Mr BEAZLEY (2:52 PM) —I support the Prime Minister's motion. We record here today the loss of 14 young Australians at Interlaken, Switzerland on Tuesday, 27 July. Many thousands of young Australian lives have been lost in Europe in the past, but this was not a time or a place of war; this was a time of peace. It is the experience of many Australian families that their young folk enjoy themselves in exactly the same way as these 14 were enjoying themselves when they were tragically struck down. It is all the more tragic for the death of young Australians disproportionately among all others. There were 21 killed in this terrible accident, 14 of them Australians. It was rendered tragic too because of the keen sense of adventure that they had. We have all become familiar now with the short biographies of those young folk. They were joyful, fit, cheerful, looking forward to an opportunity to create families, enjoying the families that they had and looking forward to an opportunity to build substantial lives—and all that opportunity has been destroyed, struck down by this terrible accident.

I would like very briefly to read into the parliamentary record the names of the persons who suffered tragic death. They were Toby Drake, Bill Peel, James Cane, Bradley Dewar, Warwick Tout, Giuseppe Losinno, Kylie Morrow, John Flynn, Michael Fulton, Dean Leslie Andrewartha, Scott Redmond and his wife Alisa, Glyn Harries, who was a British national but from my home town of Perth, and Briana Smith. One in particular has been singled out for comment by the media, and that is John Flynn, who was a RAAF officer and who was very prominent in the recent rescue of yachtsmen during the disasters associated with the last Sydney to Hobart yacht race. He saved many but was taken himself.

Thousands of Australian families every year farewell their children to this part of Europe and elsewhere. They do so in confident anticipation that they will return and that as they go they will have a tremendous time. It is that anticipation which adds the poignancy to this appalling tragedy. The fact is that people who went there could not have expected even remotely, in their anticipation of their time in Europe, the events which ultimately struck them down.

I join with the Prime Minister in expressing our appreciation to the Swiss authorities: the Swiss investigative authorities, the Swiss counselling authorities and the Swiss rescuing authorities. They acted with extraordinary alacrity and very great diligence and made life a bit easier thereby for the Australian families who have suffered an awful tragedy. I also join the Prime Minister in expressing our thanks to the Governor-General and Lady Deane and also to Senator Herron for representing us at those very touching and moving services that we saw on our television sets last week in which the families of the youngsters farewelled their loved ones. This is a terribly sad occasion for members of this parliament and for our nation, and it is important that in this great forum of the nation we record our condolences to their families here.

Question resolved in the affirmative, honourable members standing in their places.