Melbourne is a guided missile frigate, Adelaide-class, which launched on the 5 May 1989 and commissioned on 15 February 1992. The HMAS Melbourne is one of the Royal Australian Navy's four Adelaide-class guided missile frigates. The ship is a long-range escort capable of area, air defence, surface and undersea warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance and interdiction.

Being part of the ADF program as a parliamentary member and being imbedded on the HMAS Melbourne was an incredible experience. On the ship I met young and older Australians who have been in the Navy for a number of years, ranging from their early stages through to the point where they are now talking about finishing their time with the Navy and spending time back on land. I really appreciated the fact that the two members in the chamber with me now served on that ship during that time. The experiences we had were tremendous—the fun and the opportunity to get an understanding of what each operational team on the ship does. I think that the enrichment of that experience gave me a really strong understanding of what our naval men and women commit to. What I also like is that HMAS Melbourne is known as the 'Red Demon', which the crew display on their T-shirts and their caps with great pride. We were given experience in the operational room through our relationship with the commanding officer, Richard Boulton, from whom we also learned a lot about the running of a ship. What really struck me was the absolute tidiness of the ship, the pride the crew take in their ship and the sections of the teams with the petty officers and chief petty officers and the 60 able seamen who occupy a space in the front of the ship. It is fascinating to watch the way every space on that ship is used and the pride there is about the ship.

I went up on watch deck one morning at 4.30 and spent time watching the sun come up and talking with the crew. We talked about their experiences and why they were proud of the skills they had acquired. It was fascinating. One of the chief petty officers talked about the time they spend with family and how, when they come back off family leave and are back on the ship, crossing that line is always interesting—because one minute you are in a warm and caring environment of family but in the other you are with your naval family.

We saw the humorous side, but I certainly saw highly skilled and highly efficient young people who would hold their own in any industry in Australia and whose knowledge and capabilities as a singular unit make that warship, the HMAS Melbourne, an extremely effective, capable weapon that can be used in peace time or in times of conflict. The discussions we had with the commanding officer were tremendous. The member moving this motion made the comment that the commanding officer wanted to be known as 'the dark lord' because we had had a joke about nicknames. So, on the day we left, the music for the dark lord was used to pipe us off the ship!

The incredible young women and young men who dedicate themselves to their role and their tasks certainly do Australia proud and they do the Navy proud. I look forward to at some stage catching up with them again. Certainly in my office we will hang the medals and the memorabilia from that trip. I acknowledge them. (Time expired)

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