Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

At the outset, I want to acknowledge we've got two former ministers for veterans affairs in the chamber. We also have a Timor and Afghan veteran, the member for Herbert; my good mate the member for Spence, who also has worn our country's uniform; and a big supporter of our veterans, the member for Makin.

This morning I visited one of our nation's most sacred sites, the Australian War Memorial. When opening the new main entrance in February last year, the Prime Minister referred to it as 'the most important building in the nation'. The Australian War Memorial was founded in the aftermath of the First World War, and the names of 61,721 Australians that lost their lives during the Great War are on the memorial's Roll of Honour. It was a young nation, fewer than five million people, so that loss was indeed profound. The War Memorial was built to honour their service and sacrifice and to ensure that we never forgot the terrible cost of war.

The War Memorial was driven by the vision of Charles Bean, Australia's official war correspondent in the Great War. He believed that, if Australians were asked to serve Australia in harm's way, then the nation owed them not only commemoration but careful documentation. He envisaged not simply a monument but a living institution, a place of remembrance, reflection and rigorous historical research. The Australian War Memorial is unique in combining three essential functions: a national shrine, a world-class museum and an extensive archive preserving official records and deeply personal stories. Through these functions, it fulfils its enduring mission of leading remembrance and deepening understanding of Australia's wartime and operational experience.

On the Roll of Honour, there are now 103,132 names, each one belonging to somebody who has made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, including Private Robert 'Jock' Buchan, who died when they were engaged in a firefight in the Nui May Tao mountains alongside my father but also Kenny Higgins, the president of Mackay RSL—and I give a shout-out to Kenny and Dad—when they were engaged in that firefight in South Vietnam in 1969. Another number of that 103,000 Australians belongs to Private Scott Palmer of the 2nd Commando Regiment, who was killed in Afghanistan on operations on 21 June 2010. Scotty was a dedicated and highly skilled soldier, a proud Territorian and a great mate to many of his comrades. Eight other soldiers from 2 Commando Regiment also lost their lives during the Afghanistan campaign. Their names are also on the wall. Each name on that wall represents not just an individual but a family, a unit and a community forever changed. In Darwin, in tribute to Scott, we're delivering the Scott Palmer centre. It will be a place to support veterans and their families in the Greater Darwin area, a reminder that remembrance is not abstract; it is lived daily in communities across Australia.

Today, the War Memorial encompasses all ADF service from the First and Second World Wars to Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East, peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and training exercises, and it ensures that contemporary veterans are recognised with the same dignity that has been afforded rightly to earlier generations. The major redevelopment of the War Memorial has been underway for some time. Some of it, such as the HMAS Brisbane exhibition, is open now, but full completion will be made in 2028, and it will ensure that there is sufficient space to sufficiently and properly tell the stories of contemporary service. The upgrade includes the protection and preservation of our national collection, improving accessibility and enhancing the education and research facilities. The Australian War Memorial is a sacred place in the nation, and it is right that it is properly developed.

See this speech in context