E&OE...........
[tape begins] Vice-Marshal, my parliamentary colleague Kerry Bartlett, the Mayor, ladies and gentlemen.
May I very simply and very directly say to the men and women of the Royal Australian Air Force who';ve just completed the deployment in Kyrgyzstan that a very grateful and a very proud nation welcomes you back. We welcome all of you back and we';re overjoyed that all have returned safely. We are very conscious of the anxiety of your families and your other loved ones during the time of your absence. It has been an immensely successful deployment and it has played a major part in the successful coalition campaign against terrorism which arose out of the tragic events of the 11th of September 2001.
And as a measure of the refuelling contribution, I understand that during the deployment the amount of fuel transferred would be enough for an FA-18 Hornet to fly to the moon and back again. And perhaps that is some measurement of the ongoing character of this deployment and its importance.
I know that all of you are so happy to see your families, your wives, your husbands, your mothers and fathers, your other loved ones, your young children. And I just want to say to all of you that I';m very proud, the entire Australian nation is very proud of what you have done. It is never an easy thing for a Government to ask the young men and women, and the sometimes not so young men and women, of the ADF to go overseas in the name of this country, doing something in the name of the values to which this country stands. As Prime Minister I am very conscious of that, I am very conscious of any decision that might potentially put the men and women of our defence force in harms way. And no decision of that kind is ever taken lightly. And it certainly was not in relation to the deployment that followed the events of the 11th of September.
But once again the men and women of the Australian Defence Force have done this nation proud. You have won the admiration not only of your fellow Australians, but you';ve also won the respect and the admiration of the military forces and the leadership of the United States and of many other of our coalition partners in the campaign against terrorism.
But ladies and gentlemen can I say again to all of you thank you very very much. And can I also say that such is the measure of our regard and our gratitude for what the 84 Wing Detachment efforts have represented for the Australian Defence Force, that I have very great pleasure this afternoon on behalf of the Governor General of Australia of awarding a meritorious unit citation to 84 Wing Detachment Manas and I would like to invite the two Commanders, the two detachment Commanders to come forward, Wing Commander George Kollios, the Detachment Commander of the first rotation, and Wing Commander Trenton Breeze, the Detachment Commander of the second rotation, to come forward to accept this citation of behalf of the 84 Wing Detachment. Yes, let';s give them a round of applause.
I haven';t done one of these unit citations before so if I get any of the protocol wrong gentlemen, will you please excuse me. But can I tell you that the meritorious unit citation was introduced on the 15th January 1991 to provide recognition to units for sustained outstanding service in war like operations. Out of the many existing Australian Defence Force units, only seven since the establishment of this citation have previously been awarded the citation. And I will now read the citation and it reads as follows. Number 84 Wing Detachment';s continous engagement in air refuelling combat support operations from the middle of March until the end of the September 2002 made a significant contribution to the effectiveness of coalition operations in the global war against terrorism. Their outstanding aviation skills, ground support and dedication to duty earned the highest praise and respect of Australian and coalition leaders and military commanders. The provision of air-refuelling support missions during Operation Slipper by Number 84 Wing Detachment was instrumental in the success of the coalition force in this operation. The acceptable command, aviation and ground support skills of the men and women of number 84 Wing Detachment Manas were in the finest traditions of the Royal Australian Air Force and the Australian Defence Force.
That is the citation issued under the authority of the Governor General of Australia. I therefore have immense pleasure in presenting the citation to the two commanding officers and again through them thank all of the men and women who';ve served with them. A grateful and proud nation welcomes you back, wishes you well and expresses the absolute delight of everybody here that all of you are back safe and sound and long may that remain the case.
Thank you.
[ends]