Your Excellency Mr Bambang Yudhoyono, the co-ordinating Minister for Security Affairs, Mr and Mrs Crean, the Australian Ambassador Mr David Ritchie, leaders of the Indonesian military and police, Commissioner Mick Keelty, the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, ladies and gentlemen.
This is a very important and very special part of this weekend commemoration of the tragic events of the 12th of October last year. It provides us with an opportunity as a nation to especially honour through our awards structure people who made an amazing contribution and the contribution above the normal call of duty, not only in caring for the victims of the attack but also importantly in tracking down those responsible for this outrage which claimed so many lives, not only of Australians but of people from many countries.
In particular tonight we're going to honour three very senior Indonesian police officers whose skilled professionalism and expertise and dedication and willingness to co-operate at all times with the Australian Federal Police has resulted in the apprehension and now the sentencing of a significant number of people who were involved in this crime. And can I say on behalf of the Australian people, and I know I speak for those who lost loved ones in that attack, that their sense of justice has been met by what the Indonesian police have been able to do. And I would like in the presence of both the leader of the Indonesian police and the Australian Federal Police, in the presence of both of them to say how important has been the co-operation between the police forces of our two nations. In the circumstances in which we now live and find ourselves co-operating between the police forces of our two nations is absolutely crucial and the way in which that has effectively occurred has been very, I think, heart warming to all of us who want to see this terrible tragedy produce the result that Australia and Indonesia come even closer together. Out of the horror of it, if we can build an ever closer relationship than that will be of enormous benefit.
We also want to honour six locally engaged staff at the Australian consulate because the Australian consulate here in Bali bore the full brunt of the immediate response and the manner in which locally engaged staff joined that effort was just so impressive and I know that all of the consulate people and the Embassy people from Australia and I'm delighted to acknowledge the presence of Ian Kemis and Ric Smith who's now the Secretary of the Australian Defence Department and of course he was the Australian Ambassador in Jakarta at the time of the attack.
Back in Australia the Governor General will announce the full list of Australians as well as some other foreign honorary recipients on the 17th of October. And also tonight, not ever of course to forget the ANZAC connection, we're going to pay tribute to a very special woman from New Zealand who worked tirelessly in providing medical assistance to the first casualties at the Bali International Medical Centre and her skill and dedication saved many many lives and we are especially grateful for her contribution.
I just finally want to say to all of those who will receive awards tonight and many many more people from Bali and from Indonesia, thank you from the bottom of 19.5 million Australian hearts for all that you did to help the victims of this terrible attack and we will never forget it, the Australian people always remember people who worked beside them and helped them when they need help, they have very long and affectionate memories of that kind of friendship and that kind of contribution and tonight is a wonderful opportunity to honour those people.
Thank you.
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