E&OE...........
Mr Premier, General Leahy, Dr Palazzo, Dr Denis Napthine the Leader of the Opposition, my other parliamentary colleagues, and supporters, former members, friends and those committed in the past and into the future to the history and the traditions of the Third Australian Division.
It is appropriate on the eve of Anzac Day that in this magnificent setting of the Victorian Parliament which is such a wonderful reminder of our federation history, it is appropriate that this book, which is a wonderful history of the experiences and the contributions and sacrifice of the men of the Third Division to the defence of Australia, should be launched. The first Commander of the Third Division was of course undeniably in my view the greatest military figure Australia has produced – General Sir John Monash. He was a great Australian, he was a great Victorian, he was a great example to the commanders of other nations in World War I of how to fight and how to lead with great military effectiveness but also with a lesser loss of life than was the outcome of other methods. And Monash and the example that he set has illuminated and instructed people who';ve served in the Australian Defence Forces and people who';ve admired the contribution of the Australian Defence Forces to the defence of freedom ever since.
It';s also an occasion of course to honour the citizen soldier and the continuing role of the reserves within Australian military life and the importance that they play. And to note of course changes have been made extending the capacity of governments to deploy reserves in different theatres of war, deployment for people who';ve served in the reserves.
But this book documents the formation of the Third Division, it';s training in England before going to France, and its subsequent participation at Passchendale and subsequently in the final battles of World War I where as Dr Palazzo said it along with other Australian units played such a decisive role in the final battles in September, October and early November of 1918. And arguably, given the size of our nation, one of the greatest contributions that this nation has made in its existence to the defence of the way of life in which we believe.
It is an occasion for me on behalf of all of the Australian community to honour those who died defending this country, to honour those who put their lives at risk, to pay tribute to all of you returned servicemen and women who are here today, to thank you for what you have done for our country. It';s something that';s said often but it can';t be said too often, we owe what we have now, my capacity to speak freely as the leader of a political party and to put my point of view, the capacity of the Premier to put his point of view, of Dr Napthine and others and all of us, we owe that to men and women like you and sadly to those who didn';t come back. And it is an occasion for me to say on behalf of a very grateful nation not only thank you to the men of the Third Division, but also thank you to the hundreds of thousands of Australian men and women who';ve put their lives at risk in the defence of this country and particularly we honour the more than one-hundred-thousand Australians who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of this country.
It';s also on an occasion such as this, it';s also timely to remember that as we gather here today we have deployed overseas probably more people than we';ve had deployed at any time since the Vietnam War and they are doing a magnificent job. Australia has won new renown and the men of the Australian Army have won new renown around the world, and women, for what they did in East Timor and more recently and currently the participation of our special forces in Afghanistan and in other theatres of activity in Bougainville and elsewhere around the world. The reputation of the Australian Defence Force has never been higher and deservedly so.
And it';s also an occasion where without any equivocation the Government has committed more resources to the defence of this country. We are increasing resources. I said the weekend before last and I repeat it here today that the circumstances of the world are such that we may have to commit even more financial resources over and above what has already been committed in the White Paper to the cause of the defence forces of this country in the years ahead. The men and women of the Australian Defence Forces when they go abroad, they don';t go abroad in the name of any government or any side of politics, the go abroad in the name of the Australian nation and they go abroad to defend what the Australian nation has always believed in and what the Australian nation has always stood for.
The origins of the Third Division came out of a great volunteer spirit which is one of the things that sets Australia apart from any other nation. It is still to me an amazing thing that during World War I we had, what, a male population of 2.5 million and close on 400,000 of those volunteered for service. And when you think of the efforts of people subsequently in World War II, when you think of the volunteer spirit of Australia in so many areas of activity I think it';s a reminder and a heart warming reminder to us of what we are really as a people, of what we stand for, of what we believe in.
Can I say to the author, writing a book, writing it painstakingly as you have done is always an enormous challenge and I thank you Doctor for your scholarship, I thank you for what I know will bring a great deal of interest and a great deal of warmth not only to people in this room but also to others around Australia that will want to enjoy the story of a great division and enjoy the story of men who gave so much to the defence of this country. So ladies and gentlemen the Third Division and all of those who support it do me a great honour in asking me to come here today. I';m delighted to launch this book. I congratulate those who organised this gathering. I think it is a wonderful Australian occasion and a wonderful Melbourne occasion in this lovely building. I wish you well and again on behalf of a very grateful nation may I say in this week of Anzac Day – thank you for what you have done and what you mean to our nation. [Ends]