Mr BAYLEY (Clark) – Honourable Speaker, I rise tonight as Greens spokesperson for Veterans Affairs to also offer my reflections on another Remembrance Day. I offer our thanks to all who have served and pay our respects to those who fell either on the battlefield or through personal battles that follow veterans home. That respect extends to servicemen and women not yet deployed but undergoing real-world training that comes at some significant risk. This risk was highlighted just weeks ago with the vehicle roll over that claimed life of a soldier and seriously injured several more.
This year’s Remembrance Day marks 107 years since the guns fell silent in the First World I, the war to end all wars. We lament that that was not the case. Remembrance Day now celebrates the service of those Australians who served in the all too many theatres of war that have followed. World War II, the Korea war, Milan emergency, the Indonesian confrontation, the Vietnam War, peacekeeping operations, the Iraq wars and Afghanistan. May that be the end. With the compassionate words of the Governor, Her Excellency reminded us that horrific wars go on around the globe: in Gaza and the broader region, Yemen, Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar amongst others. The death and suffering continues.
As we commemorate and celebrate our veterans and their families, we also recognise the innocent victims of war: the women, children and civilians caught in crossfire, deliberately targeted or starving and suffering at the hands of war criminals, megalomaniacs wielding rape as a weapon of war. Orchestrating famine, targeting energy and transport facilities and forcibly displacing people through the systematic targeting of residential and medical infrastructure. War is a shocking indictment on the human species, and many humans act shockingly in war. The willingness and ability of those men and women who step into uniform and defend the values of this country with bravery and integrity is admirable.
How profoundly those veterans stood this morning at the Cenotaph, medals on the chest, families in attendance. Each one has a million stories to tell of their experience and what has been changed by them, for better or for worse. Not all want to speak of their experience, but creating the opportunity to support veterans is imperative. A big part of that is providing the supported safe spaces for veterans to share their experiences, fears, hopes and fragilities, and most importantly seek help and support.
The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide highlighted shocking failures in the system in supporting veterans when they return home. It recommended the establishment of a new agency to support veterans’ wellbeing and to assist ADF members transition back to civilian life after service. At the community level, the RSL Veteran Hub connects a network of multidisciplinary teams with veterans to assist with health, mental health, housing, justice, employment and income and financial support.
The charity Mates4Mates offers mental health and well-being services, physical rehab and social connections to help veterans avoid the lonely spiral of mental anguish. One only wonders how long past veterans survive the process of integration to society from the horrors of war without these kinds of options available. Many did poorly, I’m sure. For me, my grandfathers never really spoke of their experiences serving out of Darwin in the Second World War, nor, as far as I’m aware, did they get any formal support. They were both magnificent men in my early life, and I learnt much from them.
I thank RSL Tasmania for another successful and meaningful ceremony at the Cenotaph, Australia’s oldest state War Memorial. Spring on the Cenotaph certainly turned it on for us. Sun shifted to rain, as the wreath laying commenced turning to brilliant sunshine again on conclusion. Irrespective of the weather, the location of the Cenotaph is deliberately chosen for prominence and view down the river, down which departing World War One soldiers sailed, was on show. As we move into significant debate and vote on an issue that will impact on the Cenotaph, I hope all attending members had the opportunity to experience the reverential ambience of the Cenotaph, its prominent setting and the significance it represents to the RSL, its members and their families.
To finish, while we stand in solidarity with veterans and honour their service on Remembrance Day and every other day of commemoration, I stress that we Greens stand for peace, non-violence and justice for all. Lest we forget the horrors of war and those who endured it.
