Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The coalition joins with the government in supporting this condolence motion for Sergeant Brett Till, who died in southern Afghanistan on Thursday 19 March 2009. Sergeant Till, a highly skilled explosive ordnance disposal technician, was killed during a route clearance task undertaken by the Special Operations Task Group in southern Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device detonated as he was working to dispose of it. Sergeant Till’s passing, following so closely the loss of Corporal Hopkins just three days prior, caused an already-grieving nation to pause longer, to reflect more deeply and to acknowledge the further sacrifice made by our service personnel. Sergeant Till was the tenth Australian soldier killed in Afghanistan since Australia deployed there in 2002. Sergeant Till’s body was returned to Richmond Air Force Base on March 26, with a lone piper playing as the body was removed from the plane by an honour guard and bearer party made up of members of the Incident Response Regiment.

The Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, reflected on Sergeant Till and said, ‘Without question he saved the life of his mates’. Brett’s father Noel, in a statement made after the ramp ceremony, paid tribute to his son’s commitment to his family and his military history. He said:

I will be forever proud of Brett, for his devotion to his wife and children, for his selfless concern for the well being of others and his dedication to his mates and country.  What more could anyone ask.  Yet he gave more.

In a moving and solemn funeral service on March 31 at the Woronora Cemetery, Sutherland, Sergeant Till’s brother Tony shared the sense of grief yet admiration many felt on the passing of Sergeant Till when he said, ‘Losing Brett is the toughest thing that has ever happened to our family. These have been some of the toughest days of our lives and yet we have never felt prouder of Brett.’ His commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Russell Maddalena, the Commander of the Incident Response Regiment, also paid tribute to the professionalism and commitment of Sergeant Till, saying:

Sgt Till was a patriotic Australian and a valued member of his regiment. He is owed a special debt of gratitude that can never fully be repaid. I know all Australians will remember and honour Brett’s sacrifice.

Brett is gone and we celebrate his life and courage and mourn his passing. We look upon his life, his integrity, leadership, courage and love of family and friends and we give thanks that we were able to be part of it.

Sergeant Till was a relative latecomer to a military career, having previously worked as a mechanic. It was his love for his family and his desire to ensure their security and wellbeing that led Brett Till to the Army, where he enlisted in 2001. Sergeant Till was recognised for his dedication, commitment and integrity with prompt promotions throughout his career. Sergeant Till was a decorated soldier, awarded the Australian Active Service Medal with International Coalition against Terrorism clasp, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Australian Defence Medal, the NATO ISAF Medal and the Army Combat Badge. Sergeant Till was a member of the Incident Response Regiment, having also served with the 1st Combat Engineer Regiment and the School of Military Engineering. The Incident Response Regiment, based at Holsworthy, was formed in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks and designed to provide a specialist response to incidents involving explosives or chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear hazards.

Sergeant Brett Till is survived by his wife Bree, to whom he had been married less than 12 months prior; their unborn child; and Brett’s children, Taleah and Jacob. After Brett’s death Bree Till made a statement paying tribute to her husband and highlighting her memories of Brett. She said, ‘I need you to know he was not a hateful, spiteful or vengeful man. He was good, humble and honourable with unequivocal, uncomplicated intentions.’ To Bree, Taleah and Jacob, to Brett’s father, Noel, and to his mother, Susan, and to all who had the privilege of knowing and loving Brett Till, I hope our words of sympathy, support and remembrance will demonstrate, in some small part, the thanks of a nation that will always owe you a debt of gratitude. To his family, in particular his yet-to-be-born child, and friends all, I say: always remember that Sergeant Brett Till was a hero, the bravest of the brave, who was determined to make sure that his family had a safe and secure future, that he led from the front in protecting his comrades in arms, and that he had a personal commitment to ensure the freedoms and democracy that we enjoy. Lest we forget.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to join with the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and other members who make a contribution to this important debate. I record my deep regret and sorrow over the death of Sergeant Brett Till and extend my profound sympathies to his family. I extend sympathies to Sergeant Till’s wife, Bree-Anna, who is a wonderful person; his children, Jacob and Taleah; his mother Susan and her husband Leigh; and his father Noel and his wife Cathy—all wonderful people whom I had the pleasure to meet both at the ramp ceremony for the repatriation of Sergeant Till and at the funeral service.

