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Today our nation will pause to mark Vietnam Veterans’ Day, the key commemoration in this 50th anniversary year of the end of Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War.

Thousands of Australians will gather at the Vietnam Forces Memorial in Canberra, and across the country, to honour the service and sacrifice of our Vietnam veterans.

On 18 August 1966, Australians and New Zealanders were outnumbered 10 to one in the battle of Long Tan.

It was the single greatest loss of life Australia suffered during the Vietnam War – 18 Australians were killed and 24 were wounded.

In the years that followed, Vietnam veterans gathered to commemorate those lost at Long Tan.

Now we gather on 18 August each year to mark Vietnam Veterans’ Day, paying tribute to all those who served in Australia’s longest conflict of the 20th century.

60,000 Australian personnel served in Vietnam over more than a decade, which sadly resulted in 523 lives lost, and some 3,000 wounded. For their service, and the sacrifices of their families, we say thank you.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese MP said:

“This year, as we mark the 50th anniversary since the role of Australian troops in the hostilities in Vietnam came to a close, we acknowledge the service and sacrifice made by our veterans.

“Their experiences during and after the war are a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by those who have served our country and the debt of gratitude we owe each and every one of our veterans.

“Many of our troops returned to face new battles at home and not every one of those battles was won – it is important as Australians we know the stories of service in Vietnam and what our veterans faced when returned home.

“We honour you, we thank you and we are so sorry it took us so long as a nation to do so.”

Minister for Veterans Affairs’ and Defence Personnel Matt Keogh MP said:

“When we speak of the Anzac spirit, we speak of having your mates’ backs, no matter how dire the circumstances.

“But when our veterans returned home from Vietnam many felt unsupported, unrecognised.

“In marking 50 years since the end of Australia’s involvement in Vietnam, we honour and thank all those who served, and the sacrifices of their families.

“You have made your nation proud.”

The Greens welcome the belated release of the First Action Plan and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.

We have long supported calls for a clear set of actions and targets, but funding remains a key issue, and more women will die without adequate funding for frontline services and prevention work.

Greens leader in the Senate and spokesperson on Women, Larissa Waters said:

“For the National plan to end violence against women and children to succeed it needs to be properly funded, and it needs targeted, meaningful goals. We welcome the detail provided in the release of the First Action Plan and the Outcomes Framework but we’re still a long way from being able to celebrate actual outcomes.

“Already this year 35 women have been killed, according to volunteer organisation Counting Dead Women Australia researchers of Destroy the Joint. The Greens have been pushing for years for the government to keep a national FDV death toll, to aid in awareness raising and prevention, but still this work is done by volunteers.

“The women’s safety sector has said for a decade that they need $1bil each year to be able to help everyone who reaches out for help, rather than having to turn people away back to violence. The Government has allocated less than half of that amount with their Action Plan – just $2.23 billion over five years, less than half the $5 billion the sector needs to ensure no one is turned away.

“Women on low wages or income support are especially vulnerable without the resources to escape violent situations. Yet this government persists with the cruelty of keeping income support payments like JobSeeker below the poverty line, and has the audacity to cry poor while dishing out hundreds of billions in tax cuts and investment property perks for the rich. 

“The housing crisis is felt even more acutely by women and children experiencing family and domestic violence. Women are forced to choose between abuse or homelessness, because there is nowhere to go. 

“Violence against women and children has not reduced since the first National Plan to end it 12 years ago. Labor must provide the funds required for the National Plan to succeed, or they risk squandering another decade, and more women’s lives.

“While the Labor Government continues to underfund frontline family and domestic violence services, victim-survivors are turned away from crisis accommodation and one woman is murdered every 10 days in this country.”

Greens spokesperson on First Nations Justice, Senator Dorinda Cox said:

“While I welcome the First Action Plan, the Government must be more ambitious and courageous in its efforts to tackle the issue of violence against First Nations women.

“Better funding of services is crucial and we have been calling for an investment of $10 billion dollars over 10 years to ensure frontline services are equipped and resourced to deal with the increase in family violence.

“What is required is a strategic and trauma informed approach and investment, that is tailored to the communities where people live, because a one size fits all, cookie cutter approach won’t work.

“We must think outside a police, justice and corrections response, and instead look at primary prevention, cultural change and bringing women and communities on board the development of our response and actions and we need to have indigenous women at the table during the planning of these services.

“As part of the work that I have been doing with the federal inquiry into Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Children, we have heard harrowing stories from families and we need their grief and loss to translate into real change.

“It is simply unacceptable that our women are subjected to violence, are injured and killed leaving children without mothers. 

“It was devastating and heartbreaking to hear at a candlelight vigil, the raw grief and pain of the family of Tiffany Woodley. No family should endure that pain.”

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Deputy Greens Leader and Education spokesperson, has slammed Sydney University for accepting funding from the gambling industry to establish a new research centre and called on them to hand the money back.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi said:

“Sydney University accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from some of the world’s biggest gambling companies and casinos to bankroll a new gambling research centre- this stinks to high heavens!

“This is a shocking example of a morally bankrupt, ruthless industry getting its dirty tentacles into university and research institutions.

“These sorts of partnerships are just one toxic feature of the broken corporate university model.

“Sydney University needs to hand back the money and rule out any future partnerships with the gambling industry, which only serve to launder the industry’s reputation at the expense of research integrity.

“Ultimately, the corporate university model needs to go and the government must provide a big boost to public funding – including to research funding – to set unis up for the long term. Universities are a public good and should be treated as such.”

While the Prime Minister basks in the glory of the Labor conference, work force data released today shows Australian workers and businesses are doing it tougher than ever.

Against market expectations, the unemployment rate rose to 3.7% and the number of full-time jobs dropped by 24,200 in the month of July. Concerningly the participation rate also decreased.

Part-time employment rose by 9,600 jobs, which was not surprising considering the number of full-time jobs that were lost.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said: “Under Labor we’re seeing our economy shuddering to a halt with Australians now losing jobs, productivity falling off a cliff, flatlining GDP growth and a year of real wage declines.”

“Labor’s cost of living crisis is at risk of morphing into a full-blown economic crisis,” Mr Taylor said.

“Instead of treating inflation and cost of living pressures as it’s first, second and third priority, Labor is distracted and refusing to deal with the core issues impacting Australians’ daily lives.”

Shadow Minister for Employment Senator Michaelia Cash said: “Today’s increase in unemployment is concerning, especially on the back of confirmation earlier in the week that real wages are continuing to go backwards under Labor.

“Mr Albanese has taken the strong labour market left by the previous Coalition Government for granted and is not interested in strengthening our economy,’’ Senator Cash said.

“Mr Albanese has no plan whatsoever to boost productivity, reduce cost of living pressures or create more job opportunities for Australians,’’ she said.

“Labor is instead focused on rewarding its union mates for their political and financial support,’’ Senator Cash said.

“Today’s figures show Labor needs to abandon its next wave of job destroying industrial relations changes, which will attack casual workers and those who choose to work as contractors or in the gig economy,’’ Senator Cash said.