Mr SERCOMBE(10.39 p.m.) —Many members of this House are aware of the continuing denial of justice to Royal Australian Navy veterans of the Malayan emergency. I understand, Mr Speaker, that you are one who, in your capacity as a member of this place, has lent a sympathetic ear to the case of the veterans.

Whilst the 1997 budget has provided some partial and very much belated recognition of `operational service' for those veterans, an `active service' role for the RAN has continued to be denied by the government. They are also unjustly denied the campaign medal—that is, the Naval General Service Medal, Clasp Malaya.

Many members of this House are aware of the arguments about this. The Royal Australian Navy was allotted as a component of the Strategic Reserve on 1 July 1955. In recent times, the argument from the boffins in the bureaucracy has tended to relate to denying that RAN personnel in that campaign were exposed to real danger. I would like to tell, perhaps over several adjournment debates, some real tales as told to me by those veterans to expose the nonsense of that proposition. I apologise for some of the graphic detail in the tale I will tell tonight. It was told to me by Keith Davidson, who was in the gunnery division on HMAS Anzac. His story is as follows:

On the 26th April, 1957 whilst serving onboard ANZAC in FESR during the Malayan Emergency and in the company of our sister ship HMAS TOBRUK the following incident occurred.

Anzac and Tobruk were part of a night operational gunfire encounter exercise with two Royal Navy destroyers and a cruiser . . . During this exercise both RAN ships were the target of illumination by star shell fire. My duties on that night were C.O. of "B" gun bay.

During the star shell firing an announcement was made that the exercise had been terminated and for all ships to undarken ship due to the Tobruk having been hit by gunfire (star shell) from a RN ship. The projectile passed through the forward mess deck and into Tobruk's "B" gun bay where the projectile ricocheted inside.

Killed was Able Seaman Robert Spooner 21 years of age and critically injuring Able Seaman J.R. Stevenson who was transferred to the British Military Hospital in Singapore. Able Seaman Spooner was buried at sea the next day the 27th April, 1957.

On the 7th May, 1957 both Anzac and Tobruk arrived in Hong Kong. I went ashore to the Fleet Canteen and met up with my mate Able Seaman Lance Spurway who was also a gunnery Quarters Armourer and was my opposite number on Tobruk's "B" gun bay.

Our conversation centred around the incident of the 26th April. Lance told me that Bob Spooner's leg was off at the hip and that he was in three pieces in the gun bay and that Stevenson's right leg was broken and really smashed about. Lance said that the ship's surgeon Lt. Clark did as much as he could under the circumstances.

Lance then went on to tell me that three days after the incident he was cleaning up the gun bay and working behind a servo pump when a string of Bob Spooners intestines stuck to his hand. After this occurrence he was moved from "B" gun bay to duty on the bofor anti aircraft guns at the rear of the ship.

During our conversation I could see that Lance was very upset at having to recall the incident so I changed the subject to our happier times and proceeded to drown our sorrows.

This incident was most distressing for Tobruk as well as the Anzac's ships company and demonstrates how vulnerable we were in the service of our country far from home. Bob Spooner was not as lucky as we were he did not return, his remains committed to the deep with a simple prayer

This is one example—and I intend to give plenty more—of real tales told by Australian veterans of the Royal Australian Navy in the service of this country. The boffins in the bureaucracy—unfortunately supported by their ministers—continue to deny that these people provided active service for this country. That is a disgrace and this House has an obligation to ensure that they are given justice.