United Nations Peacekeepers' Ceremony

Delivered on Her Excellency’s behalf by Honorary Aide-de-Camp Flight Lieutenant Adam Lo OAM

On behalf of all Queenslanders, I am honoured to acknowledge the enduring contribution of Australia’s defence personnel, police and civilians to international peace since 1947.

For 78 consecutive years, Australians have served under the blue flag of the United Nations in more than 30 countries — from the first mission in what is now Indonesia, to long deployments on the Korean peninsula and in Cyprus. Closer to home, they have played leading roles in stabilisation efforts in Bougainville and the Solomon Islands. Today, Australian peacekeepers continue this work in conflict zones including South Sudan and the Sinai.

In an increasingly interconnected world, conflict no longer respects borders. Wars in other regions of the world may seem distant, yet their ripple effects — from economic disruption to displacement and forced migration — invariably reach our shores.

In this climate of uncertainty, the work of peacekeepers remains not only globally important, but personally relevant to us all.

We must also acknowledge that peace is more than the absence of war — it is a process of rebuilding, healing and preventing future conflict. And Australia’s peacekeepers — military, police and civilian — continue to play a quiet but powerful role in that process.

Those who serve often face danger, hardship and complex political realities. Of the 65,000 Australians who have served, many have returned bearing the visible and invisible scars of their duty. Some have not returned at all.

Today’s ceremony honours their service and sacrifice. I thank the Queensland Division of the United Nations Association of Australia for its efforts to ensure their legacy is remembered.

As we mark the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, let us honour them by reaffirming our shared responsibility to pursue a more peaceful and just world.