Gordon Reid (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Gippsland and shadow minister for veterans affairs for bringing this very important motion forward today to mark Victory in the Pacific Day, a solemn but proud day in Australia's national story.

On 15 August 1945, guns fell silent across our vast Pacific, and the war came to an end. It was the conclusion of a brutal chapter, one that profoundly shaped Australia's national identity into the future. For Australia, victory in the Pacific was not merely an end to conflict. It was the culmination of years of hardship, sacrifice and unwavering resolve by the Australian people. Nearly a million Australians served in the Second World War—our Army, our Navy, our Air Force and our merchant navy. Tens of thousands never returned home from the Pacific theatre. Many were sons, daughters, friends and family—ordinary Australians who answered an extraordinary call. It has been one of the greatest honours of my life to care for those in our hospitals who were and are a part of what is the greatest generation.

The war came dangerously close to our shores. The bombing of Darwin in 1942 and the midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour reminded every Australian that this was not a distant conflict but one that was ever present. It was a war that redefined our national security. It was a conflict that reshaped our foreign policy, forging a closer alliance with the United States and deepening our own sense of independence and responsibility in the Asia-Pacific region. Victory in the Pacific was not achieved by military force alone. It was underpinned by the courage of the home front—by the factory workers, nurses, farmers and volunteers who sustained our nation in what was indeed a time of crisis and a nation under duress. It was also achieved with the support of our regional neighbours and allies, many of whom suffered enormously under Japanese occupation, especially—and I want to make special mention here—those in Papua New Guinea who fought beside us and often suffered far more than what history has recorded. Let us not forget their struggles and their sacrifices. Their contributions must be honoured, and they must be acknowledged now and into the future.

As Australians, we remember victory in the Pacific not to glorify war but to honour peace. We recall the past not to dwell in conflict but to learn from it, to safeguard democracy, to champion diplomacy and to ensure that never again will we allow tyranny to cast its shadow across our region. On this day, let us recommit to those ideals. Let us honour the fallen, support the living and remain ever vigilant in the defence of peace, the defence of freedom and the defence of justice. Lest we forget.

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