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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-05-24 Daily Xml
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Task Group Taji

The Hon. L.A. VLAHOS (Taylor—Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse) (15:21): I would like to speak about an event that I had the great pleasure of attending on 8 May (which was Mother's Day) with my daughter. We went to the farewell parade for the Task Group Taji 3 and Force Protection Element 6 of the 7th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, a fantastic group of men and women doing exceptional work at the RAAF base, Edinburgh.

Several hundred personnel will be departing shortly for the joint Australian-New Zealand operations in the Middle East this month, in Iraq and Afghanistan, with around 100 New Zealand personnel assisting in this operation. Task Group Taji will deploy to Iraq and support an international effort to train and build capacity in that country. As today's The Advertiser highlighted, on the day there were many families present. It was Mother's Day. There were many children there and the children present were given the opportunity to see their parents on parade and to be proud of them.

One of the most remarkable things is the piglet army photo that is in The Advertiser today, which Jos Vladman has created. He has created Willy the pig, who will feature in his cartoons in The Advertiser every day while the deployment is on to allow these children to find some connection to their parents' service.

It is great to see Lieutenant Colonel David McCammon DSM in the photo with several children, whom I saw as well, moving around the parade ground, and the climbing and children's fun equipment that was spaced out on the day. Defence SA and the South Australian government are indeed proud to be sponsoring the piglet army T-shirts that are on display. It is a great way of recognising the efforts of these children at the home front, doing double duty while their parent is deployed overseas.

It is really important that we recognise the lives of the children of people who are serving overseas because they are giving up part of their childhood to support the nation's defence forces as they help build capacity abroad. Willy the pig is the unit's mascot and he will be in The Advertiser every day. I encourage everyone to spot the pig every day as they look at their paper.

I would also like to acknowledge the flyover by 92 Wing, a group of RAAF personnel who have been silently but professionally undertaking their work for many years, on behalf of the Australian population, in the Middle East and other places, to protect us. Their flyover on the day was very spectacular indeed. I wish everyone who is deploying the very best and I look forward to seeing them again safe at home.

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