Why Do We Commemorate Remembrance Day?

REMEMBRANCE DAY Today is Remembrance Day, which is a time to honour the service and sacrifice of all Australians who have died in war. I'm here at the National War Memorial here in Adelaide, where hundreds have gathered to pay tribute to the more than 100,000 Aussies who have died in wars and armed conflicts. The 11th of November marks the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice, which ended the First World War in 1918. 108 years later, thousands turned out to war memorials just like this for services around the country to honour those who served not just in that war, but in all conflicts since. FIRST NATIONS VETERANS Australia's First Nations people have fought in every war Australia has been involved in, but they haven't always been welcome recruits. In fact, in the First and Second World Wars they were often barred from enlisting. But still, thousands managed to find their way onto the front lines. Some served in the air force like Leonard Waters, a Gamilaroi man and a fighter pilot. Others fought on the ground like Reginald Saunders, a Gunditjmara man - the first Aboriginal Australian to be commissioned as an officer. There were also plenty of First Nations people helping on the home front, like poet and activist Oodgeroo Noonuccal. She helped with communications. First Nations people also played an important role in defending Australia when Darwin was attacked in the Second World War. A special unit of mostly Yolngu people used their tracking skills to help patrol Australia's northern coastlines. While in uniform, First Nations people were, in most cases, paid the same wage and treated with more respect and equality than they experienced in everyday life. But when they returned home, they weren't given the same pension or financial benefits. Over time, attitudes changed, and Australia did more to recognise the service of First Nations people. Today there are plenty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people proudly serving in our defence forces, and for them and all Australians, Remembrance Day is a time to commemorate those who haven't always been remembered. AI STANDARDS The government has announced its going to introduce mandatory safety and security standards for AI developers. Back in June, a rogue OpenAI agent hacked into Medicare and accessed some data it wasn't supposed to. Now, OpenAI only told the government about it in September. And while it's not facing any criminal penalties over that breach, the Australian government is looking to bring in criminal penalties for breaches by tech companies and wants mandatory reporting of incidents involving AI, to crack down on future breaches.  BIG FLY SWAT A new big thing has been unveiled in South Australia. You know big things, the big koala, the big banana, the big prawn. Well now, Kingoonya is the proud home of the big fly swat. Kingoonya is a small town here, in outback South Australia. I know what you're thinking. What an interesting item to make big. There must be quite a few flies hanging around to justify that.  _________________________________________ Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/behindthenews?sub_confirmation=1 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@behindthenewstv Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abcbtn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthenews/ For the past 55 years, Behind the News has been helping to break down current issues and events for young people all around the world. The program is a high-energy, fun way for people to learn about the stories we see in the news while providing background information that isn’t usually given by other news bulletins. #ABCbtn