I have met many of the men and women of the Australian Defence Force and I am always impressed by their professionalism and courage. Sergeant Till made a significant contribution while serving the Australian Army. He enlisted in the Army in July 2001. After initial training, he was allocated to the Royal Australian Engineers and completed his combat engineer initial employment training in March 2002. Sergeant Till completed his ordnance disposal technician course during 2007 while he was an instructor at the School of Military Engineering. Sergeant Till deployed to Afghanistan in February 2009. On 19 March 2009, Sergeant Till was serving with the Special Operations Task Group when he was killed by an explosion that occurred during a route clearance task in southern Afghanistan. Sergeant Till died serving his country and is owed a special debt of gratitude that can never be fully repaid. He was a dedicated soldier with high professional standards, displaying courage in the most demanding of environments. He was committed to his work and was an example to all those who served with him. He was a highly respected explosive ordnance disposal technician from the Incident Response Regiment in Holsworthy in New South Wales. It is surely one of the most challenging tasks any of us could ever imagine undertaking.

Members will be aware that I recently had the great honour and privilege of spending Anzac Day with the men and women of the ADF based at Camp Holland in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan. It was a magnificent privilege and experience for me. There I learned the latest detail of the work of both the Special Operations Task Group and the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force. I got briefings in technical terms, but there is nothing more important to me than mixing amongst the troops and learning first-hand of their experiences in that war-torn country.

One thing that shines through for me is that they all understand very clearly why they are there. They understand this is an important mission for Australia’s national security and they are all dedicated to the task of lifting the capacity of the Afghan national security forces so that they can take care of their own security in the medium to long term. The special forces people are dedicated to the task of disrupting the insurgency. Sergeant Till, as I said, was performing a very special role. It is difficult for us to imagine filling the role he was playing—such a dangerous task—but, again, it underscores his commitment and dedication to his country.

I mentioned that I attended the funeral service. From my perspective it is always hardest when they put up the PowerPoint presentation. The pictures reflect the soldier’s life—in this case, the life of Sergeant Till and his time with his family. Nothing is more moving than when we have lost a soldier, but it was obvious in watching the PowerPoint presentation that there were many facets to Sergeant Till. He was a dedicated and professional soldier but certainly also a dedicated family man, and the family has paid very dearly for his dedication to his country.

I take this opportunity of paying tribute to all the men and women of the ADF who are making a contribution to our campaign in Afghanistan. It is challenging and dangerous work, but I know from their perspective that it is also rewarding work. I make the point that, whenever we lose a soldier, their families always reinforce for me the fact that they understood exactly what they were doing and the risks involved but they were doing exactly what they wanted to do. I think it is very important that the families know and appreciate that.

On behalf of the Australian government we again offer our prayers and our support for Sergeant Till’s family and his friends. The passing of Sergeant Till brings the total number of fatalities in Afghanistan to 10 ADF members—indeed, 11 if you count Rifleman Stuart Nash, who of course died fighting with the UK forces. The other fatalities fighting in the uniform of the Australian Defence Force were, of course: Sergeant Andrew Russell, Trooper David ‘Poppy’ Pearce, Sergeant Matty Locke, Private Luke Worsley, Lance Corporal Jason Marks, Signaller Sean McCarthy, Lieutenant Michael Fussell, Private Greg Sher and of course Corporal Matthew Hopkins, who we paid tribute to earlier this morning. Again, as the Minister for Defence and on behalf of the Australian parliament, I thank them for their service, I thank them for their sacrifice and I thank their friends and loved ones, who have given them as their own sacrifice on behalf of the nation.

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Benjamin Disraeli said that the legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example. Sergeant Till is indeed a great example to all Australians. It is with great pride mixed with enormous sadness that I rise to honour this fallen warrior. Sergeant Brett Till was recently farewelled by fellow diggers in Tarin Kowt, southern Afghanistan. He became the 10th young Anzac, the 10th young soldier, the 10th young warrior killed in a foreign battlefield called Afghanistan. He was killed while trying to defuse an improvised explosive device. The 31-year-old was the fourth Australian to die from an IED blast in Afghanistan.

