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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 7 Hansard (18 June) . . Page.. 1780 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

Mr Speaker, it is very sad to see this happen. Whilst many military leaders indicate that you accept that this is part and parcel of the job, it can never take away from the grief and the shock when it does occur. Such training is essential and such training will continue. Of course, there will be a board of inquiry to determine exactly what happened, but I think we should all pause now and give our respect to these service personnel who died whilst on duty in the defence of their country. Mr Speaker, I think the traditional words "Lest we forget" are most appropriate here.

MR WHITECROSS (Leader of the Opposition): Mr Speaker, the Opposition wholeheartedly endorses the words of the condolence motion, and in rising to speak to this motion today on behalf of my Labor Party colleagues I extend our deepest sympathy to those families that have been forever changed by this most tragic of accidents. The collective pain felt throughout the Australian community has crossed all social and political divides, as was demonstrated at yesterday's national memorial service at St Christopher's Cathedral.

Mr Speaker, the loss of 18 young servicemen is a large blow to the defence community in particular, a large close-knit community in Canberra. In fact, Trooper Gerard Bampton was bred in Canberra and on the night of his birthday was preparing for the exercise that would take his life. A terrible price has been paid in serving the nation and the national interest. We all understand that military service is dangerous and that training accidents do occur, but this accident reminds us of just how dangerous military service is and what risks service men and women take in serving the nation not just in times of war but also in times of peace.

Mr Speaker, our thanks and thoughts should also go out to the members of the Queensland Ambulance Service, the staff at the Townsville General Hospital and the comrades of those involved in the accident who were first at the scene. They did what Australians always do in the face of adversity. They worked hard and they worked fearlessly to rescue friends and fellow Australians, and their service ought to be remembered and acknowledged as well.

Mr Speaker, it is important to learn from history. Unlike in the case of the Voyager disaster of 30 years ago, it is important that the victims of this tragedy be swiftly supported and compensated. We hope that the crash investigation team headed by Brigadier Bill Mellor, the Army's most experienced aviator, can quickly identify the cause of the crash, so that a similar incident can be avoided in the future. Mr Speaker, I conclude by again extending my sympathies and those of my colleagues to all affected by this tragedy. It is important that these young servicemen be remembered just as those before them who have fallen in peace or in war have been remembered.

MR KAINE: When young people join the military services of this country with the sole purpose of defending the country from external aggressors, they know that they are taking on what is a hazardous occupation; yet thousands of young people do it and many of them spend their lives in the service of their country in this kind of occupation. It is not quite like any other job. You do not go off to the office at 9 o'clock in the morning and come home at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. The greatest risk is not the risk of being run over by a motor vehicle or a bus on the way to work or going home. The hazards are of a different kind and are very real.

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