Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

This day 75 years ago, the HMAS Perth was sunk in the Battle of the Sunda Strait. There were 681 sailors, airmen and civilians on the Perth; 353 were killed in the battle; and four of those who survived the fighting and reached the shore died of their wounds. The survivors were taken into captivity by the Japanese and 106 died during their captivity.

The Perth was in the company of the United States cruiser Houston. They had both been the only two large ships to survive the defeat in the Battle of the Java Sea in February. These disasters followed hard on the heels of the fall of Singapore, which we remembered and honoured here not so long ago. As these ships sailed through the Sunda Strait to Tjilatjap on the south coast of Java, they were overwhelmed by a much larger Japanese force. The Perth fought to the last of its ammunition. Captain Hector Waller gave the order to abandon ship and only then. The Houston was torpedoed and sank 20 minutes later. Waller was last seen standing on the bridge of his ship, and he was awarded a posthumous mention in dispatches for gallantry in the face of the enemy and for setting an example of wholehearted devotion to duty. What a remarkable generation they were. We honour and we remember the service and the sacrifice of the crew of the Perththose who lost their lives in the battle, those who were injured, those who were taken prisoner and died in captivity, and of course we honour the service of them all, including the 200 who returned home.

On Sunday, the President of Indonesia, President Joko Widodo, and I acknowledged the 75th anniversary of the sinking of the Perth and we reaffirmed our commitment to work together to strengthen cooperation in the area of maritime cultural heritage. We are working closely with the Indonesian government on how to protect the wreck of the Perth, and there will be a joint dive led by Indonesian authorities and our own National Maritime Museum in the course of this month. That is when it is scheduled. This is another occasion when we remember that extraordinary generation—the service and the sacrifice they made to keep us free. Lest we forget.

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