The cortege of vehicles, including one carrying Sergeant Till’s flag-draped casket, passed along a route lined by his Australian colleagues and representatives from coalition forces in Oruzgan. Eight of his mates then carried his casket into an awaiting RAAF C130 Hercules, which then brought this brave warrior home. He was serving with the Special Operations Task Group. His commanding officer said that his death was not in vain. He said:

Without question, Brett’s work on the day he died saved the lives of his mates.

He was a man who, with his team, would deliberately place himself directly between dangerous and unstable high explosive devices and the soldiers of the Special Operations Task Group on a daily basis, in order to ensure that they could carry out their important mission to make this country—

Afghanistan—

a safer place. Brett will be forever remembered both here and at home as a bloke that made a difference and saved lives.

Sergeant Till’s widow, Bree-Anna Till, paid tribute to her husband. She said:

Brett was such a beautiful man. His smile would crack the frowns off a hundred faces.

Mates of Sergeant Brett Till bid farewell to a friend and colleague during that solemn ramp ceremony in Tarin Kowt on Saturday, 21 March. Sergeant Till, from the Sydney based Incident Response Regiment, was serving with the Special Operations Task Group. Led by engineers from the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force and accompanied by Special Operations Task Group colleagues, he was farewelled. He was the 10th Australian soldier killed on that foreign battlefield. He was an explosive ordnance disposal technician. He was a man whose job it was to place himself in harm’s way to protect those who could not protect themselves from the foulest of devices—that of improvised explosions.

He was 31 and lived in Sydney with his beautiful wife and two children. By way of background, Sergeant Till enlisted in the Australian Army in 2001. He was posted to the corps of Royal Australian Engineers following recruit training. He trained as a combat engineer and served with a number of units, including the 1st Combat Engineer Regiment and the School of Military Engineering. Defence Force head Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston paid tribute to Sergeant Till and his extraordinary bravery. He said:

Sergeant till’s selfless act to protect his mates and innocent civilians is a mark of the character of the man. My thoughts and prayers are with Sergeant Till’s loved ones at this difficult time. His sacrifice will never be forgotten.

This was a soldier who went to fight for freedoms we enjoy and take for granted. When I deployed in operations, I had a 21-year-old wife but I had no children. I cannot imagine what it would be like kissing small children goodbye and going to a foreign theatre of operations. But this is what Sergeant Till and thousands of young Australians like him do every day, every week, every month to protect and preserve freedom in our name. Sergeant Till paid the ultimate sacrifice in defending what we love and believe in—freedom.

It is attributed to George Orwell that we sleep safe in our beds because rough men and stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. Sergeant Till was one of those rough men, those young Australians, those young Anzacs, those warriors who stood ready 24 hours of the day to protect us and preserve our freedom. He knew that freedom is indeed the sure possession of those alone with the courage to defend it. Sergeant Till indeed stands tall in our nation’s history.

Pericles, the ancient warrior, statesman and king who founded the Athenian empire 2,500 years ago and led that nation during the first two years of the Peloponnesian War, said:

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.

Sergeant Till spent his time on a foreign battlefield protecting his mates in a highly-charged environment doing a difficult job—working with improvised explosive devices. How many lives this brave man saved may never be counted, but his heroism will never be forgotten. His kids will remember him and they will honour his sacrifice, as this nation does. They will march every Anzac Day with his medals and they will be remembered as they remember their father. This nation and this parliament are very proud of Sergeant Till. We are very proud of all our young warriors who serve us so faithfully overseas and surely will never forget.

Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today we pause to remember and pay our respects to the outstanding life and service of Sergeant Brett Till, who died for our nation on 19 March 2009 aged but 31 years. As we know, he was an explosive ordinance technician based at the Incident Response Regiment in Sydney serving in the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan. He was killed by an IED, an improvised explosive device, during a route clearance task—a very dangerous job. It has been acknowledged by the commanding officer of the Special Operations Task Group, that ‘without question Brett’s work on the day he died saved the lives of his mates.’ I have learnt much of this brave man over the past few weeks, as those who knew him shared their tales that told of a compassionate family man and an incredibly professional and dedicated soldier. Brett joined the Army in 2001 and trained as a combat engineer. He was highly respected by his peers.

I have personally witnessed over the last few years the great work our defence forces do in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste and variously the tough conditions and dangers they confront on a daily—if not hourly or minute-by-minute—basis depending on what they are doing. Our service men and women in the Special Operations Task Group are working tirelessly amongst daily threats of enemy fire, rocket propelled grenade attacks and IEDs. It is important that we acknowledge all of those currently serving our nation overseas as well as those in the past for their dedication and hard work and for their courage to face such risks on our behalf.

Last weekend, here in Canberra, I was at the Old Parliament House for a very good occasion, the commemoration of the history of Australian democracy. When you see our young men and women in uniform overseas, it is perhaps too easy to forget what they are fighting for. What was brought home to me on Saturday, and this is invigorated in my memory today, is the fact that these young men and women—like Sergeant Brett Till, who made the ultimate sacrifice—are doing it for us. They are doing it because we live in this nation of freedom. For the ongoing, enduring protection of our freedom, we request—indeed, direct—young men and women in uniform to represent our interests and fight for us on foreign shores. We should not underestimate the sacrifice that is being made, and I think we should embolden the Australian community to understand that, whilst they might see the war in Afghanistan as a long way away, in fact it has its roots here. Its roots are in this parliament, where we consider and contemplate the events of the day and where an executive government elected by the Australian people makes decisions on how our Defence Force is going to be deployed. When we make those decisions, they are very solemn decisions. When we ask our young men and women to go to these foreign shores and fight on our behalf, we are putting them in danger. I know my colleague the parliamentary secretary Dr Kelly has his own experiences of these dangers.

It is important that the Australian community understand how we the Australian community benefit directly from this service. Unfortunately, on occasions I think that is not the case. When we reflect upon the contribution and sacrifice made by Sergeant Till we should bear in mind what it means for his family. When they saw him depart this shore to do his job, as he wanted to do, they could not have foreseen the tragic way in which his life would end. He leaves behind his pregnant wife, Bree-Anna, and his children, Jacob and Taleah; as well as his mother, Susan, and her husband, Leigh; and his father, Noel, and his wife, Cathy. I extend my personal condolences to all of you who mourn his death. Having said that, when we think about this nation of ours and the sacrifices such as that which Brett has made for us, we should also contemplate that his family are now devoid of him.

When we ask our men and women to serve overseas, we should also be thinking about those they leave behind. We have an obligation to recognise our wonderful defence families—the mothers, the fathers, the wives, the husbands and the children who have to remain behind and, as in the case of Sergeant Till, who are left without their husband, their father, their son. I do not think one can contemplate what that ultimate sacrifice means to that family. When we are thinking about our ongoing contribution to these tasks that we ask our men and women in uniform to undertake on our behalf, we should on an ongoing and daily basis pray for and think about their families.

I personally would like to express my gratitude to Brett’s extended family for the support they gave him throughout his career. It enabled him to do what he wanted to do. It enabled him to serve our nation. I know there is nothing we can say that will fill the gap that is now there, but they should be aware that this parliament gratefully acknowledges his tremendous service and sacrifice for our nation.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Housing and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support the condolence motion for Sergeant Brett Till. Sergeant Brett Till, his wife, Bree, and his children, Jacob and Taleah, lived in my electorate of Cook. It has always been difficult for me to fully comprehend the scale of human loss suffered by earlier generations of Australians who have served and experienced our nation during war. That all changed for me when I attended the funeral of Sergeant Brett Till at Woronora some months ago with former Prime Minister John Howard, Bree and her family, all of Brett’s family, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister for Defence and the Chief of the Defence Force. It was a very moving and very sad day.

