Sharryn Jackson (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister update the House on the discovery of HMAS Sydney?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. I am pleased to inform the House that one of Australia’s most enduring maritime mysteries has now been resolved, at least in substantial part. Last night the final resting place of the missing Royal Australian Navy cruiser HMAS Sydney was confirmed. In 1941 HMAS Sydney, the most famous of the RAN ships at the time, was sunk as the result of a naval engagement with the German raider Kormoran. The Sydney had already returned from the Mediterranean, where it had been engaged gallantly in action, including most significantly against a more heavily armed Italian cruiser, the Bartolomeo Colleoni. In the Indian Ocean, however, the engagement with the Kormoran resulted in both the Kormoran and HMAS Sydney going down. In the case of HMAS Sydney, tragically we lost all 645 members of the crew.

This was the largest loss of life in a single naval incident on the part of the Royal Australian Navy. Until yesterday the families of those crew members did not know the final resting place of their loved ones. Now they know. But that knowledge reminds them of a loss and, though more than 60 years have now passed, that loss is still keenly felt. On behalf of the government, and I believe on behalf of the parliament, we convey our condolences to all surviving family members of those who tragically lost their lives in the service of their country on board HMAS Sydney.

Finding the location of the German raider HSK Kormoran was the key to finding HMAS Sydney. The Kormoran was found approximately 112 nautical miles off Steep Point, in Western Australia, and it is lying in about 2,500 metres of water. The Australian government has advised the German government of this find. The Sydney was found around 12 nautical miles from the wreck of the Kormoran, and it is also lying in 2,500 metres of water. The government’s advice is that the location of the wreck and its dimensions give certainty to the fact that HMAS Sydney has indeed been found. The debate, however, will now continue as to the precise circumstances surrounding the sinking of the Sydney. That debate will now be aided by undersea photography that will emerge as a result of the discovery of the wreck site. It is important that we have now moved to protect the site of the wreck of HMAS Sydney. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts has used interim orders to declare both sites to be historic shipwrecks under the Historic Shipwrecks Act, thereby preventing any removal or disturbance of the shipwrecks without formal approval.

I wish to thank all of those involved in the search for HMAS Sydney. The Finding Sydney Foundation has done research work over many years to identify the most likely location of the wreck, and it has organised the current search. The crew of the SV Geosounder, the ship that conducted the search, are to be congratulated for their fine work, as is the Royal Australian Navy for the excellent support they have given to the search foundation. I also thank the governments of New South Wales and Western Australia and the former Australian government for the financial support that they committed to this project.

This is a historic day for the nation and it is a sad day for the nation. It is a historic day for the Royal Australian Navy and it is a sad day for the Navy. It is also a deeply sad day for the families of those who lost loved ones on the Sydney. Today in this parliament we honour the memory of those who served their country with courage and with pride. We honour also their families, who now suffer a renewal of acute loss and grief.

Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence, I strongly support the remarks of the Prime Minister and congratulate the Sydney search group for their determination to find the wreck of HMAS Sydney. HMAS Sydney and the 645 men who went down in 1941 were lost, but never Australia’s pride, resilience and determination. The very deep wounds in Australian families, in the Royal Australian Navy and in our nation can now begin to heal. I thank the Prime Minister for his remarks in relation to this. I also recognise the fact that the member for Dunkley and others were instrumental in seeing that the funding was made available for this search.