Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

on indulgence—All members of this House and, indeed, all Australians are thinking of the families, loved ones and colleagues of the two Victoria Police officers who were killed in the line of duty on Tuesday morning. As a parliament and as a country we offer our deepest condolences to all whose worlds have been shattered by this horrific shooting. Our hearts go out to everyone whose heart is breaking. We honour the bravery of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, and our hopes and prayers are with their fellow officers who were at the scene, including one currently in The Alfred hospital in Melbourne receiving treatment for their wounds.

Right now, Victoria Police are still engaged in their search for the killer at the centre of these terrible events. This difficult and dangerous task is being carried out in very challenging conditions. I've been speaking regularly with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, and I want to make it clear that the Commonwealth stands ready to provide any support required now or in the future.

I understand that in these raw, early days the close-knit community of Porepunkah is grappling with a sense of horror and disbelief, the cold anguish that something like this could happen in their peaceful and beautiful part of Victoria. I know that the member for Indi, who I spoke with this morning, shares in that grief.

There will be a time to process this, to come together as a community and to try to come to terms with it. But right now the most important thing for everyone in the area to do is to listen to the police, follow official advice and keep yourselves safe.

The death of any officer in the line of duty goes to the heart of every member of the police family. The terrible events at Porepunkah are a sombre reminder to all of us of the dangers that police officers face to keep our families and communities safe. Every time they put on their uniform, police officers put themselves on the line—they do it for us—and every day carries the cruel possibility that the very worst could happen, that you could walk down a driveway, knock on a door and have it open into a nightmare.

In their tribute to their fellow officers, the Victorian police association said that they 'were more than the uniforms they wore and were defined by more than the selfless work they performed'. That is a truth for all of us to remember, because when someone starts being a police officer, they don't stop being a son or a brother, a daughter or a sister, a beloved partner or a mate.

We see that in the tributes to Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, recognising not just his distinguished service but also his deep love of the outdoors and the long list of things he wanted to do in his upcoming retirement, the new chapter of his life he was so looking forward to sharing with his devoted partner, Lisa. The same is true for Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, someone who came to Australia from Belgium and signed up to serve his new community in his new home. He is being remembered for his passions and enthusiasms, his love of travel, motorbikes, scuba diving and his determination to fill his days with discovery. This is what was stolen by gunfire—two lives full of future happiness and years of happy memories that should have been made and treasured with others.

It will take time before we have a full and clear picture of what led to Tuesday's terrible events. Today we can say this with absolute certainty, and I say it not just on behalf of this parliament but as Australia's Prime Minister on behalf of every Australian: Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson was a hero; Senior Constable Vadim De Waart was a hero. They will be honoured and remembered as heroes by Victoria Police, by Victorians, by all of us and all Australians. With honour, they served; may they rest in peace.

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