Operation Slipper - Commemoration

The following speech was given in the WA Parliament on Tuesday 24 March 2015.

HON PETER KATSAMBANIS (North Metropolitan) [10.02 pm]: I rise tonight to give my sincere thanks and to put on record my gratitude to the men and women of Australia’s armed forces for the continuing efforts that they make on behalf of our nation to keep our nation safe, and also the work they do in making the whole world a better place to live in.

Last Saturday, 21 March 2015, thousands of Western Australians lined the streets of Perth to show their gratitude to our defence personnel at the end of a 14-year campaign known as Operation Slipper. Operation Slipper was the name given to Australia’s military contribution to the International Security Assistance Force and International Coalition Against Terrorism missions in Afghanistan and across the Middle East that commenced in October 2001. The event that took place in Perth was replicated across all of Australia in capital cities and towns in every state and territory.

During the period of Operation Slipper, 33 000 Australian personnel from the Defence Force, as well as public servants and members of the Australian Federal Police, served overseas in Afghanistan and the Middle East as part of this service. The vast majority of them returned safely to our shores. Unfortunately, 42 Australians were killed—41 of them in the service of the Australian Defence Force and one person who was serving with the British Army and was an Australian. More than 250 people were wounded on the battlefield in Operation Slipper. They returned with the rest of the 33 000, but, as we know, with our experience of war and serving overseas in these difficult circumstances, it is not just the physical wounds that come back; we know that many of our serving men and women have come back with mental wounds that will not heal overnight, as well as the physical wounds that some of them suffered.

The outpouring of thanks and gratitude from the Australian public is indicative of the respect that all Australians, in a bipartisan way, hold for our armed forces and for the work that they do. I commend the Prime Minister and the federal government, as well as the opposition and all the other parties, because it was their initiative to have these parades in our streets commemorating the event. We do not celebrate war; we do not celebrate the deployment of our troops—it is not something to celebrate—but we commemorate it, and we particularly commemorate the sacrifices that all these men and women make.

I will confess that watching the march on Saturday, I was overcome with quite significant emotion because the first time I can recall Australian troops being deployed overseas was when I was a very young boy and our troops were deployed in Vietnam. Unfortunately, when those troops returned, there were no coming-home parades at all, and we know what happened. There is that very famous Australian song Khe Sanh by the band Cold Chisel that has the line that there were no V-day heroes in 1973. That song goes on to very aptly describe the feelings of alienation that those people who came back from Vietnam felt in a nation that essentially ignored their plight and ignored them as human beings. Forget about whether we supported the engagement or we did not. They were real human beings who answered the call of their nation—some of them were conscripted to the call of their nation—and on their return they were ignored for many years. We know the negative consequences that have happened.

Today, 40 or more years since then, I must say that we have matured as a nation, and that maturity was shown fantastically on Saturday.

To the men and women of our Defence Force who served in Operation Slipper, we say, “Thank you. Look, we know that the sacrifices you have made have come at a massive personal cost. You have been away from your families. Some of you have suffered physical wounds. Many more of you have suffered, or may suffer in the future, psychological wounds, and we as a nation will be there for you and with you to recognise the great sacrifices that you have made.” I think that is a great indication of the wonderful maturity of our nation. It is probably salient that this commemoration took place on the eve of the centenary of Anzac that will happen next month, which is the anniversary of the landing on the Gallipoli peninsula of Australian and New Zealand troops on 25 April 1915.

That is another commemoration that we will have. We know that Anzac Day has come to commemorate far more than just that battle at Gallipoli on that day. It is really a day when we stop to remember the sacrifices that men and women of Australia have made in serving and dying or being injured, whether physically or psychologically, in wars, conflicts and peace-keeping operations across the world. In the last few days, we saw once again the Australian Defence Force going to Vanuatu—not in a war zone, but to provide comfort and support to people who really, really need it after a cyclone, because Australians are there for their fellow human beings.

The spirit of Anzac is embodied in all our serving men and women. It shows the human qualities of courage, mateship and sacrifice. Today, it continues to have the same meaning and the same relevance that it had 100 years ago. In many ways, it identifies our own sense of national identity as Australians. Whether a person is a first Australian, an Australian who has been here for many generations or a recent migrant, we all commemorate that immortal spirit of the Anzac. We all owe a massive duty to those people who fought for the liberties and freedoms that we enjoy today, including the people of Operation Slipper.

We honour and thank those people. I am very proud to say I now live in a nation where not only do we thank those people and honour them, but we take care of them. That is something we should remember going forward. With the centenary of Anzac coming up next month, I encourage every Australian and every Western Australian to get involved in commemorating the spirit of Anzac throughout our community. That can be done at local schools, offices and work sites, at community events and at dawn services whether at Kings Park or in the many other dawn and other services that will take place on Anzac Day in our suburbs, towns and regional areas.

In closing, I say to the serving officers of the Australian Defence Force and all those people past and present who served in the ADF, thank you for the work that you do; thank you for helping to make Australia the open and welcoming democratic nation that it is today. Thank you for trying to make the world a better place. All of us, not just the people in this place, but everyone in our community, appreciates your efforts and like you have been there for our country and for our way of life, we will be there for you.