Ben Morton (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently had the great privilege to spend time with our Australian Defence Forces in the Middle East as part of the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program. We were embedded to live and work with Australia's personnel, to experience the challenging aspects of their lives and to understand Defence Force capabilities. I am proud of our Australian troops, and I always have their sacrifice at the front of my mind.

It is important for everyone back home to actively show support for our ADF men and women who are deployed overseas. There are ways you can do that. You can send an email at defence.gov.au to support the troops. These messages are circulated widely to Australian personnel. You may also wish to send care parcels or a donation to the RSL Australian Forces Overseas Fund to help the RSL prepare these care packages. The packs contain various non-perishable items, a letter of appreciation on behalf of all Australians, and RSL membership contact details. Defence will pay for the postage of your package from 6 November to 8 December. This is in addition to the free postal arrangements for family and friends all year round. A donation to Soldier On, the RSL or Legacy can make a lasting contribution to defence personnel in their rehabilitation. We thank the men and women of the ADF for their contribution to our nation. We also thank families for their support. Christmas can be a particularly tough time to be away from home, but some messages of Aussie cheer and some care packages make it that little bit easier. (Time expired)