Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I start by acknowledging all those that continue to wear the uniform, our veterans and their families. The freedoms that we enjoy today are on the back of hard-fought battles, wars and the sacrifice that you have made. On Anzac Day we say 'lest we forget' and we reaffirm our commitment to always remember those who have been killed in battle, have died in training or have succumbed to their war within back here on home soil. On Remembrance Day, we say the guns fell silent, but the guns haven't fallen silent since. From natural disasters, peacekeeping missions, combat operations and world wars to Afghanistan, our brave men and women are there. When we say words like 'lest we forget', they must be more than merely words that we mutter on significant days. They are a commitment—a commitment to our veterans and their families. The significant events that follow around the country are on anniversaries, on days of remembrance and reflection, like Victory in the Pacific Day for World War II.

It is something that—I agree with most people in this place—needs to be highlighted and spoken more about in our schooling system, because more than a million people served in World War II and more than 39,000 people paid the ultimate sacrifice. Families were left with loved ones being killed overseas, a lifetime of growing up without their parent or their spouse, and there were the invisible wounds that follow. So highlighting the victory in the Pacific is also about reaffirming our position and support for those families.

Now, in Townsville, the largest garrison city in the country, we have specific events, like VP50 and VP80, where more than 3,200 soldiers, veterans and their families travel. VP80 will be a massive event. It's 80 years since the victory in the Pacific and the end of World War II, and people will travel from around the world. World War II veterans will make their way to Townsville. We'll have soldiers, veterans and their families from around the country, including the Ambassador to France, who contacted me and said he was coming to Townsville as well. It will be a massive event, and we know it's so important. It's important to the veterans, but it's also important to the younger generation to hear and learn, to hear about a million people deployed on an operation and 39,000 paying the ultimate sacrifice, to hear from their families, to hear from our veterans that are still with us.

It was great to see that the Townsville City Council came out in support of VP80 with funding and a commitment. The state Crisafulli government came out and supported VP80 in Townsville. It's a shame that today we don't have the Minister for Veterans' Affairs in this place, in this chamber, and it is the same with the assistant minister. I know the special envoy would be here. But VP80 sits with the federal Australian government to support such events. It took a long time—until only about a week ago—to have the Minister for Veterans' Affairs actually acknowledge the event and now say that there'll be some support. I don't think it's good enough to have something of such significance—one of the biggest celebrations for the end of World War II and victory in the Pacific, which will be in Townsville—not supported by the Labor federal government. I'd like to see the Prime Minister attend this event. I'd like to see the Minister for Veterans' Affairs attend this event, because Jeff Jimmieson and Johnny Bearne on the committee have done an amazing amount of work to get veterans and their families from all around the world to Townsville. Victory in the Pacific is significant for this nation but also for the largest garrison city. We will have tens of thousands of people involved. It is something that should be celebrated and highlighted, and VP80 is something that shouldn't be missed.

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