Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that Police Week commences on 13 September 2025 with the 16th Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance, and concludes on National Police Remembrance Day, which will be commemorated on 29 September 2025;

(2) acknowledges the role and service of police officers in communities across Australia, their work in protecting people, communities and property, and the risk and sacrifice that is associated with their service;

(3) honours the lives of those police officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the course of their duty, as well as those police officers who have suffered injuries in the course of their work;

(4) conveys its respects and condolences to the families, loved ones and colleagues of police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty;

(5) commends the work of Police Legacy, which provides care and comfort to the loved ones of fallen police officers; and

(6) reaffirms its support for police and thanks police officers for their courage and dedicated service to keeping Australian communities safe.

It's a great honour for me, as a former Queensland police officer of 16 years, to move this private member's motion and speak about the wonderful police officers who serve us every day, protecting our communities, and to also highlight and bring to the attention of parliament that on 13 September Police Week starts, and on 29 September we pause to remember those who paid the ultimate price and lost their lives in the line of duty on Police Remembrance Day.

When you swear your oath of service as a police officer, you swear to do the job ethically and professionally, to keep the peace and to preserve property and life. You know that you could be called upon at any time to do that, under very extreme circumstances. I think there are probably not too many events that highlight that more than 13 April last year in Bondi. When Inspector Amy Scott started her shift that day, no doubt she would have put on her accoutrements, she would have loaded her weapon and she would have hoped for the best but prepared for the worst. And the worst is what she ended up having to deal with when she was on foot patrol, alone, that afternoon and she was called to the Bondi Junction Westfield, where a mentally ill man had committed a rampage of death, stabbing six people to death and injuring 12 others. Inspector Scott ran towards that danger with the greatest amount of courage and professionalism. She eliminated that threat in the way that she was trained to do, no doubt saving more lives in doing so. But, once she did that, she rendered help to the person that she had to engage. She should be held up as a role model, and her actions on that day were courageous and showed incredible strength of character.

Unfortunately, there are people out there who wish to cause police harm. In the past year, we've seen three officers lose their lives as a result of people trying to harm them. On 16 June this year, in North Motton, in Tasmania, Constable Keith Smith lost his life when he was shot and killed on duty. And, as we've all recently heard, on 26 August this year, at Porepunkah in Victoria, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart were shot and killed in the line of duty. My deepest condolences go to their families and their colleagues, who are no doubt devastated by that loss.

There are people in society, and there always have been, who enjoy the freedoms and the protections that are hard fought for in our liberal democracy but who believe they are above the law; they operate outside the law to the detriment of others. They believe the rule of law doesn't apply to them, and they are un-Australian. They are cowards and, unfortunately, I think they are becoming more frequent. Whether they are political extremists on both ends of the spectrum, whether they are organised crime or whether they are so-called sovereign citizens, they are not true Australians; they are cowards. Our police officers will be there to address these threats and they will do it fairly and in accordance with the law. But they will do it on behalf of every good Australian.

This Police Week, and on Police Remembrance Day, I ask that all Australians stop and consider the great job that our police do for us every day they put on that uniform, every day they go out and represent every good citizen in society, and every day they chance themselves being in some of the most dangerous and dire circumstances on behalf of the people that they serve.

Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is there a seconder for the motion?

David Smith (Bean, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise with a sense of sadness and resolution to speak to this motion. I thank the member for Wide Bay for introducing this motion and acknowledge his service as a police officer before coming into this place. I'd also like to acknowledge the work I've undertaken with him and the member for Tangney as the leaders of the Parliamentary Friends of Policing. I also recognise the member for Cowper and thank him for his service. For me, the three years I've spent representing AFP members have been amongst the most memorable and transformative in my career.

Police Week this year commences on 13 September and culminates with National Police Remembrance Day on 29 September. Later this week, we will recognise the Police Bravery Awards. Police Week and the National Police Memorial Day afford us an opportunity to reflect upon and remember the importance of policing and the sacrifices that those we trust to protect us must sometimes make. For reasons that are entirely clear, the weight of this feels almost unbearable this year.

