Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to commend Dr Jorian Kippax, who was named the 2026 Australian of the Year for Tasmania. Dr Kippax is an emergency physician and hyperbaric medicine specialist at the Royal Hobart Hospital, a reservist officer with the Australian Defence Force and a man whose career exemplifies courage, skill and service.

Australians came to know Dr Kippax through the extraordinary Franklin River rescue conducted in 2024. When Lithuanian rafter Valdas Bieliauskas was trapped for nearly 20 hours in fierce and freezing rapids, Dr Kippax was winched into the torrent. With no other options, he performed an underwater amputation to save the man's life. For this act of bravery he was awarded Lithuania's Life Saving Cross by President Gitanas Nauseda. But this singular rescue represents only one chapter in a remarkable lifelong career.

Dr Kippax has been deployed with AUSMAT to disaster zones, including the Philippines after a Cyclone Yolanda, and he has supported the Australian Antarctic Program in medical retrievals. He served as a Defence Force reservist, leading Tasmania's health element, and has contributed to international medical exchanges. His expertise spans emergency medicine, hyperbaric therapy and trauma care, and he's shared that knowledge widely through both teaching and mentoring. Beyond medicine, he is also an expedition mountaineer and sailor, embodying resilience and leadership in every sphere.

In accepting this honour, Dr Kippax spoke with great humility, insisting he represents the many colleagues and rescuers who stood beside him. His humility, combined with extraordinary bravery and skill, is precisely why he deserves this recognition as Tasmanian Australian of the Year. I thoroughly commend Dr Jorian Kippax for his selfless service, his courage under pressure and his lifelong commitment to saving lives. He is truly a great asset to our state and to our country, and this recognition is a tribute not only to him but to the values of compassion, professionalism and teamwork that define the best of our nation.

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I concur with your comments, Senator Chandler.