Like many Australians from my generation and those that have followed, we have had the privilege to hear the stories of our veterans of previous conflicts. My grandfather served in Papua New Guinea and the Middle East. I can still vividly recall the discussions I had as a 15-year-old with a World War I veteran. George Wood, a warrant officer who served in the First World War, would talk of his experiences, but these were all just stories from another time and another place to which I have no direct connection. There are also the stories of those who lived during the war—the stories from my grandmother’s generation. They are stories about the uncertainty and the fear and the way that communities relied on each other during those times simply to get through each day.

While deeply respecting and honouring the commitment and sacrifice of all of these great Australians who went through these times, they came from previous generations so it was difficult to make that connection. At each Anzac Day the crowds gather—and they keep growing, and that is a wonderful thing—but I must say that it was not until Sergeant Till’s funeral that I really started to understand the mourning that accompanies a generation when they lose their own. Sergeant Till was the 10th soldier we have lost in Afghanistan and one of thousands of a new generation of veterans—and the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support, who is here today, is one of them—who have been created since our major overseas deployments around 10 years ago.

Brett was 31. He is survived by his wife, Bree, and his two young children, Jacob and Taleah, who attend schools in my electorate. As I attended that funeral in southern Sydney that day I became completely overwhelmed by grief. This grief did not come from my personal relationship with Brett and his family, because prior to his death I did not know them personally; this grief came from our shared but unconnected experience of life. They lived in my community and they shared the same joys and aspirations that all young families like Brett’s and my own have in all of our electorates.

To see on that day the pictures of Brett together with his beautiful young family struck a very deep chord. My wife and I also have a young daughter who is the centre of our lives. Like Brett and Bree, we are expecting a child this year. As parents similarly enjoying this wonderful phase of life, the tragedy of Brett’s loss is so much more profound. I can only imagine what the sense of loss must have been like for earlier generations during previous conflicts where this story of a generation losing its own and coping with the grief and loss that accompanies that was repeated literally thousands of times over in the streets, suburbs and towns all over Australia.

I was reminded of this recently when I had the privilege of accompanying the member for Blaxland, my good friend Jason Clare, in bringing young people from our electorates—young surf lifesavers from the beaches of Cronulla and young Lebanese Muslim Australians from Bankstown—with us as we walked the Kokoda Trail. One of the missions of particularly those from the shire during that trail walk was laying a tribute to Sergeant Till at Isurava. Those of you have been to Isurava will know how moving a place that is. One of the most moving parts of being at Isurava and what was a wonderful thing to do on behalf of Jason and I was to honour Brett in a place where incredible true courage, mateship, sacrifice and endurance was displayed.

We think of the current conflict in Afghanistan and detach it from those earlier conflicts. But the thing about Isurava is that it is where VC Bruce Kingsbury died on the field of battle—literally metres from that memorial—and, as we reflected in laying the tribute to Brett, most recently we have seen the award of a VC to Trooper Donaldson in Afghanistan. We reflected on the fact that Australians still die today in uniform in our name and under our flag, protecting those values. Just as that was true back in 1942 for Bruce Kingsbury it was true for Sergeant Brett Till early this year in Afghanistan.

It does not matter what the conflict is or what the field of battle is, these places are dangerous. The men and women who put themselves in these places on our behalf deserve our undying respect and our unswerving honour. As I gathered there with those young people from the shire and we laid that tribute, I knew that it was fitting for Brett to be memorialised in the company of those great men, because he sits comfortably and worthily with all of those who have fallen. Every time I think of Isurava, I will think of Brett and his family.

The pride and respect of Brett’s fellow soldiers from his regiment at Holsworthy and the brave faces of his family, his wife and young children and his parents—and particularly his brothers as we spoke afterwards and before—spoke highly of this new generation of Australians, who clearly walk in the same spirit as those who walked before them. Our soldiers do not choose the wars that we ask them to fight. Politics is not their calling; it is ours. They simply serve in our name, living the values that they so faithfully defend. This above all things is what we must honour in their memory.

