I begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people. I pay my respects to elders past and present – and I extend those respects to First Nations people here today.
I acknowledge all the dignitaries, my parliamentary colleagues, members of the Diplomatic Corp, leaders in the public service and in the ADF and AFP.
Above all, I want to extend my acknowledgement and my recognition to the survivors and the families of those we lost.
We stand with you. We honour your resilience, your courage and your enduring love for those who are no longer with us.
Those we lost in one of the worst natural disasters in history. That claimed the lives of close to a quarter of a million lives – and displaced a staggering 1.7 million people across 14 countries.
We lost 26 Australians.
Paul Giardina – just 16 years old when the tsunami struck.
The immense force of the swell separating him from his parents at Patong Beach in Thailand.
His father Joseph here today ensured the creation of this Tsunami Memorial.
Katherine Glinsky was walking with her three-year-old niece Sacha Srikaow on the beach in Thailand.
Moi Vogel was on her honeymoon. One day earlier she had called home to tell her family she was pregnant.
31-year-old Avadya Berman and his partner Nicola Liebowitz, who were on holiday and looking forward to settling in Sydney.
Kim Walsh – separated from her husband at a resort near Phuket.
Every life lost, a story unfinished. Hopes unfulfilled. A hole in the hearts of those left behind. Each of them deeply loved, each of them profoundly missed.
Their names, along with 16 others, inscribed here side by side.
To those of you here today to remember them, please accept my sympathy and my condolences, 20 years on.
Their stories, and the shocking, widespread devastation triggered an immediate response from the Australian Government – and the Australian people.
There are so many of us with heritage across the region, family across the region, friends across the region.
Australia became one of the biggest donors of aid.
Prime Minister Howard made the right call, providing $1 billion in assistance to Indonesia.
Many Australian agencies pitched in on relief and recovery efforts.
Australian Federal Police officers, the Australian Defence Force, officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade – and so many others.
Tragically, nine members of the ADF lost their lives responding in the aftermath.
Today, we remember them too – their sacrifice a testament to the best of who we are.
But it was not just Australia who responded.
Nations of our region – Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India – came together in the spirit of our shared humanity.
And we resolved to avert a repeat of this awful tragedy-including by working together to establish a regional tsunami warning and mitigation system.
Together, we saved lives. Together, we rebuilt communities.
And together, we showed that our bonds are stronger than any force that seeks to undo them.
Together, we confronted the worst of nature with the best of humanity.
Whether in response to natural disasters, or the challenges of our shared future, we must continue to work together – as neighbours, and as friends.
On Boxing Day, on the 26th of December, we will again remember those we lost, those we still grieve and miss.
We honour the survivors. And pay tribute to the first responders and aid workers who gave so much.
Let us also reaffirm the spirit of unity and compassion that defined our response.
Thank you for joining us in this act of remembrance.
May we never forget those we lost, and may we carry forward their memory in all that we do.
