STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (16:10): Recently I had the privilege of taking part in the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program. I was paired with Petty Officer Boatswain Troy Haydon, a fellow redhead, a proud beard wearer and an outstanding member of the Royal Australian Navy. Participants are carefully matched with their parliamentarians, and I think they got this pairing just right.

Some might even say we are twins; I'll leave it to others to decide who is Arnold Schwarzenegger and who is Danny DeVito! Troy joined the Navy in 2009 and has served abroad HMA ships Tobruk, Stewart, Darwin, Canberra and Brisbane. His service includes Operation Slipper, Operation Manitou, Operation Resolute, and Operation Bushfire Assist, during a devastating 2019-20 bushfires.

Troy was promoted to Petty Officer in 2021 and has served in important training, discipline, safety and operational roles. He was also awarded the Royal Australian Navy Bronze Level Commendation for his contribution to strengthening HMAS Brisbane force protection capability. During his week in parliament Troy saw firsthand the daily work of an MP.

It was a privilege to learn about his career, his family and his commitment to our country. Thank you, Troy, for a terrific week and, most importantly, thank you for your dedicated service. Troy, you're a superstar.

It was absolutely great getting to know you. I look forward to catching up another time here. And to all the parliamentarians here and to everybody who served our country, thank you for what you do.

Reach out and be part of the exchange program, because it is a great program to be part of.