Vietnam War Anniversary

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

That this council—

1. Notes that 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the proclamation to end Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War;

2. Recognises the service and the tremendous sacrifices made by South Australian veterans of the Vietnam War and their families;

3. Acknowledges the statement of the Prime Minister recognising and apologising for the prolonged suffering of many Vietnam War veterans;

4. Acknowledges the contributions made to Australian society by the Vietnamese veterans and their families, who fought alongside Australians during the Vietnam War and have since made Australia home; and

5. Expresses its genuine regret to veterans of the Vietnam War who had experiences upon returning to Australia that compounded and exacerbated the trauma they suffered in the conflict.

(Continued from 27 September 2023).

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (16:52): I rise today to support the honourable member's motion, and thank the Hon. Tung Ngo for moving this very important motion. It is an honour to be able to pay respect and pay tribute, and to acknowledge that the year 2023 marks the 50^th anniversary of the proclamation to end Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War.

Australia participated in the Vietnam War across the period from 1962 to 1973. During this very dark period, over 60,000 Australians served in Vietnam, with 2,400 listed as injured, and 523 losing their lives. Fifty-nine of the Australians killed were South Australians. Additionally, the 2,400 listed as injured do not account for the trauma and medical health issues being suffered by the veterans, which are directly attributable to their participation in the Vietnam War. Families of veterans who served in the war are also affected, and their sacrifices and resilience amidst uncertainty of the return of their loved ones must also be acknowledged and remembered.

While the end of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War was formally declared on 11 January 1973, it was only in 1987 that then Prime Minister Bob Hawke declared 18 August to be Vietnam Veterans' Day. The 18^th of August was the day chosen to commemorate Vietnam veterans and it is the day that the battle of Long Tan occurred. The battle was a heroic feat and sacrifice by so many hundreds of service men and women. All of the Australians who have served in the war have made great sacrifices and we must pay respect to and honour those who have served our country.

Upon return of the approximately 60,000 Australians who served in Vietnam, there were some hostile receptions due to the brewing anti-war sentiment. Part of the general public, including neighbours, RSLs and employers, may have shown disdain to Vietnam veterans who returned at that time, as the country was swept into a divisive state with regard to Australia's participation in the Vietnam War.

Veterans also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, with many choosing to hide their service in the war by bottling up their anxiety and the difficulties getting back into normal life. Many did not even realise that their mates who they had been socialising with and meeting with since their return to Australia were, in fact, servicemen who had served in the Vietnam War.

Family members of the Vietnam veterans who returned also had to assist and cope with the veteran's personality change and mental health issues. The initial reception of the Vietnam veterans upon their return was not pleasant at all and they suffered in the long term. All this was compounded and the trauma must be acknowledged based on the conflict that they suffered.

I also want to take this time to acknowledge that, since the end of the Vietnam War, Australia as a whole has changed completely because Australia has opened its doors to welcome so many South Vietnamese refugees to come to rebuild their lives upon arrival in Australia. It is without doubt that Vietnamese refugees have enriched the lives of Australians, making significant contributions to our country in every aspect of our society, including the Hon. Tung Ngo.

The 50^th anniversary of the end of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War gives us this opportunity to reflect on the bravery and courage of our Vietnam veterans and the sacrifices they made. We must also be thankful for and cherish the sacrifices and traumatic experience of the family members of veterans. It is important for us all to express our sincere gratitude to all the Vietnamese veterans and acknowledge those traumatic times that they experienced when they first returned home.

As the shadow minister for multicultural affairs, I have had the great honour of getting to know the Vietnam veterans as well as the Vietnamese veterans community over the years. I also want to pay tribute to Vietnamese veterans in South Australia for their work in acknowledging the sacrifice made by Australian veterans in the Vietnam War.

I want to thank them for organising commemoration events year after year to pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice and to also acknowledge the friendship and longstanding commitment that Australia has. I know the Vietnamese veterans community has in every event acknowledged how grateful they are to the Australian Vietnam veterans as well as the support they have given to their community throughout the time.

My colleague Adrian Pederick, the shadow minister for veterans affairs, has attended numerous commemorative services throughout the year which allowed him to engage with Vietnam veterans as well as the Vietnamese veterans community and he also acknowledged that in his speech in the House of Assembly. I want to thank once again the Hon. Tung Ngo for moving this motion, and with those comments I commend the motion.

The Hon. S.L. GAME (16:59): I rise to support the motion of the Hon. Tung Ngo regarding Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War. While all such conflict is inevitably tragic, I am sure all members present will acknowledge the particularly unique circumstances that faced Australian diggers both during and after Vietnam.

With regard to the Hon. Tung Ngo's worthy Vietnam War motion, the publicly unpopular nature of our involvement in the lengthy conflict created additional, often difficult, impacts for the approximately 60,000 Australian personnel called into duty. These Australians were serving their country earnestly and bravely and over the years the nation has thankfully gradually recognised that the treatment handed out to them, particularly upon their return, was unfair and, unfortunately in many cases, damaging.

As such, I endorse the honourable member's call for this council to note the 50^th anniversary of the proclamation to end Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War and likewise the recognition of the service and sacrifice made by South Australian veterans of the war and their families who have often been forgotten and similarly innocent victims of this conflict. I support the honourable member's plea to acknowledge the contributions to Australian society of Vietnam veterans during the war and in the years since and, as mentioned, share his regret for the negative experiences and trauma they suffered during and after the conflict.

Over 500 Australians, including many from South Australia, lost their lives during the Vietnam War and over 3,000 were wounded. We owe it to them and their families to support this motion and this respect was also reflected in my recent call to acknowledge veterans in parliament.

The Hon. T.T. NGO (17:01): I thank the Hon. Jing Lee and the Hon. Sarah Game for their contributions in support of this motion. This motion not only marks the 50^th anniversary of the proclamation to end Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War but it also acknowledges Australians from every background who served in this war along with Vietnamese veterans of the republic of Vietnam armed forces who after the war made Australia home. These veterans never deserved the scorn that too many of them were subjected to.

As I stated when presenting this motion in this chamber, we can now look and feel a great sense of regret about the way our Australian community treated Vietnam veterans. The respect, understanding and empathy they deserve took far too long to come. In carrying out the missions they were given, they gave so much of themselves. Too much was asked of them and too little was given in return.

I hope the growing recognition of the undeserved discrimination and the shameful treatment that many veterans faced when they returned home to Australia offers a small sense of justice to Vietnam veterans and their families. Today, to all South Australian veterans of the Vietnam War, I say thank you. This is a motion I am proud to commend to the council.

Motion carried.