Mr ROBERT (Fadden) (14:11): I join the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and Minister for Defence to honour a fallen commando, Corporal Cameron Baird MG, who was tragically killed in action whilst serving with the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan. Corporal Baird MG is the 20th member of the SOTG to fall in combat in Afghanistan. Our elite soldiers have paid a disproportionate price. But note this: of these 20 exceptional souls, 10 have been special force patrol commandos, including Corporal Baird MG. It is both extraordinary and understandable that half of our special forces fallen have been battlefield commanders. For that is the Australian way: our warriors have always led from the front. When Corporal Baird won his Medal for Gallantry, in 2007, it was for displaying complete disregard for his own safety, when he led his team forward under heavy fire to recover a mortally wounded team member. Like all our fallen SF commanders, Corporal Baird was disciplined but young. His was not a vocation but a calling. He was physically and mentally tough, yet vulnerable, as they who lead from the front always are. Such a leader is never a number; he is more than a rank. He, like them all, lived life free of the fear of death, because death was their daily companion. He faced it unflinchingly to the end. Like Spartans before him, he and his ilk rarely worried about the number of the enemy; they simply worried about where they were. Such valour can never be taken; these men own it, such as the special forces commanders, who always lead from the front, and such as Corporal Baird MG. Lest we forget. The SPEAKER: As a mark of respect, I invite honourable members to signify their approval by rising in their places. Honourable members having stood in their places— Debate adjourned.