Motions

Battle of Coral-Balmoral

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. T.T. Ngo:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges the 50^th anniversary of the Battle of Coral-Balmoral which was fought between 12 May and 6 June 1968;

2. Recognises the bravery of those 3,000 Australian soldiers involved in the battles at Coral-Balmoral, and pays its respects to the 26 men who lost their lives and the more than 100 injured;

3. Commends the commonwealth government for officially recognising the gallantry of 3,000 Australian soldiers who fought at the Battle of Coral-Balmoral by awarding them a Unit Citation for Gallantry; and

4. Pays special tribute to the mothers of these fallen Australian soldiers, particularly those of the 11 men who died on the first night of the battle, which happened to be Mother's Day.

(Continued from 6 June 2018)

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (17:41): I rise today to acknowledge the 50^th anniversary of the battles of fire support bases Coral and Balmoral. I rise to support this motion to acknowledge the sacrifice of the Australian soldiers, and of course their families, who ultimately courageously fought to defend fire support bases at Coral and Balmoral. The sacrifice of 60,000 soldiers and their families who served in Vietnam—of those, 3,000 men served at the battles of fire support bases Coral and Balmoral. These 3,000 Australian soldiers were outnumbered by up to 4,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Kong soldiers.

Here, 26 young men, and then ultimately their families, made the ultimate sacrifice and more than 100 men were injured. Three of these men are buried at Centennial Park Cemetery: Sergeant Peter Lewis from Poochera, which is near Streaky Bay; Private Allan Cooper from Rose Park; and Private William Thomas, a national serviceman from Adelaide.

I have previously spoken in this place about veterans returning from Vietnam feeling disconnected from ANZAC veterans, veterans who they feel have little in common—a different war, different tactics and different times. However, being a veteran is not in the specifics of the war but in the ability to lean on one another and the comfort of mateship.

Our veterans have fought for recognition since they returned from Vietnam. They all made sacrifices. I stand in this place with the belief that Vietnam War veterans ultimately deserve to be recognised and acknowledged; it was a shameful period in our past when we were reluctant to do so. They should be recognised for their sacrifice, hardship, bravery and strength.

It is with pride that I note that on 13 May 2018 the federal Minister for Veterans Affairs, the Hon. Darren Chester MP, announced that the 3,000 soldiers who courageously fought at the Battle of Coral-Balmoral would be awarded the Unit Citation for Gallantry, a military unit that is awarded for extraordinary courage in action.

I would like to acknowledge and thank the veterans' community for their continued support and hard work for our veterans, both young and old. There are organisations such as Legacy, which I have previously spoken about in this place. Mr Acting President, Legacy works, as you well know, with the families of veterans, particularly war widows and their dependent children. Legacy currently cares for about 65,000 widows and widowers, 1,800 children and disabled dependants throughout Australia.

On the year of the 50^th anniversary of the Battle of Coral-Balmoral I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Vietnam veterans and their families for their sacrifice, bravery and strength. Our veterans are the backbone of our nation. They have protected our freedoms and advocated for democracy and justice. Our veterans are our real-life heroes.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.