Ms GILLARD (Lalor—Prime Minister) (14:00): Madam Deputy Speaker, could I ask your indulgence for a few remarks about the Bomber Command Memorial, and I believe the Leader of the Opposition will want to make some remarks as well. So often, when we reflect on the history of the Second World War, we think of the remarkable men of Fighter Command who kept the Nazi forces at bay in the skies over England in that perilous summer of 1940, men rightly celebrated as 'the few'. But we should also remember their brother pilots of Bomber Command, who could be said to be 'the many' in the ranks of the Air Force fraternity. There were 125,000 in all from the UK and around the Commonwealth, including 10,000 Australians. Sadly, more than one in three would never come home: 3,486 Australians were lost in action—a startling number—and another 650 died in training accidents. They endured exceptional danger and faced one of the highest casualty rates of any formation in the Allied armed forces. It is little wonder that Bomber Command yielded up 19 Victoria Cross winners. These men were the bravest of the brave. For decades, controversy over the nature of the strategic bombing campaign has obscured commemoration of the courage of these bomber crews—that is, until today. In a few hours time, amid the beautiful lawns and trees of Green Park in London, the Queen will unveil the new Bomber Command Memorial. This recognition is long overdue—recognition for the courage and dedication of men who fought a relentless 2,000-day campaign, who endured bitter cold and noise across distant and hostile skies, who flew planes often riddled with bullets or with engines shot away, who faced the ever present risk of fire and horrific burns, all in the long shadow of death, knowing that each take-off might be their last. Now, 67 years after their final wartime missions, a wrong is corrected and honour is restored. A group of Australian Bomber Command crew will be at the ceremony later today. It will be a homecoming, a restitution and the final settling of a long-overdue debt. To them, to their mates here at home and those no longer with us, the nation says: 'Thank you for your service and sacrifice. You gave your best years and, all too often, you gave your lives. Your valour will never be forgotten.'