Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

( I ask leave of the House to amend notice No. 7, private members' business, in the terms circulated to honourable members.

Leave granted.

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that 18 August is Vietnam Veterans Day; 

(2) notes that: 

(a) prior to 1987, Vietnam Veterans Day was referred to as Long Tan Day; 

(b) 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, a battle that took place on 18 August 1966; and 

(c) at the Battle of Long Tan: 

(i) less than 120 soldiers from Delta Company faced over 2,000 soldiers; 

(ii) 18 Australian soldiers lost their lives during battle, with 25 more injured; and 

(iii) over 245 Vietnamese soldiers also lost their lives; 

(3) further notes that: 

(a) approximately 60,000 Australians served in Vietnam; and 

(b) upon their return to Australia, many Vietnam Veterans struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and a disregard from an Australian public unsupportive of the Vietnam War; 

(4) acknowledges: 

(a) the soldiers who fought alongside Australians;  

(b) the hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians that lost their lives during the Vietnam War; 

(c) the sacrifices of the Vietnamese are rarely mentioned in Australia’s collective stories of the Vietnam War; and 

(d) that Vietnam Veterans deserve the respect and recognition of all Australian Society; and 

(5) recognises the: 

(a) bravery and heroism of the soldiers of Delta Company that fought at Long Tan; and 

(b) sacrifices made by Australian and former Republic of Vietnam soldiers that fought alongside each other during the Vietnam War.”

On 18 August this year, as every year, Australians commemorated Vietnam Veterans Day. This year's commemoration had particular significance, however, as it marked the anniversary of the battle for which Vietnam Veterans Day was selected and for which the day was formerly known: the Battle of Long Tan. Long Tan is a battle that is already etched in Australian military and cultural history. The story of the deeds of Delta Company 6 RAR in the Long Tan rubber plantation are now well known. Amidst torrents of rain and as bullets and artillery poured down on an isolated Australian infantry company in the Long Tan rubber plantation, many of the soldiers that were caught there that day thought it would be their last. Wave after wave of Vietcong forces drove themselves at these young men until, after hours of fighting, the battle concluded. As assistance arrived to bury the dead, there was the realisation that fewer than 120 soldiers from Delta Company had defeated as many as 2,500 Vietcong.

News of this battle became an international news story, and whilst we celebrated the heroics of these brave young men, as we know, for many of them, the real battle was yet to come. Upon returning to Australia, returning soldiers found themselves without a warm welcome or the recognition they deserve. They found themselves facing new foes: fighting against mental illnesses, such as PTSD, and, to our ongoing national shame, they were also fighting a hostile public—terrible names, name-calling, being spat on, and rejection from ex-service clubs all characterized the experience of these returning soldiers. For those of us who were not there at the time, such as me, it seems incomprehensible. For the returned Australian servicemen, it must have been equally incomprehensible, but also deeply personally affecting.

In time, we began to recognise the sacrifice that these servicemen made. We remember the bravery of the soldiers from Delta Company who were outnumbered on that day. We remember their bravery, just as we remember the bravery of the 161st Battery of the Royal New Zealand Artillery, whose deadly accuracy fended off the oncoming threat in Long Tan.

We even remember the bravery of our former foe and acknowledge their pain and sacrifices, as they do ours. But what the pages of time have not justly reflected is the contribution of Vietnamese allies, who, along with thousands of civilians, bravely aided the ADF personnel throughout the war. When Saigon fell, in 1975, we did what we could to repay their efforts by opening our hearts and our borders to those that were fleeing persecution. Regardless of one's views on the war, what is undeniable is that this has been an Australian immigration success story, and one that is no more apparent than in my home electorate of Gellibrand. Walking down the main street in Footscray, where I live and where my electorate office is based, it is apparent that the Vietnamese community has successfully established itself here, with restaurants and other small businesses all adding to the multicultural success story that is my home community.

We realise the vibrancy of the Australian Vietnamese community through their festivals, which we celebrate jointly, such as the Tet or Moon Lantern festivals, and so on. We enjoy the Vietnamese contribution to Australia through their most famous sons and daughters, such as the former Young Australian of the Year Khoa Do and his equally talented brother Ahn. And, finally, we continue to benefit from their connection to home as greater opportunities for trade and investment are realised in this emerging powerhouse. It is these contributions to our great society that continue to promote the benefits of multiculturalism and make Australia the vibrant place that it is today.

So, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, I ask that we not only consider the bravery of our defence personnel, but also the bravery of the Vietnamese who served with Australian forces in the Vietnam war, and their contribution, as well as that of the broader Vietnamese community in Australia. Like Australian returned servicemen, those who fought alongside Australians in the Vietnam War have struggled for recognition. Those who remained in Vietnam frequently faced very difficult circumstances indeed.

Those who were offered a second life in Australia faced different challenges. Like Australian returned servicemen, the recognition of these allies in Australia has evolved over time. The personal sacrifices and service of these men are being increasingly recognised, and Australian-Vietnamese servicemen are now a feature of Anzac Day ceremonies in electorates like mine with significant Australian Vietnamese communities, not as a political statement, but as a recognition and commemoration of the personal sacrifices of service made by these men.

So, today, I want to add my recognition of their service in this place. So much of what we do as members of parliament in this place is about recognition and acknowledgement. Representatives of the community saying in the people's chamber, 'We see what it is that has happened, and that this is a part of our community, and that it matters and it has meaning.' This is what I say today to all the people who served in the Vietnam War who live in my community today. We see it, we recognise it and we acknowledge it.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Rob Mitchell): Is the motion seconded?

Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I also thank the member for Gellibrand for his motion and allowing us to reflect on Vietnam Veterans Day and marking the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, which took place on 18 August 1966. To commence my contribution I would like to read from the book written by Harry Smith, who led the company that engaged in the Long Tan battle. He says:

The Battle of Long Tan on 18 August 1966 was a savage action in which 108 men from my former Delta Company 6RAR, supported by artillery, fought off an enemy regiment of four regular Viet Cong and NVA battalions. My company sadly lost 17 killed and 23 wounded, but the enemy's casualties were in the order of 500 killed and 800 wounded. The battle was applauded as one of the most savage company actions of Australian involvement and was later selected by the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia as their icon of that war.

The Battle of Long Tan depicts the unwavering bravery and struggle endured by our veterans during Australia's involvement in Vietnam. The battle is still considered one of the most significant engagements involving the Australian military. As is the case throughout our military history, New Zealand soldiers were also lending critical support, in the finest traditions of Anzac. New Zealand artillery provided an invaluable source of support and assistance throughout that battle. Vietnam veterans deserve the same amount of pride, praise and commemoration from our nation as those who served so gallantly in Gallipoli, Tobruk and the Kokoda Trail. Out of the 60,000 Australians who served in Vietnam, 521 were killed and more than 3,000 were wounded. It is certainly to our nation's shame that it was not until some 29 years later that this country offered veterans a welcome-home parade.

Since that war, Australia has welcomed a large number of Vietnamese refugees to our shores who today make a tremendous contribution to the fabric of our multicultural society. As I represent an electorate where 20 per cent of my constituents are of Vietnamese origin, I am certainly aware of the level of appreciation that the Vietnamese community still has to the Australian soldiers who fought so valiantly in the Vietnam conflict. More than 1,000 Australians travelled to Vietnam to mark the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan but were left confused, disappointed and unable to attend the formal Long Tan ceremony that had been so long planned, with very little notice from the Vietnamese authorities who withdrew permission for that event. For many, this would have been the first time since the war that they had travelled to Vietnam—such a very emotional period for them. It is only right at this time that we also remember the quarter of a million Vietnamese soldiers who died fighting to defend South Vietnam and the more than two million Vietnamese who left their land, fleeing the repressive forces of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in search of freedom and democracy.

While many South Vietnamese soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefields, those who survived suffered greatly from debilitating conditions and the treatment they received at the hands of the communist regime. In Vietnam today, Vietnam veterans are among the most disadvantaged and receive little or no support from their government because of their efforts to defend South Vietnam. These Vietnamese veterans are not treated honourably or equitably. They are treated as second-class citizens. For many years now, the Vietnamese invalid veterans association, as well as the ARVN association of Australia, have been supporting these ex-servicemen in Vietnam who fought for freedom and democracy. I also acknowledge the efforts of Vietnamese Sydney Radio for their support of invalid veterans. These organisations have made a phenomenal difference in the lives of invalid Vietnamese veterans through their financial support.