Each year, in connection with National Police Remembrance Day, we gather at the National Police Memorial across Lake Burley Griffin from here. On the simple yet poignant wall of that memorial is inscribed the names of the police officers who made the ultimate sacrifice, who gave their lives in the protection of their communities. Now we will see the addition of two more names to that sacred wall: Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, alongside Constable Keith Smith. These officers were shot in cold blood in the course of doing their duty, serving a warrant on a dangerous offender in regional Victoria. I pay tribute to those fallen officers as well as those injured. I also pay tribute to the bravery of the officers on the scene who acted with such courage and selflessness. I extend that tribute to those officers who, as we speak, are engaged in the dangerous and treacherous mission to bring the violent and ruthless offender to justice. The deep sorrow and shock felt at this terrible crime is felt most deeply by the family and loved ones of the officers in question. They leave grieving families, but also the loss is immense for their colleagues. The entire community they served will feel the impact of this atrocity.

In thinking about this speech and National Police Remembrance Day, I recalled a contribution made by the member for Wide Bay in the House on 15 December 2022 after the murder of Constable Rachel McCrow and Constable Matthew Arnold at Wieambilla in Queensland. The member said, reflecting on his own response as a former police officer to that terrible violence:

You're a part of the community. You keep order. You help people. They rely on you and you rely on them. That's policing in Australia, and I think that is part of why this has struck so deep. Attacks like this, they attack the very fabric of who we are.

That is the crux of this outrage. It's not just simply an attack by a criminal on police; it's an attack on who we are. An attack on those meant to protect us is an attack on all of us. It is an attack on Australia. It is sad and emotional that this Police Week carries enhanced meaning because of this terrible violence and loss of life. I'd like to recognise the member for Richmond, who has just come into the Chamber, and her service to her community.

To the families of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, I offer my deepest and most sincere condolences. There is nothing I nor anyone else can say that will take away your pain, but I can say with confidence that this House, this parliament and the entire nation stand with you in this time of grief. I say to my colleagues here, as lawmakers and leaders, let us work together to ensure that future National Police Remembrance Days are occasions of reflection and remembrance and not raw grief. Let us work together to ensure that gratuitous violence like this does not occur again.

Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to rise and speak on this motion filed by the member for Wide Bay on Police Week. I'm very proud to stand here because in the room we have the member for Wide Bay, the member for Hinkler, the member for Richmond, myself and the member for Tangney; the member for Latrobe is not here. We all served. I'm proud that this government can have people with experience in the police to bring that experience and make those decisions. I thank you all for your service.

All members of the police force take an oath to protect and serve. As a former police officer myself, I know we proudly wear the uniform in order to keep our communities safe. We know the risks. We know how difficult the job can be. But I can honestly say that my 12 years in the police force provided me with some of my best memories. The camaraderie of my friends, my fellow men and women in blue, and the satisfaction when you know you've locked up a crook who has committed an offence, the fact that you've protected a victim and prevented further suffering in the community, is something only police officers can understand.

Having said that, equally the job provided some of my worst memories, our worst memories. We were faced with unimaginable scenes and personal accounts that ripped away any rose-coloured glasses. There is stress in knowing that any failure on your part, whether it's putting together a brief of evidence or a prosecution, has the potential to negatively impact lives and livelihoods. We suffer the loss of brave colleagues whose lives were taken by the job or because of the job after they left the service.

On 13 September current and former police officers from every state will commence the Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance, an inaugural journey that begins in each capital city and concludes here in Canberra at the National Police Memorial. The event is open to serving and retired police officers. They will travel in convoy by motorcycle to Canberra and arrive at the National Police Memorial, a journey made in honour of our fallen colleagues right across the country. I'd like to acknowledge the event organisers, entering into their 16th year. I know the member for Wide Bay has been doing it for a number of years now.

Recently, the sad results in Porepunkah, Victoria, mean two new names will be added to that memorial: Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, tragically killed in the line of duty. I'd like to acknowledge their families, their friends. I know that your communities will embrace you with the compassion and support you need. I've been through the exact same thing, with two of my colleagues killed in Crescent Head, now 30 years ago.

