MRH-90 Taipan Helicopter Crash Condolence Motion, Parliament House
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
I thank the Prime
Minister for his fine words, and I join him in reflecting on the terrible
incident which occurred during Exercise Talisman Sabre on Friday the 28th of
July.
In that moment of
disaster, at 10:30 pm in the Whitsundays, we lost four magnificent men of the
Australian Army:
Captain Danniel
Lyon;
Lieutenant Maxwell
Nugent;
Warrant Officer
Class 2 Joseph Laycock; and
Corporal Alexander
Naggs.
The ordeal of
tragedy is to contend with loss most profound, heartache most intense, and pain
most enduring.
Australians around
the country can only imagine the ordeal which four families continue to endure.
We grieve for them,
and we mourn for them.
And we are thinking
about the many people who were close to these four magnificent men.
Their friends.
Their communities.
Their fellow
servicemen and women – especially from Sydney’s 6th Aviation Regiment in
Holsworthy Barracks.
In the wake of
tragedies like this, it is the humble duty of those in this place – as the
Prime Minister rightly pointed out before – to do our best to illuminate the
meaning behind the tragedy.
Not because our
words can diminish the sorrow.
Our words never can
– and never will.
But because our
words can cast a light on what made these fine Australians tick.
In that
appreciation, we are reminded about the brilliance of our national character.
In that recognition,
we look to the examples of these men to inspire the best in ourselves.
These four
magnificent men were taking part in a training drill.
The training drill
was part of a broader 13-nation exercise.
That exercise is one
of many, many military activities which contribute to a critical mission.
The mission to
preserve peace and to deter aggression against our country, and our friends in
the region.
These four
magnificent men were not just doing their job.
They chose to commit
themselves to the most vital of endeavours during these most precarious times.
They were
duty-driven.
They were
noble-minded.
They were brave
beyond our imagination.
And their sacrifice
casts no doubt in the mind of any ally, or indeed, any adversary, of
Australia’s commitment to preventing the horrors of history being repeated.
This tragic event
has rocked all our men and women in uniform.
And that’s been the
case for generations past, wherever there has been a loss of life.
Some of those men
and women in uniform, of course, have children themselves.
Many of those children,
at a time like this, may themselves be asking:
‘Will my mum or dad
or be safe when they’re training or when they’re away on deployment?’
As parliamentarians,
we’d be dishonest if we were to make that guarantee to those children – as much
as it might provide some reassurance.
Instead, may we say
to those children that their mum or their dad – or in some cases their mum and
dad – do dangerous work to keep the rest of us safe.
They are the few who
protect the many.
Their dad or their
mum’s service is the definitive expression of love.
A love of everything
worth defending:
Their Family. Their
Country. Freedom. Peace.
There is nothing
more honourable.
There is nothing
more necessary.
There is no one we
owe a greater debt to than our soldiers, sailors and aviators.
Two years ago, I
spoke at a 25th anniversary of the Black Hawk disaster which claimed the lives
of 18 Australians.
That fateful night
in June 1996 – just like the fateful night of the 28th of July this year –
reinforces the risks our servicemen and women face, even when they’re just
training.
We cannot eliminate
tragedy in life.
But it is our tragic
sensibility which will see Australians provide the families of the fallen with
the support, the strength and solace they will need as they endure this
terrible ordeal.
It is our tragic
sensibility which will see the Australian Defence Force carry on doing what is
has always done:
Serving Australia.
Safeguarding Australia. Sacrificing for Australia.
I want to thank the
Australian Defence Force, our partners – especially the United States – and the
Queensland police and emergency services for their work in the initial search
effort and the ongoing recovery operation.
They have been doing
delicate and difficult work in testing conditions.
The black box has
been recovered.
The investigation is
ongoing.
And I hope Defence
and the Government will be in a position soon to release the findings for the
sake of the families and the colleagues of our deceased servicemen.
Moreover, I welcome
the Defence Minister’s decision on the 29th of September to permanently ground
the entire Taipan fleet early given the helicopter’s checkered history.
I also want to thank
the Member for Petrie – the Shadow Minister for Defence Personnel – who
represented the Coalition at the poignant memorial service on the 27th of
September for our fallen soldiers.
On behalf of the
Coalition, I offer my heartfelt condolences and abiding gratitude to the
families of Captain Lyon, Lieutenant Nugent, Warrant Officer Laycock, and
Corporal Naggs.
May they rest in
peace.
Lest we forget.