Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to rise and speak on this motion filed by the member for Wide Bay on Police Week. I'm very proud to stand here because in the room we have the member for Wide Bay, the member for Hinkler, the member for Richmond, myself and the member for Tangney; the member for Latrobe is not here. We all served. I'm proud that this government can have people with experience in the police to bring that experience and make those decisions. I thank you all for your service.

All members of the police force take an oath to protect and serve. As a former police officer myself, I know we proudly wear the uniform in order to keep our communities safe. We know the risks. We know how difficult the job can be. But I can honestly say that my 12 years in the police force provided me with some of my best memories. The camaraderie of my friends, my fellow men and women in blue, and the satisfaction when you know you've locked up a crook who has committed an offence, the fact that you've protected a victim and prevented further suffering in the community, is something only police officers can understand.

Having said that, equally the job provided some of my worst memories, our worst memories. We were faced with unimaginable scenes and personal accounts that ripped away any rose-coloured glasses. There is stress in knowing that any failure on your part, whether it's putting together a brief of evidence or a prosecution, has the potential to negatively impact lives and livelihoods. We suffer the loss of brave colleagues whose lives were taken by the job or because of the job after they left the service.

On 13 September current and former police officers from every state will commence the Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance, an inaugural journey that begins in each capital city and concludes here in Canberra at the National Police Memorial. The event is open to serving and retired police officers. They will travel in convoy by motorcycle to Canberra and arrive at the National Police Memorial, a journey made in honour of our fallen colleagues right across the country. I'd like to acknowledge the event organisers, entering into their 16th year. I know the member for Wide Bay has been doing it for a number of years now.

Recently, the sad results in Porepunkah, Victoria, mean two new names will be added to that memorial: Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, tragically killed in the line of duty. I'd like to acknowledge their families, their friends. I know that your communities will embrace you with the compassion and support you need. I've been through the exact same thing, with two of my colleagues killed in Crescent Head, now 30 years ago.

With that, I thank all sworn and unsworn members of our police forces around the nation for your service. What is seen cannot be unseen. What is heard cannot be unheard. Thank you for getting up every single day and bearing witness to sometimes horrific events so that others do not have to. Thank you for your personal sacrifices. I can promise you that they do not go unnoticed.

Thanks must also go to your families and loved ones for their own sacrifices. Every day you head out on the job, it's your families and loved ones who pray for your safe return ,who worry if texts go unanswered, who witness the impact of a bad day on you. They carry the burden and knowledge that you are serving others. While you willingly signed up to serve, your families are conscripted, and they deserve our collective acknowledgement. Finally, I'd like to acknowledge the work of police legacy and their important role in family and community support.

Your compassion and care is invaluable, and we are lucky to have you. To all the members, thank you for your service.

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