Turnbull honours diggers in Anzac message

The prime minister has released an Anzac Day message paying tribute to Australian servicemen and women at home and abroad.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull

Malcolm Turnbull has paid tribute to the sacrifices of Australian soldiers in his Anzac Day message. (AAP)

Malcolm Turnbull has paid tribute to the sacrifices of Australian soldiers past and present in his Anzac Day message.

The prime minister said Anzac Day was not an occasion to glorify war but to remember and honour the high cost of the country's freedom and liberty - a price paid in young lives lost far from home.

The day also commemorate the triumph of the human spirit and the patriotism, sacrifice, endurance, courage and mateship of Australian servicemen and women.

"We pay tribute to those who've faced the horrors of war and we reflect on the heavy burden of war still felt by many Australians," he said in a video posted to Facebook on Monday evening.

More than 100,000 Australian men and women have died in service of the nation and many more have been left wounded in body or spirit, Mr Turnbull said.

"Their sacrifice has protected our liberty and our values, and their legacy continues in the work of those who serve today," he said.

Mr Turnbull said the best way to honour the Anzacs of a century ago was to support the servicemen and women of today as well as veterans and their families.

"On behalf of all Australians, thank you to all those at home and abroad today as your ancestors did before you, in our uniform, under our flag, put their lives on the line to keep us free," he said.

"In quiet and solemn reflection, with thanks we say, lest we forget."


Share
Published 24 April 2017 9:00pm
Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world