Thursday, 17 August 2023

Ministers statements: Vietnam Veterans Day

Daniel ANDREWS (Mulgrave – Premier) (14:08): Tomorrow Victorians and indeed Australians will commemorate Vietnam Veterans Day. It is an opportunity for us to acknowledge the service and sacrifice of 60,000 Australians and of course their partners, their families, their kids and grandkids for their dedicated service in the defence of freedom in what was, until Operation Slipper in Afghanistan, our longest overseas deployment – our longest war. 521 Australians made the ultimate sacrifice and more than 3000 were injured. It is a matter of record that this was a controversial deployment, a controversial conflict and war, and those veterans, those brave men and women, were not treated well upon their return. In fact shamefully they were treated very, very badly.

Tomorrow presents us with another solemn opportunity, an important obligation, to attend functions down at the Shrine and in the centre of our city and state but also at many local functions. It is significant because of those who died, and it is significant because of those who were wounded and because of the toll that their families carry and the burden that the broader veteran community carry each and every day because of this war. It is made acutely more difficult by the way in which they were treated upon their return. We have all, I think, tried to make amends for that through various commemorations and formal apologies delivered by our government. Tomorrow will be another solemn occasion for all of those reasons, and of course it marks the 50th anniversary of the end of that war. To every Vietnam veteran, to their partners, to their families and to them as a community, I say thank you. We honour your service and sacrifice, and tomorrow I will be humbled, as I have been on many occasions, to be with those brave men and women as we commemorate Vietnam Veterans Day.