Cockscomb Chronicle Hansard 18th August 2005

Mr BEAZLEY (Brand—Leader of the Opposition) (2.06 pm)—With your indulgence, Mr Speaker, the opposition shares the respect expressed by the Prime Minister for those who served us in Vietnam, and I pass on my indulgence to the honourable member for Cowan to speak on my behalf. As the Prime Minister rightly pointed out, I think he is the only Vietnam vet eran in the House.

Mr EDWARDS (Cowan) (2.06 pm)—I thank both the Prime Minister and Kim Beazley for the opportunity to pay tribute to our Vietnam veterans and their families on Vietnam Veterans Day, which also commemorates the 39th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan. I also thank the Prime Minister for his kind personal remarks and endorse his broader remarks in relation to the general issue of Vietnam. I also want to recognise Tim Fischer, who, I must say, I was quite proud to have served with in this parliament. I urge all Australians to remember kindly, warmly, with compassion and pride those who served and suffered in that war, and, particularly, I urge all Australians today to remember those who gave their lives. Our Vietnam veterans served in the best traditions of the spirit of Anzac. Regulars and conscripts served and fought side by side with courage, bravery, honour and distinction. They have undeniably deserved the right to stand tall in the legend of the Anzacs. Indeed Vietnam veterans have now become the active leaders of the veteran community, and that is a position of responsibility that they accept. I say to my fellow veterans that I am pleased that our federal parliament has paused to recognise and commemorate you and your service to our nation on this day. This is an honour you deserve in a week where many honours have already been bestowed. Australia and New Zealand soldiers fought in many battles in Vietnam, but the symbol of bravery for all Vietnam veterans has become the Battle of Long Tan. I want to send a personal message to Harry Smith, the battle commander who fought on the ground with his troops. I say to Harry that we have not forgotten your continuing fight for justice for your officers and for the original bravery awards you recommended for them following that battle. Keep the fight up, Harry. You have the support of many people on both sides of this House.
In conclusion and above all, on behalf of all members of the Australian Labor Party—and I again thank Kim Beazley for the opportunity to express these remarks—I wish all Vietnam veterans and their families a day of peace, a day of remembrance and coration, and a day of and pride in yourselves and your mates. Let the day be one which unites us rather than divides us. I thank all of our families and loved ones for their strength during the good times and the bad. Lest we forget.