With that, I thank all sworn and unsworn members of our police forces around the nation for your service. What is seen cannot be unseen. What is heard cannot be unheard. Thank you for getting up every single day and bearing witness to sometimes horrific events so that others do not have to. Thank you for your personal sacrifices. I can promise you that they do not go unnoticed.

Thanks must also go to your families and loved ones for their own sacrifices. Every day you head out on the job, it's your families and loved ones who pray for your safe return ,who worry if texts go unanswered, who witness the impact of a bad day on you. They carry the burden and knowledge that you are serving others. While you willingly signed up to serve, your families are conscripted, and they deserve our collective acknowledgement. Finally, I'd like to acknowledge the work of police legacy and their important role in family and community support.

Your compassion and care is invaluable, and we are lucky to have you. To all the members, thank you for your service.

Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Member for Wide Bay, for this motion. As a police officer who spent almost 16 years in WA Police Force, I want to share with you what it's like to be on the front lines. You may already know about the long shifts, about how we kit up in our uniform and accoutrements and then head out onto the streets with a job list that never ends. Maybe you can imagine that this job is intense, heartbreaking and overwhelming, but, unless you are a police officer, you can't understand that, even on these most difficult jobs, you don't have a choice. It's your duty. You have to stay and you have to be there.

I retired from the WA Police Force when I was elected as the federal member for Tangney. But being a police officer does not leave me; it still stays with me. I can drive by a tree and remember a body I retrieved from that same tree—or from a public toilet, from a bus stop or from a road. I can still feel and smell it. This work stays in our minds forever. National Police Remembrance Day is important to honour the police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty—police officers who were just doing their jobs and have been killed. The loss deeply hits our police brothers and sisters everywhere. We can never forget, because they are part of us.

I pay tribute to my two police officer brothers who recently lost their lives in the line of duty and to my police officer brother who is injured. I send my condolences and my sorrow to their families, friends, communities and all police brothers and sisters. My thoughts are also with police officers across Australia who are struggling with or who have lost their lives to injury or mental health. Through this day of remembrance, I hope that the public can appreciate the work done by our good police officers out there. They are there 24 hours a day, seven days a week, never resting. They do their job well to protect us and our community. The scars stay long after we hand in our badges. I was speaking to a Tangney constituent who is also a former police officer, and I said, 'Peter, I have had four operations from this job—my back, my knee, my shoulder and my wrist.' The scar is still here. And he replied, 'Sam, I've had six.'

Being a police officer was my childhood dream. It is still the dream of many young children. If we want it to keep being a childhood dream, we need to ensure that police officers are well supported, not only when they are active police officers but also in their retirement. I have lost colleagues to work related stress. When they go home, they don't have the energy to take care of their own families, or they try but they burn out, collapse and their family falls apart too.

When police officers are in dangerous situations, we don't think for ourselves. We think about how to protect the victims and how to get the job done. We do not know what dangers await us at each and every job. These days, when I drive home from work on the same road I once sped down with my lights and sirens on, I start to think: 'Wow, I was driving so fast. I am lucky there were no cars coming from the left or from the right.' Today I see the risk I took as a police officer. I want the public to know that police officers take this risk every day for us. I want my police brothers and sisters to know that, if you are struggling, please reach out to someone or reach out to my office. Thank you for everything you do for our community to keep us safe.

David Batt (Hinkler, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support the motion moved by the member for Wide Bay and fellow former Queensland police officer, Llew O'Brien. I am honoured to speak after all the others who have spoken in this chamber from all sides of the parliament who either have been police officers or are supporting police right across Australia. I note that Police Week will be held across Australia this month and will conclude on National Police Remembrance Day, on Monday 29 September 2025.

I begin by expressing my sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues mourning the tragic and senseless deaths of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, murdered in the line of duty. They were two respected police officers killed in Porepunkah, Victoria. One was a keen traveller on secondment and the other was a senior colleague nearing retirement.

