Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship and Settlement) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to make a brief contribution to the motion on the 10th anniversary of the Bali bombings. I have been in this parliament for nearly 14 years representing two electorates and, without a doubt, one of the saddest moments of my political career was attending the funerals of some of the victims of the Bali bombings and attending the memorial service here at Parliament House. The images of that fateful day will remain in our minds forever and ever. The saddest part for me was seeing the families light a candle in memory of their lost loved ones.

The 12th of October 2002 will be forever remembered as the day of one of Australia's worst terror incidents. This deadly attack killed 202 people, including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesian citizens, and a further 240 people were injured. We often remember and commemorate those who serve in uniform, and just a little while ago we heard statements on the death of Sapper Jordan Ronald Penpraze. We come in this House far too often to speak about the death of soldiers, but the majority of people killed in this incident were innocent civilians. They were on holiday. They were enjoying the time of their lives. They were young people. They have saved hard and worked hard. They were doing what many of our young adult children do: enjoying some music, having a few drinks and having a great time. Yet they were mercilessly killed in a mindless terrorist act because they were from a country that respects religious tolerance. They were from a country that respects freedom.

Few will forget those images of injured victims throwing themselves into hotel pools to try to relieve their burns because the hospital facilities were not equipped to cope with the extent of the attack. Some of the saddest images I saw were shown to me by the Minister for Health and Ageing at the time, Senator the Hon. Kay Patterson, of the extent of the injuries and the terrible effect that these injuries had, particularly photos of many of the victims being operated on in hospitals. Those images will never, ever leave my mind.

Remarkable stories also came out of this tragedy. While a tragedy can move us to tears, we often hear stories of incredible heroism. Some amazing individuals came to light—people who rushed in, not fearing for their own safety, to save others, even though they were brutally injured themselves. There was the work of our doctors, nurses and other health professionals around the clock. I see the member for Solomon is here. The hospital in Darwin, in her electorate, played a key role, particularly in the treatment of the injured. Also, I pay tribute to the wonderful work that was done in Perth, particularly the treatment of many of the burns victims. Dr Fiona Wood immediately comes to mind when I mention this incident.

Those of us who were in this place at that time will remember our former Prime Minister, Mr Howard, speaking solemnly for half an hour on the condolence motion moved to mark the event. It was one of the most solemn speeches I ever heard him or any leader give. One of the often quoted remarks he made with regard to the tragedy was: 'The things that unite us as Australians are infinitely greater and much more enduring than the things that divide us.' At the time, the then Leader of the Opposition, Simon Crean, travelled with John Howard to Bali in the days after the bombing as a sign of our solidarity, as a sign of the things that unite us as Australians and as a sign of our strength. On the day of the anniversary, the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Tony Abbott, travelled with the current Prime Minister, Ms Gillard, to Bali for the memorial service. That was an indication that Australians will always stand united against the curse of terrorism.

Ten years on, for the families and friends of those who were killed the pain is forever real. We remember and we feel their loss. I acknowledge them in this statement on indulgence on the 10th anniversary of the Bali bombings.

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