	EXTRACT FROM THE HANSARD of Thursday, 18 August 2005 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
	Pages 45 - 47
	VIETNAM VETERANS DAY Mr HOWARD (Bennelong—Prime Minister) (2.00 pm)—Could I have the indulgence of the House for a few moments to make some comments on behalf of the government on a day which marks Vietnam Veterans Day and the 39th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, which was the most costly battle in which Australians were involved during the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was a war which divided the Aus tralian community. It is not my purpose today to revive that debate, but it is my purpose today on behalf, I am sure, of all members of the House to record our respect for and gratitude to those Australian service men and women who went to Vietnam, did their duty and fought as required by their country. The loss in the Vietnam War of some 500 dead and several thousand wounded was a very high price, as all military campaigns inevi tably are. It is fair to say that, whatever viewpoint was taken regarding the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s, the entire Australian community failed these servicemen when they returned from Vietnam. Whatever view one may have had, the way in which they were shunned by people holding a range of views was, in retrospect, quite disgraceful, and I hope that that never again occurs, irrespective of the circumstances of military conflict and irrespective of the political standpoint that people might take. To my knowledge, there is only one member in this parliament at present who saw service in Vietnam, and that is the honourable member for Cowan, Graham Edwards, who of course paid a terrible price for his service. He lost both his legs following a landmine blast, and to his credit, following his discharge from the Army, he spent many years assisting other veterans while working for the departments of defence and veterans’ affairs and the Vietnam Veterans Counselling Service. I take this opportunity on behalf of all members of the House to pay respect to the member for Cowan’s service and the commitment that he has maintained to returned service men and women ever since. Honourable members—Hear, hear! Mr HOWARD—It is also the case that in recent years we have had quite a number of other members, known to colleagues on both sides of the parliament, who saw service in Vietnam. I think of the former Liberal member for Isaacs, Rod Atkinson, the former Lib eral member for McPherson, John Bradfield, and the late Kevin Newman, a former ministerial colleague of mine in the Fraser government and the former member for Bass. I also think of the late Peter White, another member for McPherson, who died only last year. As serving as a major with 2RAR, Peter was awarded the Military Cross for his courage and leadership during the 1968 Tet offensive. Today, as I remarked at the beginning, is the 39th anniversary of the battle of Long Tan, and that became, in the view of the veterans of Vietnam and the Austra lian community, a fitting occasion on which to commemorate Vietnam Veterans Day as the battle symbolised the bravery and struggle faced by our Vietnam veterans. In 1966, the first Australian task force had established its operations base at Nui Dat, a piece of high ground surrounded by rubber plantations. On the afternoon of 18 August 1966, D Company 6RAR, a force of 180 men patrolling in the area of the Long Tan rubber plantation, encountered an enemy force estimated to be around 2,500 strong. A very fierce battle ensued in which 18 Australians lost their lives and 24 were wounded. Australia had a long involvement in Vietnam, and a total of some 50,000 Australians served in Vietnam between 1962 and January 1973. Some 3,000 were wounded and more than 500 Australians died. In recording our gratitude, in remembering those who died and in honouring those in the House and previously in this parliament—and I omitted to include in the colleagues I mentioned the former Deputy Prime Minister and member for Farrer, Tim Fischer, and I apologise to Tim for not having mentioned him earlier—can I simply say that, whatever views we held at the time, this is not the time to recommit to that debate but it is a time, in an united fashion, to record our respect to those who served, who did their duty by their country, to regret that this nation was ungracious in the extreme in the way in which it treated the returning Vietnam veterans and, in the process, to resolve never to behaviour like that again to people who serve this country in our name and do their duty. Mr BEAZLEY (Brand—Leader of the Opposition) (2.06 pm)—With your indulgence, Mr Speaker, the opposition shares the respect expressed by the Prime Minister for those who served us in Vietnam, and I pass on my indulgence to the honourable member for Cowan to speak on my behalf. As the Prime Minister rightly pointed out, I think he is the only Vietnam vet eran in the House. Mr EDWARDS (Cowan) (2.06 pm)—I thank both the Prime Minister and Kim Beazley for the opportunity to pay tribute to our Vietnam veterans and their families on Vietnam Veterans Day, which also commemorates the 39th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan. I also thank the Prime Minister for his kind personal remarks and endorse his broader remarks in relation to the general issue of Vietnam. I also want to recognise Tim Fischer, who, I must say, I was quite proud to have served with in this parliament. I urge all Australians to remember kindly, warmly, with compassion and pride those who served and suffered in that war, and, particularly, I urge all Australians today to remember those who gave their lives. Our Vietnam veterans served in the best traditions of the spirit of Anzac. Regulars and conscripts served and fought side by side with courage, bravery, honour and distinction. They have undeniably deserved the right to stand tall in the legend of the Anzacs. Indeed Vietnam veterans have now become the active leaders of the veteran community, and that is a position of responsibility that they accept. I say to my fellow veterans that I am pleased that our federal parliament has paused to recognise and commemorate you and your service to our nation on this day. This is an honour you deserve in a week where many honours have already been bestowed. Australia and New Zealand soldiers fought in many battles in Vietnam, but the symbol of bravery for all Vietnam veterans has become the Battle of Long Tan. I want to send a personal message to Harry Smith, the battle commander who fought on the ground with his troops. I say to Harry that we have not forgotten your continuing fight for justice for your officers and for the original bravery awards you recommended for them following that battle. Keep the fight up, Harry. You have the support of many people on both sides of this House. In conclusion and above all, on behalf of all members of the Australian Labor Party—and I again thank Kim Beazley for the opportunity to express these remarks—I wish all Vietnam veterans and their families a day of peace, a day of remembrance and coration, and a day of and pride in yourselves and your mates. Let the day be one which unites us rather than divides us. I thank all of our families and loved ones for their strength during the good times and the bad. Lest we forget.
		Back to Chronicle Aug 2005