On Thursday veterans and the Australian community honoured the service and sacrifice of nearly 60,000 Australians who served in the Vietnam War, including the 521 who lost their lives and more than 3,000 who were wounded.
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Vietnam Veterans Day is commemorated annually on August 18, and this year it marks the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, one of the fiercest battles fought by Australian soldiers in Vietnam.
The battle involved 105 Australians and three New Zealanders from D Company 6RAR. A total of 17 Australians were killed in action and 25 were wounded, one of whom later died of his wounds.
D Company were greatly assisted by an ammunition resupply by RAAF helicopters, close fire support from New Zealand's 161 Field Battery, together with additional artillery support from the Australian task force base at Nui Dat, and the arrival of reinforcements in APCs as night fell.
Commemorative events are taking place across the country which provide an opportunity for the nation to reflect on the service and sacrifice of the Australians involved in the Vietnam War.
The major commemoration is the public National Service, at the Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial in Canberra, attended by the Governor-General, Prime Minister, other dignitaries and over 400 veterans.
On the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, we should all reflect on the sacrifice and experiences of the Australians who served their country in Vietnam.
We honour and commemorate every single Australian who served in Vietnam. As is inscribed on the Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial, today is a day, "for all those that served, suffered and died".
Dan Tehan
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
People power needed
More than 25,000 Queenslanders have put their names to an online petition calling for greater accountability in the state’s child safety system after the death of Mason Lee.The petition states that any child who is determined by a doctor as having sustained injuries intentionally inflicted or sexual in nature will not be sent home until a full investigation is completed. When abuse is suspected, the case will be treated as a priority emergency.
When the system isn’t working and frontline officers are stretched to the limit, Queenslanders are left to send a strong message to those in charge and stand up for our most vulnerable.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Child Safety Minister Shannon Fentiman have let our child safety system to run down.
Between June 2015 and March 2016 investigation backlogs blew out, with more than 71% of children whose cases should be investigated within five days not being seen.
Under Labor’s watch, the number of children whose cases aren’t being investigated in two months has now risen to almost 50%.
Today we have more than 9000 children in out-of- home care, many of whom have suffered extreme trauma, leaving our hardworking foster carers under increasing pressure. Two of the biggest reasons for these delays are the lack of frontline staff and the increasing complexity of the cases being investigated.
In 2013, the LNP inherited a broken system we set about repairing through the Carmody Inquiry. During our last 18 months in government things were improving. The system was far from perfect but we were getting results. Since then, it has been stretched to breaking point.
What’s even more troubling is the admission that the independent Families Commission charged with holding the system to account admits it hasn’t even seen performance data from the Department.
How many more vulnerable children must suffer before the Minister acts?
Ros Bates MP
Shadow Minister for Communities, Women and Youth
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
