Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith MP
Speech – Commemorative coin launch of the Royal Australian Navy
3 February 2011
Thank you very much Ed, as the CEO of the Perth Mint, to the Commanding Officer of
HMAS Stirling, the Commanding Officer HMAS Perth, to my Parliamentary colleagues
Gary Gray, the Member for Brand, and as a consequence of that the local Member for HMAS
Stirling, and also a Minister in the Commonwealth Government, to our State Parliamentary
colleague Joe Francis, the Member for Jandakot, to Bill Gaynor, the President of the WA
RSL, to other distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
Normally, of course, I would start by saying what a pleasure it is to be at HMAS Stirling,
what a pleasure it is as the Member for Perth to be on HMAS Perth, and what a pleasure it
will be to commemorate 100 years of Royal Australian Navy Service.
But everything we do in life is in a broader context.
Today is a tough day for Australia, a tough day for our Defence Forces, a tough day for
Army, and a tough day for Queensland. We’ve seen earlier the Acting Chief of the Defence
Force, Lieutenant General Hurley, bringing this morning the sad news of the death of a young
Australian soldier in Afghanistan.
Corporal Atkinson’s death is a blow to our nation and a tragedy for his family. Our hearts and
our thoughts go to his fiancé, his parents and his brother and his mates. It will also, of course,
be a terribly sad reminder to the 21 other families who have lost loved ones in our effort in
Afghanistan to stare down international terrorism.
It is also, of course, a great and difficult time for the people of Queensland, buffeted by
floods one month and buffeted by a cyclone the next. We’ve seen the efforts of the
Queensland Government and people, and the Australian Government and the Australian
people to give support to Queensland at this time.
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In terms of Defence assets or efforts, I, on the way down here from Perth, spoke to Brigadier
Stuart Smith from Lavarak Barracks in Townsville, who is heading up our Cyclone Assist
Task Force on our response to the cyclone.
He tells me that all of our bases and assets in North Queensland are operating, and while
there is superficial damage, all of our assets are able to be utilised and our troops and our
personnel and their families are all safe and accounted for.
We, of course, now stand ready to assist, just as Australian Defence Force personnel made a
very substantial contribution to alleviating difficulties in the Queensland floods, whether that
was emergency rescue at the height of the flash flood in the Lockyer Valley, or whether it
was mopping up and cleaning up, helping the people of Brisbane and Ipswich. It was a
substantial effort by Australian Defence Force personnel, including the Navy.
Australian Defence Force personnel, including Navy, will also have this role to play in the
efforts we’ll see in coming days to help the clean up and recovery suffered in north
Queensland as a result of the cyclone.
For example, Navy, in the course of assisting in the Brisbane floods, deployed HMAS Huon
for hydrological survey work in the Brisbane River, to make sure that the entrance to the
Brisbane port was safe and secure.
Today we’ll see helicopters ready to be deployed for aerial examination of the disaster scene.
Just as with the Brisbane floods, helicopters will come from both Navy and Army.
So that effort, that contribution – which is a Navy contribution, an Air Force contribution and
an Army contribution – reflects what Australia has seen its Defence Force doing since its
inception, and what Navy has been doing since inception.
Of course, what we celebrate today, what we mark today, is 100 years of the Royal
Australian Navy, 100 years of service under that title. Prior to that, we were known as
Commonwealth Naval Forces, an adjunct of the British Navy. One hundred years ago this
year we were granted the title ‘Royal Australian Navy’ and we have seen fine service in
difficult and dangerous times for a hundred years.
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Australia’s Navy, the Royal Australian Navy, has been involved in every military conflict to
which Australia has committed its forces.
In addition to that, just as we’ve seen in the Brisbane floods, just as we’ve seen in the cyclone
affected area of north Queensland, Navy also plays a substantial role in disaster relief and
disaster management, whether it’s in Australia, or in our region – whether it’s a cyclone in
north Queensland, an earthquake in Indonesia or a tsunami in Samoa or Tonga. The Navy is
there rendering assistance, often in difficult and dangerous conditions.
So while in some respects today is just one of the things we will do to commemorate the
anniversary of Navy this year through a commemorative coin, and later commemorative
stamps, when we do that, we pause and reflect on the sacrifice, the duty, the toil and the good
deeds and the good work.
There’s no prouder or stronger supporter of HMAS Stirling than its local Members, Gary
Gray and Joe Francis, and yes, I’m Minister for Defence and here in that capacity today, but I
am also the Member for Perth and so I’m very proud and pleased to be on HMAS Perth
itself.
The Chief of Navy told me when he briefed me about the improvements in combat systems to
our frigates that HMAS Perth was the first one to get this improvement. He made the point to
me that this, of course, was just a coincidence.
I’m very pleased that we’re commemorating and marking a substantial 100 year contribution
by the Royal Australian Navy on HMAS Perth. I am also very pleased that it’s in conjunction
with the Perth Mint, which, of course, is in my electorate.
Those of us who are from Perth or Western Australia know, for example, that there is a Mint
in Canberra, but there is The Perth Mint in Perth, just as those of us who are interested in
naval matters know that there is a Garden Island at Fleet Base East and there is The Garden
Island at Fleet Base West, at HMAS Stirling.
I’m very pleased that two very significant Western Australian features coincide, the Perth
Mint, which very much reflects Western Australia’s strong economic growth and contribution
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for the last 30 odd years, making a substantial contribution economically to the prosperity of
Western Australian’s generally, and also another great Western Australian institution, HMAS
Stirling, our naval asset in the Indian Ocean.
All of us who understand that know that as an island continent, navy is essential.
We also know that not only do we have significant interests in the Pacific, we have essential
interests in the Indian Ocean. The fact that we have HMAS Stirling and deploy our
submarines from here, deploy our ANZAC frigates from here, reflects substantially the
importance of an Australian country and continent that looks West as well as East, that looks
to the Indian Ocean as well as to the Pacific.
So these two great Western Australian institutions coincide today and are important in a
national context.
I’m very pleased to be here. We all wish that we were here in happier times. We should pause
today to reflect on some of the terrible loss and consequences for families and friends in
Australia and also in Afghanistan.
I’m very pleased to mark with you all the service of the Royal Australian Navy for 100 years.
Thank you very much.
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