I commend all those who served in this conflict, and I think at this time we should also remember— (Time expired)

Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a pleasure to rise to speak on this motion and to support the comments of the members for Gellibrand, Capricornia and Fowler. We owe a great deal to every serviceman who served in the Vietnam War, because ultimately the Vietnam War was about stopping the spread of communism. Later this week we will have the Prime Minister of Singapore visit our parliament, and I think it is worthwhile, when we reflect back on the Vietnam War, to look at the words of Lee Kuan Yew, in his autobiography:

Although American intervention failed in Vietnam, it bought time for the rest of Southeast Asia. In 1965, when the US military moved massively into South Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines faced internal threats from armed communist insurgents and the communist underground was still active in Singapore.

He continued, 'America's action in Vietnam enabled the non-communist South-East Asia to put their own houses in order. By 1975, when the war ended, they were in better shape to stand up to the communists.' Further:

Had there been no US intervention, the will of these countries to resist them would have melted and Southeast Asia would have most likely gone communist. The prosperous emerging market economies of ASEAN … were nurtured during the Vietnam War …

They are the words of Lee Kuan Yew and that is why we should always remember with great pride the service and the sacrifice of the Australians who served in Vietnam and also the South Vietnamese.

At that time, it was very easy for people to believe that the future and the best way for prosperity for the average person was through a Communist regime. We have seen the results after the war, when two million Vietnamese fled their country and an estimated half a million actually perished at sea. We have seen the great prosperity in South-East Asia, of nations like Singapore and the growing prosperity of Thailand. As Lee Kuan Yew says, that would not have happened if it was not for the bravery of our soldiers in support with the Americans of Vietnam.

We also need to look at the situation in Vietnam today. We need to give that nation our support. They are trying to introduce democratic reforms, but there are still significant issues with human rights. Recently in Vietnam we have seen an incident where there was a toxic release from a Taiwanese steel plant that poisoned many millions of fish and caused an estimated $500 million worth of damage. Many Vietnamese in that province took to the streets to protest about that, but police in helmets and with shields were deployed against them.

We hope that Vietnam learns from its surrounding countries. The way to increase their prosperity and the way to uplift their people is to open their country, to open it to free trade, allow greater human rights and freedom in the country and allow the media to be free. Although these may seem short term to the rules of Vietnam and are difficult issues, ultimately, that can only make the country much stronger.

Vietnam Veterans Day on 18 August is a very important day in our calendar, something that all Australians should remember. We should also remember with shame the way that many of our servicemen and troops were treated when they returned. That was a terrible mistake and a stain upon our nation, but we can right that by remembering and saying with great pride— (Time expired)

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in support of this motion from my friend the member for Gellibrand. Across the electorate of McEwen, we have a long and rich history supporting our armed forces. Since the Boer War, the area has trained many thousands of soldiers heading into theatres of war across the globe. The township in Seymour has a particularly proud military tradition. This tradition in Seymour continued again on 18 August this year, as it does every year when veterans join their mates, their families, their neighbours and friends, spanning generations, and gather at the Vietnam veterans commemorative walk for Vietnam Veterans Day and, this year, to mark the 50th anniversary of the famous Long Tan battle.

This day reminds us of the honour and sacrifice and the toll that war leaves in its wake. The Vietnam War is a crucial marker in Australia's service history and the battle of Long Tan is unique with that experience. One of the most substantial engagements in the Vietnam War for our Australian forces, this battle was where a small but brave cohort of 105 Australians and three New Zealanders fought and weathered an attack of some 2½ thousand Vietcong and North Vietnamese troops in a rubber plantation. That is the personification of the grit, the courage and the determination to never give up that is synonymous with Australia's armed forces.

Many have written and spoken about what made Long Tan such a pivotal battle for our forces. It is something that has stayed in our national memory. For me, it has something to do with perseverance, through seemingly insurmountable odds, that Aussies are really the largest team on the field and you can always count on them to show an outsize of courage against all odds.

Because of the significance of Long Tan in our national memory, Vietnam Veterans Day was chosen as the day where veterans come together with members of the community to pay their respects. In McEwen, and all over Australia, veterans and family, friends and supporters joined together to reflect and to remember the 62,100 Australian service personnel who fought in the name of our country, but also to recognise the 521 Australians who made the ultimate sacrifice and the 2,398 who returned wounded. It is our responsibility to remember them. It is our duty to tell their stories.