As a new generation coming to terms with the loss that accompanies war, we must also, like those before us, honour the memory of those who have fallen by tasking ourselves with the care of those who have been left behind. One of the purposes of the trek by Jason and I to Kokoda was to raise the profile and importance of Legacy. The mothers that we support now through Legacy are 20 years old. Bree is, I think, 25. She is expecting another child this year. The faces of Legacy are no longer people like my grandmother, who has passed away, but young people who are dealing with family and the loss of their husbands or partners or the injuries of their partners or husbands—or wives, for that matter. Legacy continues to play a very important role in their future. We must commit ourselves to their future. Legacy can no longer be for us the wonderful organisation that my grandmother used to talk about; Legacy must now be the wonderful organisation that, together with our defence forces, supports Brett’s wife, Bree, and Brett’s children and all of the families of the fallen and injured.

As a new generation we must take up this responsibility for these and other important institutions that create our community. We must continue to build the Australia Sergeant Till cherished and dreamed of for his own family and future generations. These challenges have even greater meaning now as we further appreciate their cost of purchase as a new generation mourning our lost heroes, and Sergeant Brett Till in particular. Lest we forget.

Mike Kelly (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a privilege and an honour to be able to speak to the memory of Sergeant Brett Till. I pay tribute to the fine words of my colleague, the member for Cook, and thank him for his attendance at the funeral, and indeed all the members of the opposition who have accompanied us on those incredibly sad occasions—the ramp ceremonies and the funerals. It is terribly important that we do always demonstrate unity in those circumstances. As my friend has mentioned, it is important for us, as people who are responsible and who play a part in the decisions to send our service men and women and to put their families in those stressful circumstances, to fully appreciate always what it is that we are doing and what the impact of those decisions is. I know that people like the member for Cook and the member Pearce, who has accompanied me on another occasion, do feel these situations deeply. The unity that we show in those circumstances is a great tribute to the quality of the democracy that we have.

Sergeant Brett Till was a soldier of the contemporary environment that we face in terms of the threat we are confronting. If you look at Sergeant Till’s career, his time spent in the Incident Response Regiment as a combat engineer within the Chemical, Biological and Radiological Response Squadron dealt with the complex threats that we face not just in Afghanistan but globally. The types of weapons of mass destruction that can potentially be used by these heinous and moral-less persons that conduct their war against the innocents around the globe require men and women of bravery who are prepared to put their bodies on the line to deal with these sorts of threats. Brett, of course, went on to acquire great expertise in the area of explosive ordnance reconnaissance and disposal, and became a highly proficient EOD tech operator.

I do not think anybody can really appreciate the extreme bravery that is required to perform those duties; to know that you are facing death at any second—a direct confrontation, staring death in the face—from the sorts of threats in the ordnance and improvised explosive devices that these men and women deal with. The work that they do is so essential, and I am very proud to have worked very hard on this IED issue. It is the great challenge that our personnel face but it has a broader application. Certainly, the things that we reveal about the threat and our opponents through developing weapons technical intelligence about their tactics, techniques and procedures are so essential in this continuing fight. It is a game of cat and mouse, of measure and countermeasure, and it requires constant effort and courage on the part of these members to keep us on top of this threat and also to move forward the objective that we pursue in places like Afghanistan. The tasks that Brett was performing in route clearance have so many important features: ensuring that the civilians in the region can travel safely, ensuring that the economy of the region can operate with the freedom of movement along these routes and also ensuring the day-to-day safety of fellow soldiers and coalition members in the work that they do.

The damage that these improvised explosive devices do is horrific. It is true—I have seen and witnessed firsthand what can occur, and what these devices do to the human body. I have lost many friends and colleagues who suffered the results of these devices. To see young lives shattered in that way, to see them lose their limbs, faculties and indeed their lives is something that is very sobering, and also fills me with the motivation to continue to leave no stone unturned in our effort to deliver to our personnel force protection measures. We must continue to pursue the research and development of counter-IED technologies whether we are in Afghanistan or not. This is a constant, urgent demand for all of us in responsible positions relating to the Defence portfolio.

