Mr GUNNER - 2009-02-19
You have called for the inclusion of the Bombing of Darwin and the defence of Australia to be an integral part of the Australian school history curriculum. Can you outline any moves you have made towards realising this ambition?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Fannie Bay for his question. Today is a significant and very important day. It is a day when, in Darwin, we commemorate the Bombing of Darwin, the 290 people who lost their lives, and the awful tragedy that befell this city 67 years ago today. It was very uplifting at the commemoration, not only at the memorial of the USS Peary, but also at the Cenotaph, to meet with so many of the surviving Diggers who fought here during that period. Many of them are still very sprightly and clear-eyed, with very clear memories of what happened all those years ago and the horrific months that followed.
I have also been heartened by the number of schoolchildren who attended the event today, and also at Anzac Days. I took the opportunity to walk to the end tent and it was packed with schoolchildren from non-government and government schools. I had an opportunity to talk to some of those kids. They had all been doing units of work on the Bombing of Darwin and were looking forward to today’s commemoration. It really lifts your spirits to know that our young people want to understand and remember what happened in the past.
It is a story that is not known throughout most of Australia. This book that was launched earlier this week by Peter Grose - I met Peter at the same function last year when he was writing the book, and we met him again today. I urge all Territorians to get a copy of this book. It is a very easy read. It tells very clearly, not in historical narrative, but in storytelling narrative, what happened in Darwin. Today, I have announced that I will ensure there is a copy of this book in every middle school and high school library in the Northern Territory. I will be writing to all of my ministerial colleagues enclosing a copy of the book, calling on them to ensure it is in every school library. I will continue my push, as the national curriculum is developed for history, to ensure that the Bombing of Darwin is part of our national history curriculum.
I also announced today an annual history scholarship prize for Year 12 students in the Northern Territory to undertake a research project, and to present a project and a paper based on the history, not only the military history of the Bombing of Darwin, but it could be on the social history, oral history and political history of the time. This scholarship will be geared towards achieving excellence in historical research by Territory students in our secondary schools. This time next year, I will award the first prize to a Territory student. It will be a scholarship prize to the value of $1000 and, year on year, I will see that those research projects are lodged with the State Reference Library so we can build a collection over time – and I hope this initiative lasts for many years - to ensure that we keep building on the body of knowledge, understanding and history of what happened here 67 years ago.
To the 150 veterans who have come to Darwin to share the commemoration of the Bombing of Darwin with us today, my thanks. Those wonderful men and women stood and defended this country at a time that people in this House could not even begin to imagine. My thanks on behalf of all us to those wonderful people who have come to Darwin today.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Fannie Bay for his question. Today is a significant and very important day. It is a day when, in Darwin, we commemorate the Bombing of Darwin, the 290 people who lost their lives, and the awful tragedy that befell this city 67 years ago today. It was very uplifting at the commemoration, not only at the memorial of the USS Peary, but also at the Cenotaph, to meet with so many of the surviving Diggers who fought here during that period. Many of them are still very sprightly and clear-eyed, with very clear memories of what happened all those years ago and the horrific months that followed.
I have also been heartened by the number of schoolchildren who attended the event today, and also at Anzac Days. I took the opportunity to walk to the end tent and it was packed with schoolchildren from non-government and government schools. I had an opportunity to talk to some of those kids. They had all been doing units of work on the Bombing of Darwin and were looking forward to today’s commemoration. It really lifts your spirits to know that our young people want to understand and remember what happened in the past.
It is a story that is not known throughout most of Australia. This book that was launched earlier this week by Peter Grose - I met Peter at the same function last year when he was writing the book, and we met him again today. I urge all Territorians to get a copy of this book. It is a very easy read. It tells very clearly, not in historical narrative, but in storytelling narrative, what happened in Darwin. Today, I have announced that I will ensure there is a copy of this book in every middle school and high school library in the Northern Territory. I will be writing to all of my ministerial colleagues enclosing a copy of the book, calling on them to ensure it is in every school library. I will continue my push, as the national curriculum is developed for history, to ensure that the Bombing of Darwin is part of our national history curriculum.
I also announced today an annual history scholarship prize for Year 12 students in the Northern Territory to undertake a research project, and to present a project and a paper based on the history, not only the military history of the Bombing of Darwin, but it could be on the social history, oral history and political history of the time. This scholarship will be geared towards achieving excellence in historical research by Territory students in our secondary schools. This time next year, I will award the first prize to a Territory student. It will be a scholarship prize to the value of $1000 and, year on year, I will see that those research projects are lodged with the State Reference Library so we can build a collection over time – and I hope this initiative lasts for many years - to ensure that we keep building on the body of knowledge, understanding and history of what happened here 67 years ago.
To the 150 veterans who have come to Darwin to share the commemoration of the Bombing of Darwin with us today, my thanks. Those wonderful men and women stood and defended this country at a time that people in this House could not even begin to imagine. My thanks on behalf of all us to those wonderful people who have come to Darwin today.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016