Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Deputy Speaker Claydon, I want to remember two unique forms of national security: the British Commonwealth Occupation Force from 1945 and 1952 and the kiap patrol officers from 1949 to 1973, who were the administrative touchstone for much of Papua New Guinea as it was opened up to democracy. The Commonwealth occupational force, I'm sure we'd both agreed, performed this incredibly important role—45,000 people at the end of a war when almost nothing were left deployed into Japan with no knowledge of what would happen next and to basically perform demilitarisation and disposal but, ultimately, guard roles around Japan as we ensured a transition back into a free and fair democracy. Of those Australians, 90 passed away in the service, and I don't think they have been recognised. They don't claim to have a war-like service, but it is unique national service. They've paid for their own memorial in Kings Park across the lake. Those names deserve to be remembered. For the patrol officers, of course, they're one step further back. They don't even have a national memorial yet. They were working in remote conditions, many of them in 1973 were still disarming coast watches from World War II, as my own father was. We need to remember those kisap. They were an administrative element of our foreign affairs that we may never see again. They're still alive as are some from the British occupational force. We need to do our bit as both sides of parliament to make sure they're remembered.