Media Statement - 2nd September 2008
The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Alan Griffin, encouraged Australians to attend Battle for Australia Day services this Wednesday to commemorate the service and sacrifice of those who defended the nation during the Second World War.
Mr Griffin said he was pleased to deliver on an election promise to officially observe Battle for Australia Day.
“Battle for Australia Day pays tribute to the men and women who served in defence of Australia in 1942 and 1943 when we faced the gravest threat to our nation,” Mr Griffin said.
Proclaimed by the Governor-General in June 2008, Battle for Australia Day will be observed on the first Wednesday in September each year –– marking the first defeat of Japanese forces on land in the Battle of Milne Bay.
Mainland Australia had come under direct attack four days after the fall of Singapore in February 1942. Two air raids were launched against Darwin on 19 February.
In May 1942 the battle of the Coral Sea was fought. From July to September 1942, the Japanese advanced towards Port Moresby until they were held and then defeated at Milne Bay and on the Kokoda Track.
If these crucial battles had not been won, the progress of the war could have been very different. Meanwhile, Japanese submarines continued to operate along Australian eastern waters until June 1943 and air raids continued against northern Australia until November 1943.
“Debate continues about what were the intentions of the Japanese at that time. However, we must not let this debate overshadow the service of those who fought so bravely to defend our nation,” Mr Griffin said.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to our Second World War servicemen and women. On Battle for Australia Day, we reflect on the wartime events that helped shape our nation and remember those who lost their lives to protect our freedoms and way of life.”