Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

on indulgence—Yesterday evening, the ADF lost one of its finest. Warrant Officer Lachlan Muddle died in a parachuting accident at the ADF's parachute school at Jervis Bay. Warrant Officer Muddle was involved in a midair collision with another parachutist, which resulted in his death. The other parachutist received minor injuries. Both of them were deeply experienced parachutists. They had both done in excess of thousands of jumps, and they were participating in a six-week-long advanced parachuting training block. As a result of last night's accident, for the moment, parachuting in the ADF has been paused.

Lachlan Muddle joined the Australian Army in 1994. He was a member of the Special Air Service Regiment, the SAS, and he qualified for the SAS in 2007. He was deployed on five separate occasions, including to Afghanistan. He was an expert sniper. He was a seriously experienced special forces soldier. He's remembered for his sense of humour and for his commitment to service.

As a result of last night's accident, a series of investigations will now take place, both within the Defence Force and beyond. It's really important that they are as thorough as possible so that every necessary lesson is learnt here. Let me say that the Defence Force trains as it fights, and, necessarily, there is risk in Defence Force training, and so Lachlan Muddle's sacrifice is every bit as meaningful and significant as that of those we have lost on the battlefield. This afternoon, our thoughts are very much with Lachlan Muddle's family and with his defence family, the SAS, who I know will be feeling his loss acutely.

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