Motions

Remembrance Day

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (11:01): I move:

That the Legislative Council places on record its deep and sincere appreciation to all South Australians who have served and continue to serve in our armed forces to protect our freedoms and acknowledges that this year's Remembrance Day marks the 100^th anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting in the First World War and, as a mark of respect, the sitting of the council be suspended until the ringing of the bells.

In speaking to this motion on behalf of government members, can I at the outset acknowledge the always excellent work of our parliamentary research library in terms of providing to members, and to me in particular, the historical record, which I place on the record now.

Remembrance Day has a special significance in 2018. Sunday 11 November 2018 marks the 100^th anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War (1914-18). At 5am on 11 November 1918, three German government representatives accepted the armistice terms presented to them by an allied commander, General Foch of the French army.

The demands of the armistice included the withdrawal of German forces to the east bank of the Rhine within 30 days, immediate cessation of warfare and surrender of the German fleet and all heavy guns, with no further negotiations until the signing of the peace treaty. The armistice became effective at 11am of the same day and, as the guns fell silent on the Western Front in France and Belgium, four years of hostilities ended.

The ceasefire was made permanent the following year when members of the commonwealth and the League of Nations signed the Treaty of Versailles. People across the world celebrated the war's end, celebrations tempered by thoughts of the enormous suffering and loss of life resulting from the war.

World War I began in 1914 and lasted for four years. More than 416,000 Australians volunteered for service in World War I. Of these, 324,000 served overseas. More than 60,000 Australians were killed, including 45,000 who died on the Western Front in France and Belgium and more than 8,000 who died on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey.

As well as Australian soldiers, many nurses in the Australian Army Nursing Service served on the Western Front. These nurses worked in overcrowded hospitals for up to 16 hours a day, looking after soldiers with shocking injuries and burns. Those who worked in hospitals close to the fighting were also in danger of being shelled by the enemy.

The 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month attained a special significance in the post-war years. The moment when hostilities ceased on the Western Front became universally associated with the remembrance of those who had died in the war. This first modern world conflict had brought about the mobilisation of over 70 million people and left between nine million and 13 million dead, perhaps as many as one-third of them with no known grave. The allied nations chose this day and time for the commemoration of their war dead.

On the first anniversary of the armistice in 1919, two minutes' silence was instituted as part of the main commemorative ceremony at the new cenotaph in London. The silence was proposed by Australian journalist Edward Honey, who was working in Fleet Street. At about the same time, a South African statesman made a similar proposal to the British cabinet, which endorsed it. King George V personally requested all the people of the British Empire to suspend normal activities for two minutes on the hour of the armistice, 'which stayed the worldwide carnage of the four preceding years and marked the victory of Right and Freedom'. The two minutes' silence was popularly adopted and it became a central feature of commemorations on Armistice Day.

On the second anniversary of the armistice in 1920, the commemoration was given added significance when it became a funeral, with the return of the remains of an unknown soldier from the battlefields of the Western Front. Unknown soldiers were interred with full military honours in Westminster Abbey in London and at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The entombment in London attracted over one million people within a week to pay their respects at the unknown soldier's tomb. Most other allied nations adopted the tradition of entombing unknown soldiers over the following decade.

After the end of the Second World War, the Australian and British governments changed the name to Remembrance Day. 'Armistice Day' was no longer an appropriate title for a day that would commemorate all war dead. In Australia, on the 75^th anniversary of the armistice, in 1993, Remembrance Day ceremonies again became the focus of national attention. The remains of an unknown Australian soldier, exhumed from a First World War military cemetery in France, were ceremonially entombed in the memorial's Hall of Memory.

Remembrance Day ceremonies were conducted simultaneously in towns and cities all over the country, culminating at the moment of burial at 11am, and coinciding with the traditional two minutes' silence. This ceremony, which touched a chord across the Australian nation, re-established Remembrance Day as a significant day of commemoration.

Four years later, in 1997, Governor-General Sir William Deane issued a proclamation formally declaring 11 November to be Remembrance Day and urging all Australians to observe one minute's silence at 11am on 11 November each year to remember those who died or suffered for Australia's cause in all wars and armed conflicts.

