Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Christmas and New Year period is traditionally a time to share with family, friends and loved ones. It is a time to pause and reflect on a hectic year, to take stock, to recharge the batteries and to give thanks. It is also a time to give back to the community and remember those who are unable to celebrate the holiday season with us.

And so it was with these Christmas messages and values in my mind that I travelled to Turkey to make the journey to the Gallipoli Peninsula and spend Australia Day surrounded by thousands of patriots, who held their countries' values in such high regard that they made the ultimate sacrifice.

We have all been fortunate enough to grow up with the story of Gallipoli. So many Australians are aware of relatives or family friends who served at Anzac Cove or on the Western Front, where the Anzac spirit, the essence of larrikinism and our courage under fire were forged and put to the test.

So many Australians are aware of our nation's quick response to the outbreak of war in Europe in August 1914, and the four months of training in Egypt that was provided to Australian troops before they sailed to the Gallipoli Peninsula. So many Australians are aware of the Australian Infantry Forces fighting side-by-side with New Zealanders, Britons and the French, and being remembered for their compassion, their skills, and their 'can do' attitudes. So many Australians know the story of Anzac Day, where the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps were tasked with breaking through Turkish lines high above the rocky cliffs on the Gallipoli Peninsula. For the ANZACs and the Turks, attempts to end the stalemate were defeated. There were few successful battles during the campaign, but the bravery, courage and nerve of these incredible young men made military history.

One of the truest tests of Australian courage came between 6 and 9 August 1915 at the Battle of Lone Pine. Over 2,000 sons, fathers, brothers, uncles and grandfathers lost their lives there. That was 2,000 future doctors—dare I say—parliamentarians, teachers, engineers, artists and sportsmen that our nation lost.

I have to say that the most poignant time of my visit came when I came across a headstone that recognised Trooper GR Seager, who passed away on 7 August 1915. The trooper was a member of the 9th Australian Light Horse Regiment. His headstone indicated that he died at the age of 17. I could not help but think of my own two sons, who are older than that age now. I thought about my nephews, who are of a slightly different age, and those who are younger than that. I could not help but think of all the young Australians in my community in the east of Melbourne where my electorate office is. Almost a century ago if they could have been in the very place where I was standing, they would have been looking at a very different sight. They would have been wondering where their mates were. They may have been wondering whether they were ever going to see their families again. They could have thought about what they would be doing if they were fortunate enough to ever get out of that hellhole and get home.

Seven Victoria Crosses were awarded to Australians who fought in the Battle of Lone Pine. I for one will never forget them. We will never know nor fully appreciate the pain and anguish of their families. But as well as the 2,000 young Australians who died in those four long and tortuous days, almost 7,000 Turkish soldiers lost their lives. You can actually appreciate the significance when you see headstone after headstone, with the names of Turkish soldiers, of just how many of those soldiers lost their lives as well. It was left to the 2nd Battalion of Australian Infantry Forces to bury the dead.

There are some 22,000 graves in 31 war cemeteries on the Gallipoli peninsula. Yet only 9,000 of these graves are identified. But for the symbolism, emotion and poignancy that is associated with the Commonwealth War Graves at Anzac Cove, it is important for us to remember the hundreds of Australian nurses who cared for the wounded and dying troops on floating hospital ships. They worked in horrifying conditions, with constant shelling from the Turkish forces on the peninsula. On the first day of the Gallipoli campaign, over 550 wounded soldiers had been admitted to the ship and, in the next nine months alone, over 8,000 soldiers were taken via boat from Gallipoli to hospitals in Egypt, Greece, the United Kingdom and Malta.

Ironically, the evacuation of Allied forcesfrom the Gallipoli Peninsula on the night of 19 to 20 December was the biggest success of the campaign. I hope that any Australian who has not had an opportunity to visit the peninsula actually does have an opportunity at some stage. It is so heartening to know that so many young Australians are actually visiting Anzac Cove not only to be there for the dawn service on 25 April but to appreciate the significance of what our fellow Australians faced back at that time.

I considered it to be an honour to spend Australia Day there—the birth of our nation—at the location where our national identity, our values and our commitment were tested. Over 26,000 Australians were casualties of the Gallipoli campaign, and we should all be able to give thanks for their sacrifice and remember their loved ones who may never have had the chance to say goodbye. There were so many of those.

It is imperative that, less than 18 months from the first ANZAC Centenary, that we see the release of the government's public funding outline to assist the commemoration in local communities. This is something that Senator Ronaldson continues to pursue and is quite vocal about it. I think that we as a parliament should be bipartisan on this issue. We should have bipartisan support for the best possible way in which we can honour and recognise such a significant part of Australia's history.

Many veterans' groups in my patron seats of Deakin, Chisholm and Bruce are anxious about the goals for funding and the way in which the centenary celebrations will be administered.

Anzac Day should be a time to remember, never to forget. It is also a time to give thanks for the freedom and values that our nation holds dear. It is now time for the government to ensure that the spirit of ANZAC and the memory of the great sacrifice of ANZAC is celebrated and remembered with pride.