Sergeant Brett Till was in the front line of this effort. He was not only an outstanding soldier but an outstanding Australian. Reference has been made to the impact on families. It is something that I do not think is well understood; it takes you to attend these funerals and see the young children and the young wives and spouses as they try and deal with these situations. I have been incredibly impressed and overwhelmed by the fortitude of all the families that we have dealt with through these tragedies so far. Without exception they have understood the importance of the work that these members have done—the importance of the work in the global sense, too, of our continuing struggle against Islamist extremism. They have the understanding that this commitment must be maintained. It is an obligation on all of us to honour that commitment from them by continuing to do all we can to educate the Australian public as to the importance of this work and the need for this sacrifice that we call upon those members to render.

Today I particularly have in my thoughts Bree-Anna Till and the two children who will continue to live with this loss. Fortunately for Sergeant Till, it appears that his death was instantaneous and there was no suffering involved, but his family will of course bear long-term scars from this incident and it is important for us to continue to wrap around them. They are now part of the broader family that we always consider within the ADF. There will certainly be continuing contact with them from members of the unit, as I have witnessed in so many other cases. The memory of Sergeant Brett Till will live forever. His achievements and legacy will live for ever and his ongoing work will pay dividends in our efforts to counter those terrible devices and the evil, medieval and depraved minds that continue to employ them. Today I salute Sergeant Till but in particular I salute the surviving members of his family for their courage.

Louise Markus (Greenway, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to pay tribute to one of our finest, Sergeant Brett Till. I honour him and acknowledge not only his sacrifice but the sacrifice of his mates and the men and women who serve our nation and the globe today. I particularly extend my thoughts and prayers to his family. I had the privilege of attending the ramp ceremony at Richmond. It was a very sad occasion. Today, as I hear my colleagues speak, I am reminded of what unites us as a nation.

He was a unique young man; there was no-one else like him on the planet. I did not know him personally, but having the opportunity to meet and talk to his mates and family gave me some insight into him as an individual. Soldiers from Brett’s unit at the Holsworthy based Incident Response Regiment formed an honour guard on 26 March this year, as the bearer party to receive and carry the casket from the C17 Globemaster aircraft to his family. It was a very solemn ceremony but it was also an opportunity for those close to Brett to pay their respects in private. I acknowledge that the Minister for Defence; the Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston; the Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie; and the Special Operations Commander Australia, Major General Tim McOwan, were also present on that day.

I would like to mention briefly some comments made by Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston as he expressed his condolences to Sergeant Till’s wife, family, friends and colleagues. He said:

Brett gave his life to protect others. We are humbled by his extraordinary courage and will be forever grateful for his selflessness …

Chief of Army Lieutenant General Gillespie asked Australians to remember the sacrifice of a young soldier who was serving his nation with distinction. He said:

Our thoughts are with Brett’s family and friends during this difficult period. As his tragic death is heavily felt throughout the Army, I want to ensure that Brett’s legacy and dedication is honoured and never forgotten …

Bree-Anna Barclay, Brett’s wife, an art teacher at a Sydney high school, is the primary carer of his two children, Jacob and Taleah. As has already been mentioned today, Bree-Anna is expecting Brett’s third child later this year. In a sense, their journey has really only just begun. While I cannot imagine what it would be like for a 10-year-old and a seven-year-old to lose their father, having lost a father as a teenager I can, I suppose, understand in part what they may be going to experience. I can only pray and hope that they will experience the comfort and the support that they deserve. As a grateful nation, we have heard today discussions about the support that Legacy and others provide.

Today we are indeed grateful for the life of Sergeant Brett Till, and I want to convey that to his family. Today is an opportunity for us to acknowledge not just his sacrifice but their sacrifice. Today around the globe, whether it be in Afghanistan or Iraq, whether it be in peacekeeping operations like in the Solomons Islands or Timor Leste, our men and women are putting their lives on the line to fulfil the call that they have but also what is asked of them by the nation today. It is important to acknowledge that their families today are making sacrifices for them to do that.

