Page 3573 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 12 September 2017
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to honour their contributions. Australian men and women have played a significant and ongoing role in often complex and sometimes dangerous peacekeeping operations around the world, in the service of international peace and security. We recognise their courage, compassion and professionalism in facing the unique challenges of their individual operations.
On Thursday the Australian Peacekeeping Memorial will be unveiled in Canberra by the Governor-General, His Excellency General the Hon Sir Peter Cosgrove. It will be the first memorial of its kind in Australia and one of only three in the world, with other memorials in Ottawa and New York. Unlike other memorials on Anzac Parade, the Australian Peacekeeping Memorial will recognise not only military and UN peacekeepers but also police and civilians.
This dedication and commemoration will be the principal event during a week-long commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Australia’s involvement in peacekeeping. A range of events and conferences are being held at the Australian War Memorial and at other venues around Canberra. I look forward to attending the dedication, as well as a number of other events through the week.
We are again reminded at this time that peace is central to our community and our nation’s wellbeing. It is a responsibility that we all hold—that is, to foster, to enhance and to promote peace here, in our region and throughout the world. The Australian Peacekeeping Memorial acknowledges the difficult and dangerous work of Australian military, police and civilian peacekeepers. Their work has helped to protect civilians and has assisted to develop a peaceful environment in countries emerging from conflict or disaster.
This memorial will be a focal point for all Australians to reflect on the service and the sacrifice of generations of Australians who have helped bring peace and stability to troubled parts of the world. I encourage all of us in this place to visit the memorial and pay our respects to those who have served. We are fortunate to be the host city for the Australian Peacekeeping Memorial, which will provide all of us with a place to acknowledge the difficult and dangerous work of the Australian military, police and civilian peacekeepers.
Finally, to the peacekeepers, past, present and future, we acknowledge your contribution, we thank you for your work and we will always remember what you do to promote peace and stability throughout the world.
MR HANSON (Murrumbidgee) (4.35): I would like to thank the Attorney-General, who is also the Minister for Veterans and Seniors, for his comments. As a former peacekeeper myself, I thought they were very generous comments and well said. I would like to quickly add my congratulations to General Tim Ford and General Ian Gordon, two people I know personally, who have been instrumental in the development of the memorial. It is an endeavour that they have both been working on for some time.
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