Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too want to start by thanking every veteran and all our current serving personnel of the Australian Defence Force for their service. I also want to acknowledge the previous speaker, the member for Herbert, for his service to this great country as well. I say these things not only as a veteran myself but also as the Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Veterans, a role in which I am proud to be able to serve once again this parliament. It's a role I will continue to fulfil with a great sense of pride and humility.

I want to take this opportunity to thank my good friend, the former member for Menzies, Keith Wolahan, for his service as my co-chair to the Parliamentary Friends of Veterans in the 47th Parliament. I'm exceptionally grateful for your friendship, assistance and guidance over the last term, and I wish you and your family all the best with your future endeavours. I also wish to thank Senator the Hon. Andrew McLachlan for agreeing to be my new co-chair—I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing—in the 48th Parliament. I look forward to working with you over to coming term.

The 80th anniversary of victory in the Pacific is one that holds special significance to me. Like many people, I am proud to say that my grandparents served in the Second World War. On my mother's side, my pa, Federal Stokie Rodda, served as a gunner in the Australian 2nd Field Regiment 3rd Division in Papua New Guinea. My great uncle, Noel George Burnell, was a flying officer with No. 235 Squadron. He made the ultimate sacrifice serving country, killed in action flying his Vultee Vengeance aircraft, which was shot down over PNG in 1944. He is remembered at the Lae Memorial, which commemorates more than 300 officers and men of the Australian Army, the Australian Merchant Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force who lost their lives in these operations and have no known grave.

The commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Pacific is one of incredible significance to Australia. Between 1939 and 1945, Australia fought two world wars, one in Europe and, for the first time in a global conflict, one on our own doorstep in the Pacific theatre of war. With the threat of the Japanese empire slowly marching through South-East Asia, nearly one million Australians answered the call to fight or work, or perish. This was a time when our nation came face to face with the real possibility of invasion. Cities were bombed—Darwin, Broome, Townsville. Sydney Harbour was attacked by submarines. However, we stood resolute. Our spirit did not waver. The soldiers on the front line fought valiantly to protect their families and their country while the home front stood firm in unprecedented conditions.

In the face of war, the country kept going. In factories, on farms and in hospitals, millions more Australians kept the country running and the war effort alive. They were all undeniably important to our victory. Enlistments across the country continued in droves. First Nations servicemen and women, despite facing discrimination at home, volunteered in large numbers and served with distinction.

Australians served at the Kokoda Track in the defence of Milne Bay and various battles across New Guinea, Borneo and the Solomon Islands. These sites all became defining moments of Australian endurance and resolve. These battles are now carved permanently into the mythology of our great country. Stories of sacrifice, courage, losses and success are now taught in schools across Australia. Victory in the Pacific on 15 August 1945 marked the end of the Second World War and the return of peace, but it came at a staggering cost. More than 27,000 Australians were killed in World War II. Additionally, approximately 23,000 more were wounded or traumatised in service of their country. These troops faced not only Japanese bullets, bayonets and grenades but tropical disease, hunger and conditions of captivity, which were also significant threats daily.

Back home, every town, suburb and street corner was touched by the absence of a son, a daughter, a father or a mother who never returned home. On the 80th anniversary of VP Day, we remember their courage, their service and their sacrifice, and we honour the families who bore the burden of their loss. Lest we forget.

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