At times of tragedy, we throw assistance around those who need it most, and so we should, but we must give police officers more support all the time, every day. Those who are serving and those who have served deserve better. Being a police officer at any level is a tough job, and it's getting harder. The thin blue line is getting thinner. I spent 23 years as a copper. In my time in the Queensland Police Service, I served in uniform and as a detective. Recognising the hardships of those I worked alongside, I became a police union representative for a 14-year period. I also volunteered as a peer support officer for over 10 years, helping officers and their families in times of need. Close friends of mine have lost their lives. A former partner, while conducting a raid, was accidentally shot by a police firearm. His life was lost. In a shooting in my home town of Bundaberg, an armed suspect died. Police officers have to live with that trauma. Yes, I have friends, colleagues, who have taken their own lives while serving, and also those who haven't been able to deal with the memories that haunted them years after they left the force.

Today I renew calls for a parliamentary inquiry into the police recruitment and retention crisis because if there is no swift action, more lives will be lost. How on Earth will we attract anyone to join that thin blue line? When the Police Federation of Australia calls for fringe benefit tax concessions for police officers, we must listen. When there are proposals put forward to consider the introduction of a blue card to cover medical and allied health services like the ones afforded to members of the Australian Defence Force, we must assess. When there are requests for early access to superannuation for police officers, recognising the significant physical and mental demands placed on them throughout their careers, we must give this the consideration it deserves. I don't want to lose any more friends. In addition, while I have the privilege of being able to speak in this chamber on behalf of police officers from across Australia and their families and friends, I believe we should take another important step. The parliamentary inquiry should include a full review of police suicides of serving and retired officers across Australia. Let us find a way to invest properly in mental health support for police, and not only while they are serving; let's have meaningful support services and networks in place once they have left the force.

In support of the motion from the federal member for Wide Bay, I also take this opportunity to commend the work of Police Legacy. I had a great friend and mentor who was taken too soon, Peter Edwards, a detective sergeant from the Bundaberg criminal investigation branch. Peter died from a brain tumour. He left behind four children and his wife, Debbie. While his colleagues, as they always do, wrap their arms around Pete's family, it was Police Legacy that assisted his family with financial support, even helping with school and university fees for all four of his children.

I support the call to acknowledge the role and service of police officers in our communities. Let us honour the lives of those police officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice and not forget those who have suffered injury. To the police officers keeping us safe in my electorate of Hinkler and right across this nation, thank you for your support, courage and bravery. Thank you for your dedicated service. We must do better for you. I have been to far too many police funerals. Let's make a difference now before it's too late.

Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak on the private member's motion on Police Week put forward by the member for Wide Bay. I note his and indeed all the speakers' commitment to honouring those police who have lost their lives in the line of duty and the shared commitment of all members of parliament in honouring that.

All Australians were deeply saddened and heartbroken by the tragic events that unfolded in Victoria last week. On Tuesday we learnt that two Victorian police officers, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, were cruelly and senselessly killed in the line of duty. I honour these officers, recognise their dedication and courage, and share in the grief felt right across our nation. I extend my heartfelt sympathies to the families of these officers as well as the entire police family. Police officers understand the risks they face every time they put their uniforms on. They know these risks can have an absolutely devastating impact, yet, despite this, police show up. They show up during the darkest moments in people's lives, and they do what needs to be done.

In Victoria, these families have faced the worst nightmare imaginable: the fear that someone they know who is so dedicated and so selfless could be taken from them so suddenly. The families of the two Victorian police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty and another who was seriously injured are now enduring a form of grief that no-one should ever have to face. Our thoughts are also with the emergency services who responded to this unthinkable crime, and our hearts go out to the families, friends and colleagues of all those officers. Of course, this tragedy underscores the significance of Police Week 2025, which begins across Australia on Saturday 13 September with the 16th annual Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance.

On Monday 29 September, we will observe National Police Remembrance Day, and on that day we honour the men and women of the service who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Together we must ensure that their legacies are preserved. As a former police officer, I have seen firsthand, as I know have many of my colleagues who are former police officers, the challenges, complexities and confronting situations that officers face daily whilst serving their communities. Police are often called to dangerous and traumatic incidents, including fatalities and horrific tragedies. Indeed, these challenges are especially pronounced in regional areas and close-knit communities, like mine on the New South Wales far north coast. Police Remembrance Day is a time for all of us to reflect on the very real risks our officers face every day. It is a moment to honour the lives and memories of those who lost their lives, tragically cut short whilst protecting others. It is a very solemn and deeply important day for police officers, their loved ones and the wider police family.

