CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Mr GOSLING (Solomon) (10:57): On 11 October this year, it marks 25 years since the establishment of Operation Slipper, the Australian Defence Force's contribution to military operations in Afghanistan. Over the next two decades, more than 35,000 ADF personnel will deploy to Afghanistan or in support roles across the Middle East area of operations. Over the next two decades, 41 soldiers would be killed on operations, and the Australian War Memorial reports 47 deaths as a direct result of operational service in Afghanistan.

I recall that I was in New York City around six weeks after the towers came down on September 11, and, by 2003, I was working with global risk strategies for the United Nations alongside Afghan teams of election organisers in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, providing security to that election process. Lots of my ADF mates had already deployed and would continue deploying to Afghanistan over the coming years.

I returned to Timor Leste, serving there with the ADF in 2005. A few years on, in 2010, Darwin's own Private Scott Palmer of the 2nd Commando Regiment was killed in action alongside Privates Benjamin Chuck and Tim Aplin. By 2014, I was back in Kabul conducting election monitoring.

Afghanistan had become a big part of my life, and it had an impact, as it did for a lot of my mates. After spending time there again, I started advocating for more recognition of our ADF Afghanistan veterans. I campaigned to half the Darwin Cenotaph with the words 'Afghanistan' and 'Iraq', and plaques for contemporary local veterans who deployed on operations there.

They sit alongside World War I and World War II theatres, as well as those that served our nation in Korea and Vietnam, and on peacekeeping operations, such as those in Timor-Leste. In 2016, I again found myself in Afghanistan, visiting the troops after being elected to parliament that year. In 2020, I called on the then prime minister to pick up the phone to demand that he intervene to stop the unrepentant murderer of Australian soldiers, Hekmatullah, from walking free.

This would have been a grave misjustice against the 3rd Battalion group, including Australian soldiers Lance Corporal Stjepan (Rick) Milosevic, Sapper James Martin and Private Robert Poate. I then fought against the stripping of the MUC from members of the Special Operations Training Group. On 11 October, Afghanistan veterans have an opportunity to come together.

I really wish them all the best for those events at the Australian War Memorial, Currumbin RSL and in Darwin at Veterans Australia NT. Lest we forget. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Mascarenhas ): In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members constituency statements has concluded.