We must also remember that it is just as vital to consider the heroes who have different stories—those who returned to a grateful nation but to a home where they were not properly acknowledged or afforded the dignity and respect that they deserved as returned service personnel. They returned to a nation divided, where they carried the most horrendous memories and scars—scars which never heal, memories that never fade and pains that never cease. And, sadly, we know that since then many have suffered as a result of the trauma of their wartime experience.

It is why I believe that 521 may have lost their lives in Vietnam, but there are many, many more who have since gone directly and indirectly as a result of this war. At the time, we did not know what we know today about the deep and lasting impacts of post-traumatic stress disorder and the mental and physical burden on returning servicemen from their experience and the manner in which they are welcomed back to civilian life. The later parts of the war were the cause of the greatest social and political dissent in Australia since the conscription referendums of the First World War. It was a time of great passion and debate, and a time in which our service personnel were often caught up in the battle, but it was not about their sacrifice. This is a part of our history that time has begun to heal. It is my belief that acknowledging this part of the conflict helps in some way to mend those emotional wounds.

While the war itself was politically contentious, there can be no doubt about the courage and sacrifice of those who served and those who wore our uniforms with pride. I have stood in this place on more than one occasion to make clear my feelings on this subject, and it is always important to reaffirm them. We have countless examples of loss and sacrifice during our time in Vietnam, not only for those directly involved but also for their families, left behind to keep businesses afloat, raise children and contribute to society, all while carrying the heaviest of burdens—the fear that this might be the day that their loved one does not return from the fight. I recognise and pay tribute to the often overlooked group of people, heroes in their own right. Whatever the opinions of people in regard to the motivations for the Vietnam War, I personally want to state my total appreciation, respect and thanks to all those who bravely went to war, many of them without the luxury of choice. For that courage and that bravery, I say thanks. (Time expired)

Damian Drum (Murray, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a great honour to be able to stand here in this place and talk in relation to the commemorative services that have taken place this year in relation to Vietnam veterans marking the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan. Over the last few years, Australia has adopted the commemoration and the anniversary date of the Battle of Long Tan as the overarching commemorative date for all of the conflicts that took place in the Vietnam War. I have also had the opportunity to visit Vietnam and look at the Cu Chi tunnels and a range of other significant sites around Vietnam and to engage with the Vietnamese people in relation to what they call 'the American war'. It was certainly an amazing experience to be able to see that.

In relation to the commemorative events that have happened in the last year, when you meet so many of the Vietnam veterans—and I had the honour of doing this as Victoria's Minister for Veterans' Affairs—I think their darker, mischievous sense of humour endears them to many Australians. They certainly have a different way of looking at things! Whilst they may be a little bit more bent over and they may have a few more pains, backaches, hip aches and so forth than they had their prime, they are still a very tight bunch. I think their motto signifies what is unique about Vietnam veterans. That motto is, 'Let's honour the dead but fight like hell for the living.' I think it very clearly shows us that they have incredible feelings of loss and of sympathy for the families of those comrades and those colleagues that did not come home, but they also realise that they really need to fight for the welfare, the wellbeing and the health of those of their colleagues who did come home and who had an incredible range of impacts on their psyche from those conflicts they endured in Vietnam. In talking to many Vietnam veterans, you would have no idea that they had been through these conflicts, because, in the broad speak, they are coping very well and have never given it another moment's thought. There are others that struggle from day to day and have good days and bad days. Then there is another cohort that served in Vietnam and have not been able to really cope with the trauma and the stress that they were put through over extensive periods of time.

In commemorating the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, which has been well documented—the rainforest, the torrential downpours, the incredible outnumbering of Allied troops versus the Vietcong, the North Vietnamese armies, the associated losses and the hero status of those troops—we also need to be very mindful that a range of other heroic actions and heroic battles took place throughout the entire conflict. We need to be mindful that, in commemorating the anniversary of Long Tan, we do not in any way overlook the amazing efforts in so many other conflicts, where young men went over there and fought for our freedoms.

It was fitting that we brought the Vietnam veterans to the forefront of our Anzac Day anniversary commemorations this year. I think it has put them front and centre, and that is something that was really well received throughout the course of the year. It was fitting that the Prime Minister made such a fantastic speech at the commemorative service that was held this year in the Great Hall in Parliament House, and that we brought all of those veterans along to Canberra to show our appreciation. The services that have taken place right around Australia this year have proven that Australians are incredibly appreciative of the efforts of all of our servicemen who went to Vietnam to protect our freedoms. (Time expired)

Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting Monday.