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

Mr Speaker, I seek your permission to make a further statement on indulgence.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Indulgence is granted.

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

I have sought the indulgence of the House to make a statement regarding the return to Australia of the remains of an Australian soldier killed in the Vietnam War: Private David Fisher. Private David Fisher was a member of the Special Air Service Regiment in Vietnam. On 27 September 1969 he fell from a rope suspended beneath an RAAF helicopter during an extraction at Nui May Tao in Vietnam. Private Fisher fell into thick jungle and, despite extensive searches, his remains were never recovered. Thirty-nine years after that day, Private Fisher’s remains have now been recovered and are finally being laid to rest with honour and with the dignity befitting a fallen Australian soldier.

I commend to the House the dedicated and selfless work of all Australians who kept alive the hope of recovering Private Fisher, in particular the tireless efforts of Jim Bourke and Operation Aussies Home. Private Fisher’s return follows the recovery of the remains of three other Australian soldiers from the Vietnam War: Lance Corporal Richard Parker, Private Peter Gillson and Lance Corporal John Gillespie. Two Australian airmen—Flying Officer Michael Herbert and Pilot Officer Robert Carver—are still missing in Vietnam, and we hope that in time we may also find the remains of these missing airmen, these brave sons of Australia.

These searches have been the result of great cooperation between the governments of Australia and Vietnam, and I record the gratitude of the Australian government to the government of Vietnam for their assistance during the search for and recovery of our missing diggers. I conveyed that gratitude to the Prime Minister of Vietnam in our discussions here in Canberra this morning. Private Fisher lost his life serving his country. The passage of time does not diminish our great respect for his bravery and his dedication, and his sacrifice will not be forgotten. On behalf of the government and the House, I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the family of Private Fisher. I hope that his homecoming will bring some measure of comfort to those who have waited so long for his return to Australia.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on indulgence: on behalf of the opposition I associate this side of the House with the moving comments made by the Prime Minister about the death, the heroism and the return of Private Fisher. His story is a terrible and a beautiful one. He was in a terrible war, fighting in the jungle on September 27, 1969, a member of the SAS. Confronted by an enemy force 30 strong, his patrol leader called in helicopters. An RAAF helicopter dropped ropes down for the soldiers to hang onto in a hot extraction under enemy fire. Imagine their relief as the helicopters took off. And imagine Private Fisher’s feelings—imagine the terror; imagine the horror—as he fell back into the dense jungle. It was a terrible war, a terrible time. He was a heroic soldier, fighting in Australia’s name, putting his life on the line—as so many soldiers had done before and so many are doing today. And yet this is such a beautiful story, thanks to the dedication of so many other Australians—in particular, Jim Bourke of Operation Aussies Home—who kept up the hope that the remains of this brave soldier and others like him could be returned to their homeland. It has been a great triumph of perseverance, of patriotism and of commitment. We join with the Prime Minister in thanking all those responsible for bringing Private Fisher home, in thanking again Private Fisher for his heroism and, above all, in extending our condolences to Private Fisher’s family.