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Darren Chester welcomes Corporal Bethany Magner to the Parliament House for Defence Force Program

Darren Chester welcomed Corporal Bethany Magner to Parliament House as part of the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program. She joined 45 personnel from across Australia for a week of parliamentary engagement.

By news@gippsland - 25th November 2024 - Back to News

Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester welcomed Corporal Bethany Magner to Parliament House this week as part of the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program. Corporal Magner from East Sale RAAF Base was selected alongside 45 other Army, Navy and RAAF personnel from across Australia to spend a Parliamentary week inside the offices of MPs and Senators. In return, the Members of Parliament are also given the opportunity to spend a week at defence force bases and during training exercises throughout the year.

Corporal Bethany Magner with Darren Chester, recently stationed at East Sale RAAF Base, joined the ADF contingent to explore politics during a week at Parliament

ADF meets Parliament

One of the great honors of my role as a local MP and former Minister has been meeting Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel in their workplaces. This week, we welcomed approximately 45 ADF personnel to Parliament House in Canberra as part of the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program.

Among the contingent was Corporal Bethany Magner, who moved to the East Sale RAAF Base earlier this year. Along with her colleagues, Corporal Magner was allocated an office for the week and relished the opportunity to gain insights into political life.

MPs join ADF

From my perspective, the chance for MPs and Senators to spend time with our ADF personnel during deployments, training, and other exercises offers invaluable insights. Over the years, I have had the privilege of spending time with our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as observing peacekeeping missions, humanitarian aid efforts, and border protection operations.

These experiences have deepened my understanding of the challenges our service members face, equipping me to make more informed decisions on national security, defence, and veteran support. All of the ADF personnel who participated in Parliament House this week, including Corporal Magner, expressed their appreciation for the experience, noting how much they learned about our political system.

Pictures from Darren Chester MP website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com