I pass on my deepest condolences. My thoughts and prayers will continue to be with Bree-Anna, Jacob and Taleah and the extended family. I know that at the ramp ceremony Brett’s mother, Susan, his father, Noel, his brothers, Glenn and Tracy, stepfather, Leigh, and stepmother, Cathy, and his half-sisters, Esther, Amelia and Sarah, were also present. I think it is important to mention them by name. They were part of Brett’s life. Whether it be his birthday, their birthdays, Christmases or important occasions, that is when they will be remembering Brett and his significance to them. Again, I express my deep regret for their loss, and I will continue to pray for them as they move into their future.

Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 19 March 2009, Sergeant Brett Till was killed in Afghanistan. He was a member of the Army’s Incident Response Regiment, although he was serving in Afghanistan with the Special Operations Task Group. Sergeant Till lost his life whilst attempting to render safe an improvised explosive device that had been discovered during a patrol. It is clear that Brett Till’s profession as an EOD tech was a high-risk one. Despite the protective clothing worn by EOD technicians, the reality is that, if the device explodes, the chances of survival are remote. It is a tribute to his character that he chose this trade, this profession, in the Army to make his contribution to this nation.

As a former Army officer myself, in 2000 I had significant contact with the Joint Incident Response Unit, which, after the Olympics, became the Army’s Incident Response Regiment. Although the conditions under which the EOD teams operated during the Olympics were less onerous than the extremes of combat in Afghanistan, I came to appreciate the courage and the fortitude of those who put themselves between an explosive device and those who need to be defended from its effects.

My point is that there are a lot of very special and courageous people in the Australian Defence Force. We hold the SAS in the highest regard for their skill, effectiveness and courage, yet it is also right to hold up as great examples men like Brett Till, who put themselves at risk of certain death to protect others. The loss of Brett Till’s life is another tragedy for Australia, as all losses of our soldiers’ lives have been tragedies. We must nevertheless remember that Australians have always been prepared to fight and, if required, to die in the defence of other peoples and countries.

Afghanistan is an example where the weak must be defended and the extremists, the murderers, must be opposed. Brett Till knew what the mission was and the risk of letting the Taliban win. He knew that, as all our service men and women understand that. In Afghanistan, our soldiers fight extremists who would like to see Afghanistan dominated by strict Islamic law and the oppression that comes with that. The extremists are the Taliban. The world they want is one where males would have greater rights than females, where only boys would be allowed to go to school and have the opportunity to achieve in their own right, but would nevertheless still be limited by repression. Apart from all their extreme interpretations of their religion, the Taliban also oppose democracy.

Brett Till fought and, sadly, died to protect the ordinary people of Afghanistan, who do not want the Taliban to take over their country again. We must always remember that the Taliban need to be fought against, because they will not listen, they will not talk and they cannot be reasoned with. Their indiscriminate attacks, even on civilians, are evidence of a brutality that must be fought against and must be opposed. As we have recently come to know, the Taliban are not happy with just trying to rule Afghanistan; they have tried to take over part of Pakistan. There, the Pakistani army is fighting hard to free the Swat Valley, and I wish them rapid success in that fight.

Brett Till lost his life less than a year after marrying Bree and after finding out that he would again be a father. I know that he will be greatly missed by his wife and by his children, Jacob and Taleah. That makes his loss even more significant, as most of us here are ourselves parents. His loss will be greatly felt by his wife, his children, his family and his friends, yet I hope that they will always take comfort in the fact that he gave his life to oppose the spread of the Islamic extremists that threaten the opportunities for the children and the future of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is an example of where those that cannot defend themselves must be protected. The harsh reality is that Australians have fought and died in Afghanistan for the belief that the world can and must be a better place, that the forces of oppression and domination must be defeated. Australians have done so and continue to do so with a grave acceptance of the fact that some things must be fought for.

I pay tribute to his life, his commitment to this nation and to a better world. I offer my condolences to his wife, his children and his family. Brett Till was a great Australian who will always be remembered, not just by his family but by the nation for his dedication, his courage and, ultimately, his sacrifice for the cause of freedom and democracy.

Mal Washer (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand it is the wish of honourable members to signify at this stage their respect and sympathy by rising in their places.

Honourable members having stood in their places—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Committee.

Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That further proceedings be conducted in the House.

Question agreed to.