I note that our chamber, the Legislative Council, and also that other place, the House of Assembly, both moved and passed motions on Tuesday 12 November 1918. The motion in the Legislative Council was moved by the commissioner of public works, the Hon. J.G. Bice, and unsurprisingly it was carried unanimously.

I did note that at the end of the contribution from the Hon. J.G. Bice, when the motion was carried unanimously, at the call of the President the members of the council rose and sang the national anthem and cheers were given for The King and for 'our brave boys'. I will leave the judgement of what the appropriate response will be at the end. I would hope for the unanimous passage of this motion.

Before concluding, obviously, whilst we commemorate 100 years ago and all that has occurred since, we acknowledge that Australia still has men and women in conflict zones around the world. We remain indebted to all those who have served and continue to serve in our name to protect us and to preserve the freedoms all too often taken for granted. After the very special commemorative services that will conclude this Sunday, let us all ensure that as a community we continue to shine a light on all military service personnel past and present in gratitude for all they have done and continue to do for us.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (11:10): I thank the honourable Treasurer for his contribution on this motion. As we know, Remembrance Day on 11 November 2018 marks 100 years since the armistice that ended the First World War. On the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month of 1918, the armistice ending the First World War came into effect and the fighting on the Western Front stopped.

From a population of fewer than five million people, 416,809 Australian men enlisted in the First World War, of whom approximately 62,000 were killed. A further 156,000 were wounded, gassed or taken prisoner. Of that 62,000, close to 6,000 were from South Australia, and over 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders died in World War I.

This year, at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, there will be a display of 62,000 red poppies, each with the name of an Australian soldier killed in World War I. Each poppy is handcrafted by a volunteer for the 100-year commemoration. This has inspired many other, similar projects around the country. My office spoke to Mr Steve Tidy, the secretary of the Millicent RSL, recently. Red poppies are being made in the local area there, inspired by the 62,000 poppy display being set up in the Australian War Memorial. The poppies being made in Millicent are handmade by local women and have been donated to the RSL to be sold. I am honoured to be able to wear one of those today, which I purchased in Millicent last week.

The Treasurer has noted the number of those who died in the conflicts but also those who continue to serve us. Current Australian defence personnel in South Australia is 3,500 permanent servers and 1,770 reservists, a total of 5,270. They are supported by 2,200 from the Department of Defence. These people are serving us to defend our freedoms. This Remembrance Day, we have the opportunity to thank them as well as to thank the many—including many of our own relatives, no doubt—who have died before us in order to protect our way of life.

On Sunday, I encourage everyone to wear a red poppy and observe a minute's silence in honour of those who lost their lives in war and all armed conflicts and in honour of those who continue to protect our freedoms. We thank them and we honour them.

The PRESIDENT (11:12): On the eve of Remembrance Day, we recognise the debt the state of South Australia owes to all those who sacrificed their lives in the defence of the realm. We honour the supreme sacrifice made by so many service men and women. We must ensure they did not die in vain. We owe it to them that their actions should continue to give inspiration to us and to future South Australians. We must work hard to make sure that their dreams are fulfilled: that of a just and free society. As we honour the dead, we must also pay tribute to all those who returned home wounded and the families who lost loved ones. It is what the dead expect of us.

To the best of our knowledge, there are four members of the Legislative Council who served in World War I. They are Edward Daniel Alexander Bagot, an Independent who served in the Australian Imperial Force; John Leonard Bice, Liberal and Country League, who served in the Australian Imperial Force; Norman Brookman, Liberal and Country League, who served in the Australian Imperial Force; and James Vincent O'Loghlin, Labor Party, who served in the Sea Transport Service and went on to serve in the Senate.

In remembering the dead, we also acknowledge the cost of war is still with us from recent conflicts and wish safe return to all those service men and women currently in harm's way.

They shall have stars at elbow and foot;

Though they go mad they shall be sane,

Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;

Though lovers be lost love shall not;

And death shall have no dominion.

Lest we forget.

I ask honourable members to stand in their places and carry the motion in silence.

Motion carried by members standing in their places in silence.

The PRESIDENT: The sitting of the council is suspended until the ringing of the bells.

Sitting suspended from 11:15 to 11:28.