Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Industry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Over the weekend, many of us gathered around the nation at the foot of our war memorials for Remembrance Day and to pay our respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

We gathered in these places to acknowledge the price paid for the freedom that we live in here and that Australians enjoy every day. We gathered along with those who wore medals signifying their service in the Australian Defence Force or the courage of their loved ones to fight for what matters: the future safety and freedom of our nation. We gathered alongside current members of the Australian Defence Force and we were able to thank them. I want to thank every member who currently serves in the ADF and every family member who has a current serving member in the ADF. And we thank all veterans, including you, Deputy Speaker Wilkie, who have served the nation in the ADF. That's very important.

We do know that we need more Australians to join the ADF, so I'd encourage people to maybe join the reserves, where one night a month or a couple of nights a month, and one week a year, you can actually get out and serve the country. We really need more people in our reserve forces. There's also the 12-month ADF gap year, which you could sign up for, or just sign up for four years and serve the country—we'd be very happy to have you. We never take for granted the protection and deterrence provided each day by the men and women trained in the ADF to protect our nation so Australians can go about their lives—an important deterrence. But the challenge before us, as the sun sets on another Remembrance Day, will be to do our part to ensure Australia remains the best country in the world for our children, their children and future generations of Australians so they will have a positive future. Isn't one of the best things that we can do—not just us as parliamentarians but also all Australians—to make sure that there is a positive future for the next generation? I know that I'm appreciative of previous generations of Australians—the Anzacs, the forefathers, both men and women—and the Australia that they left for us when I was born.

This rests not just with us but with all Australians, and it's really important to make sure that we invest in the next generation of Australians. As a child, I grew up being taught the value and gift that our democratic system of government provides. My mother taught me values, and a parent's responsibility is essential. It was a childhood where I learnt that we might disagree with others but that at the heart of our humanity we have more in common with our fellow man than what actually divides us. I was taught that respect and honour for fellow man was a choice that we make to rise above division, to listen, to value and to protect. I was taught this is what it means to be Australian. A culture of freedom—of speech, of expression, of religion and faith, and of movement—makes a country that unites us and builds us into a stronger country.

We must battle to ensure that we live in this place, and remember our responsibility to preserve what makes Australia great. There are around us those with different views that want to change everything that makes Australia great, where the attack on those who hold a different view is used to discredit and slander others. A line in the sand must be drawn, and this behaviour and ideology must be called out for what it is. I say to all Australians: continue to do your best, make sure you leave a better Australia than what you were born into—or moved into if you're a migrant—so that future generations of Australians continue to live in the best place in the world.

I want to talk about infrastructure. I see the minister sitting opposite me. We've been waiting for six months for this list to come out, and I'm really pleased—I hope the minister can confirm what I'm reading online—that online it says 'the following road corridors will be established'. I thank everyone in my electorate because a lot of these road corridors are absolutely essential. These projects were announced by the former coalition government in late 2018-19, and from what I can see, they're all going to be retained. The Gateway Motorway, Bracken Ridge to the Pine River, the upgrades of on- and off-ramps from the Gateway Motorway to Dohles Rocks and, most importantly, the Linkfield Road overpass and the Beams Road overpass. The Annastacia Palaszczuk government has a lot to answer for. These should have been built three or four years ago. They've been inept— (Time expired)