Queensland Schools' Anzac Commemoration Service 2025

Premier of Queensland and Minister for Veterans, the Honourable David Crisafulli MP; Leader of the Opposition, the Honourable Steven Miles MP; Representing the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Councillor Steven Toomey;  distinguished guests, school staff and students.

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to all First Nations people.

I am proud to see so many young Queenslanders joining me this morning, to reflect on the significance of Anzac Day, and to honour those Australians who have served and continue to serve our country, to protect our way of life.

In two days’ time, as dawn breaks over the Shrine of Remembrance, the city will appear peaceful and quiet.

It will be a very different dawn to that of one-hundred-and-ten years ago, when the first Australian and New Zealand forces landed on the beach at Gallipoli, in Türkiye in our country’s first major international military campaign.

There, in a place that was remote and unknown to ordinary Australians, the soldiers were met with resistance so fierce, and conditions so difficult, that by the time the sun had set on that first day, many thousands had been wounded or lost their lives.

Yet, although Gallipoli was a strategic failure, the endurance, bravery and resourcefulness of those first Anzacs became an ideal that was repeated in the attitudes and actions of those fighting in battles elsewhere, and those who were tending to the sick and injured.

When the Armistice came into effect at 11am on the 11^th of November 1918, over 60,000 Australians had perished, and many thousands more had been maimed, gassed or held captive—some returning home with wounds that were buried destructively in their minds, and would never completely heal.

This was a time of unbearable sadness, but what the First World War highlighted, was how we, as a nation, were bonded by a powerful sense of fellowship, and how together, we could overcome any challenges, with tremendous selflessness and generosity.

Gallipoli began an unbreakable chain of connection that stretches from that first horrific war, into the second, and through each subsequent conflict in which our country has been involved.

It is a chain which takes it strength from the efforts and conduct of each individual—whether they have been involved overseas in conflicts, or peacekeeping missions, or in service at home, when natural disasters strike.

Our past informs our future.

And just as Australia has developed as a nation, our tradition has grown with us.

Anzac Day has shifted from a day of mourning, to one of deep reflection. Its place in our hearts and minds continues to evolve.

From the 1980s, significant numbers of people have travelled to Gallipoli itself, to attend the Dawn Service there; while in France, at Villers-Bretonneux, Australia’s Sir John Monash Centre opened in 2018, as a museum to honour those who had fought on the Western Front.

I was fortunate to visit this facility last year, and it is an incredibly informative and moving tribute. 

Continuing to gather and share diverse perspectives, enables the Anzac tradition to more fully celebrate the efforts of all those who have enlisted over time, and who have each helped to enhance and improve our defence forces.

We value the accounts of our nurses, who add an important dimension to our knowledge of war—it is their dedication and example that has helped pave the way for women to be able to enlist, and to pursue a comprehensive range of military careers.

By discovering and exploring the service of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people—who have taken part in every conflict since Federation—we expand and enrich our understanding of the Anzac tradition.

And we acknowledge the crucial involvement of those from different cultural backgrounds, whose commitment and sacrifice must not be forgotten in our national story.

Each year, we move further away from the dawn landing at Gallipoli.

Yet, this process of remembering encourages us to be both grateful and humble—to approach life with courage, and a deep sense of compassion for others.

We do not glorify war; instead, we appreciate how fortunate we are to live in peace.

It is up to all of us to carry this precious legacy into the future, so I thank you for being here.

Lest We Forget.