Seselja / No apologies for Anzac flyer

AS senator for the ACT, I have the privilege to attend many community events. However, of all the significant occasions on my calendar, Anzac Day is one of the most important.

This year’s commemoration was especially significant, marking the 100th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli – a day in which around 750 Australians perished and a young nation’s identity was forged.

This day 100 years ago – and this failed campaign – has so captured our imagination because, in the words of the Prime Minister at this year’s Gallipoli Dawn Service: “We believe that the Anzacs represented Australians at our best”. The scale of Australia’s sacrifice during World War I is almost beyond comprehension. Out of a population of just under five million: 417,000 enlisted; 332,000 served overseas; 152,000 were wounded and over 61,000 never came home. In a century of service, we have lost over 102,000 of our finest (mostly young) Australians.

It behoves all of us to try to fathom what these earlier generations of Australians went through and to appreciate what our Defence personnel have done – and continue to do – for our country.

For 120,000 to have attended this year’s Dawn Service and a further 31,000 the National Ceremony and Veterans’ March was an enormous credit to Canberra. More important, the size and spirit of the crowds demonstrates the profound significance of Anzac Day to the people of Canberra.

There was a time when Australians were far less enthusiastic about Anzac Day. In the years following the Vietnam War, Australians’ reverence for Anzac Day appeared to be waning.

On April 26, 1973, “The Canberra Times” noted in a small article that around 1500 attended the Dawn Service at the War Memorial. It also noted thinning crowds in other capital cities, where in many cases the number of marchers outnumbered the number of spectators.

“The Australian” newspaper of the same day further noted that: “Attendances have been decreasing for some years and march officials yesterday predicted that the big traditional city marches would soon end”.

Later that year, the governing ALP had on the agenda of its national conference, a proposal to replace Anzac Day. Fortunately, Prime Minister Whitlam forestalled this and Anzac Day survived.

In more recent years, Anzac Day has not only survived, but thrived as Australians of all backgrounds flock to show their respect and pride at community events.

The multiple-page news coverage found in this year’s “Canberra Times” and “CityNews” reflects the yearning of readers for information about our military history and the strong reverence with which this day is now held.

In the “CityNews” of April 23, columnist Michael Moore was critical of my distribution of materials providing information about our Anzac legacy and promoting our local services. I make no apology.

The materials were entirely non-partisan and above politics. The images, facts and information were compiled with care, with all necessary approvals obtained. What I distributed is consistent with what elected representatives across Australia, and here in Canberra – and from both major political parties – have been distributing for many years now, a fact not mentioned by Mr Moore.

I am proud that MPs from both the Liberal and Labor parties now get behind Anzac Day. I will continue to promote Anzac Day events and the honouring of our service men and women.

Zed Seselja is the Liberal senator for the ACT

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