I also pay tribute to the enduring work of Police Legacy, an incredible organisation that provides support to police legatees across the nation. Police Legacy was set up to provide support, services and financial assistance to the families of police officers who pass away, whether it's on or off duty, whatever the circumstances may be. The services and programs led by Police Legacy are designed to meet the needs of those they support and provide specialist care to ensure that legatees do not face grief, bereavement and life challenges alone. I also wish to acknowledge the tireless efforts of all police associations, unions and the Police Federation of Australia, who work to represent and support Australian police officers.

In my electorate of Richmond, I acknowledge all our local police, who serve and protect our community. I know firsthand the outstanding work they do. On Police Remembrance Day, I encourage everyone locally and across the country to take a moment to reflect on the vital role police officers play in all of our communities across all of our states and territories and, indeed, right across the nation. I ask everyone to take that time to reflect, because Monday 29 September is a day for all of us to recognise their service, appreciate their dedication and, most importantly, remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep all of us safe. We must always remember that it's with honour they served, and we will never forget their service. I commend the motion to the House. As I said, I thank the member for Wide Bay for putting forward this motion. To all of my colleagues who have spoken: it's important that we all remember the outstanding work of our local police and reflect and remember all of those who've lost their lives in the line of duty.

Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 29 September, we will mark National Police Remembrance Day. This is a day to reflect on the courageous officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. This is the 36th National Police Remembrance Day, and it is an opportunity to pay tribute to the courage, commitment and dedication of police officers who protect our community each and every day. On the 29th, a ceremony is held at the National Police Memorial, in my electorate of Canberra, each year. It complements the ceremonies that are held in each state and territory around the country. The National Police Memorial honours and remembers those police officers from all Australian police jurisdictions who gave their lives in the line of duty. It provides an opportunity for solemn reflection and seeks to encourage serving and retired police officers, their families and the community to honour the memory of those who have given their lives in service.

Here in the ACT, ACT police officers have been serving the capital since 1927. The original local police force had one police sergeant and 10 Commonwealth police officers. While ACT policing has now expanded and become the community policing arm of the Australian Federal Police, these officers have diligently protected our city no matter the challenges put ahead of them.

The Australian community is reminded of the importance of National Police Remembrance Day by the terrible events at Porepunkah. They are a reminder to all of us of the dangers that police officers face in keeping our communities safe each day. I offer my deepest condolences, on behalf of the people of Canberra, to the families, loved ones and colleagues of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart.

Detective Leading Senior Constable Thompson was looking forward to retirement and all the possibilities that would open up for him with his partner, Lisa. Senior Constable De Waart came from Belgium and served his community in Victoria. He was a man with many passions, including motorbikes and scuba diving. Both of these men will be deeply missed by their families and communities. May they rest in peace.

We honour their bravery, and my thoughts are with their fellow officers who were at the scene, including their colleague who is recovering in hospital from gunshot wounds. As the Prime Minister said, the death of any officer in the line of duty hits deeply at the heart of members of the police family. Every day, as a police officer puts themselves on the line, they are doing it for the safety of their community, and they know that there is a possibility that the worst could happen on that, or on any, day. Often police officers are the first responders—whether in an emergency, during a pandemic or in a natural disaster—at significant personal risk. It is they whom we look to, to keep us safe, protect us and guide us in the most challenging of times.

It is the bravery of these police officers at work every day that makes their loss even more deeply felt. For the families of police officers who have passed away, on or off duty, Police Legacy is there to support them. This service provides support and financial assistance to these families, no matter the circumstances—through accident, injury or illness.

The Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance is another event that celebrates and remembers those police officers from around Australia who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. This year, the final leg of the ride, between the New South Wales Wall of Remembrance in Sydney and the National Police Memorial here in Canberra, will take place on Saturday 13 September. Police, family, friends and visitors are welcome at the National Police Remembrance Day events, and I strongly encourage the community to attend.

This day is a time to grieve with police families who have lost loved ones and reflect on their commitment to duty and to keeping our communities safe from harm. We all stand with the families and loved ones of the fallen officers, who we will come together to commemorate.

Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.