ADDRESS TO PARLIAMENT - PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS - Geneva Conventions

Today, 12 August 2024, marks the 75th anniversary of the Geneva conventions of 1949. Following the tragedy, the atrocities of World War II, it was clear to the peace-loving international community that a global set of minimum standards had to be implemented to ensure such atrocities were never committed again. As the member for Bean has just correctly pointed out, we haven't seen a war on that scale since, but what we are seeing at the moment is beyond belief, and it is so sad that we live in troubled times.

I commend the member for Moreton for bringing this motion to the House, but I guess it doesn't really matter so much what we say in this chamber today. It is out there in the halls of power in certain countries that action has to be taken. What we are seeing in Ukraine is so despicable. Russia stands condemned for what it is doing. In the Middle East, of course, innocent people are dying every day because of the conflict there.

Today the conventions from Geneva have been ratified by 196 states, including all United Nations member states. It cannot be understated just how significant an accomplishment it is to have the world unite and to strive to protect the innocents of war. That's why this motion is important. But, more than that, the world must stand as one—at least, peace-loving communities and countries in the world must stand as one when they see the sorts of actions taken by Russia and taken on 7 October by Hamas. Too many people stand silent when those sorts of outrages happen. The standard we walk past is the standard we accept. That goes for local communities; it also goes for the halls of power in the various jurisdictions across the world.

Sick and wounded soldiers, prisoners of war, civilians, medical personnel, chaplains and humanitarians all receive the benefit of protection under the conventions, and that is right; it is proper. Unfortunately, it seems war is a reality of life, and it should not be so. It's something that has plagued civilisations for millennia. Even today, despite all of the progress in the fields of diplomacy and democracy and the ever-growing friendship and tolerance amongst nations, we see we have not shaken this scourge.

People could learn a lot from what took place at Cowra following the breakout of 5 August 1944. Japanese POWs—1,104 of them—broke out of an internment camp. Two hundred and thirty-four of them were killed during that breakout, as well as four Australians—five if you count the one who, sadly, died a little later on at Blayney—but what you saw from that Cowra community is a lesson for the world. I was pleased that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited for the commemorations on the weekend before last. It was interesting that, at the press conference, we stood together, Labor and coalition, as one. One of first of the questions from the journalists was: 'Don't you find it odd that people from across the political divide are standing together?' No, we didn't. I think the things that unite us as members of parliament are far greater than those that divide us, and Cowra reached its hand of friendship to Japan. It would've been easy at the time to spurn Japan, because there where some terrible atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers, the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces, against Australia soldiers at Sandakan, Hellfire Pass and other places, yet Cowra reached out its hand in friendship, and it is now an example to the world of what could and should be done in this instance.

So I commend the member for Moreton for bringing this forward. It is important that we talk about it, but it's more important that we act when we see things that are wrong. When nations of the world see incursions into other countries and the world sees that it is wrong, the world should say so. It should not stand silent, because to stand silent is to allow it to happen and to encourage others to do the same. What we're seeing being done by Russia and by Hamas-led Palestine at the moment is beyond belief, and it needs to end.