Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

Later this month we'll mark National Police Remembrance Day. The date of 29 September is derived from the feast day of St Michael, the patron saint of police. This year marks the 36th National Police Remembrance Day, an important day where we pay tribute to the courageous officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. In remembering this day, I pay particular respect to the members of this House who have dedicated part of their professional lives to taking that risk, the members for Richmond, Tangney, Wide Bay and Cowper.

Every loss of life is a tragedy; every loss of life gets felt by the community. But there's an even greater chasm left when we know that the person we've lost had chosen to put themselves in harm's way to protect the rest of us. At these moments, the risk that every officer takes is realised in the most awful way. When this happens, the grieving is not limited to friends or family; it belongs to the entire nation. The unspeakable violence which was committed against an officer in Tasmania, Constable Keith Anthony Smith, and most recently against officers in Victoria, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, has shaken us as a nation.

Every day our police put themselves in the service of the community. They put themselves on the line. That's a spirit of courage and selflessness that is the mark of every man and woman from the moment they make the choice to enlist. And, as we keep being reminded, there will be times when that spirit is called on to a degree that is nothing short of extraordinary.

Just last night I had the honour of presenting the National Police Bravery Award to two Australian Federal Police officers and three members of the NSW Police Force. Sergeant Aaron Cox and Inspector Peter Murphy of the Australian Federal Police were recognised for their incredible acts of bravery in response to a magnitude 7.3 earthquake in Port Vila while stationed in Vanuatu. Both Sergeant Cox and Inspector Murphy repeatedly entered a collapsed building in which many people were trapped. They made the conscious decision to stay and treat casualties, apply makeshift medical aid and evacuate victims, all while they believed a tsunami was imminent. Their selflessness, courage and leadership under these extreme conditions saved lives.

Sergeant Daniel Cooper, Senior Constable Adam Davis and Senior Constable Joshua Naughtin of the New South Wales Police Force were also recognised for their bravery in response to the Manning River in Taree in May of this year. These three officers rescued 38 people across multiple locations, and these rescues were nothing short of extraordinary. One man was rescued by Sergeant Cooper and Senior Constable Davis after spending four hours in neck-deep water.

At another location, a family of five was rescued from the second storey of their home amid live powerlines in the floodwaters. Perhaps the most extraordinary of them all, in conditions so extreme that the State Emergency Service and PolAir were not able to assist, Senior Constables Davis and Naughtin launched their own flood rescue boat. They proceeded to rescue five people from two locations, including three elderly residents at the second location, one of whom was trapped in a roof cavity. Senior Constables Davis and Naughtin brought these five residents to safety in near darkness and worsening weather, against the current of the floodwater. They were presented with their National Police Bravery Awards in recognition of acting well beyond their duty by knowingly entering life-threatening conditions to save others and by conducting rescues when no other agency could. They undoubtedly saved lives and demonstrated exceptional bravery and commitment.

This tenacity and commitment of police force members and law enforcement partners allow our policing community to continue to achieve substantial operational results, maximising their impact on the criminal environment. Our law enforcers work tirelessly in challenging situations to ensure the safety and protection of Australians and our way of life. Their work goes way beyond the ordinary concepts that we might have—which is still extraordinary work—of policing and community policing that, as local members, we deal with every day. There are also police officers every day, having to dedicate their work to look at some of the most horrific images that we could imagine. There are officers who are playing roles around the Pacific and around the world in helping to improve the police capacity of other police forces. There are police officers engaged in extraordinary work getting to the bottom of and working out how to deal with transnational, serious and organised crime, but the common thread through all of this is that they put themselves at risk to keep us safe.

On 29 September, we pause to acknowledge those who have committed their lives to the service of our community and who died trying to make our country a safer place for all Australians and, as a parliament, we honour them.

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