Joel Fitzgibbon, a former Labour MP, lost his son in a parachuting tragedy during a military exercise in the northwest of Sydney.
At approximately 6:30 p.m. yesterday, Lance Corporal Jack Fitzgibbon of the 2nd Commando Regiment was critically injured at a Royal Australian Air Force installation in Richmond.
Following the deployment of a Careflight helicopter, he was taken to Westmead Hospital via road ambulance.
Brigadier James Kidd, Acting Special Operations Commander Australia, confirmed the 33-year-old’s death at the hospital during a press briefing today.
“Jack had served his country on operations abroad and also closer to home, serving his country and local communities as part of natural disaster responses,” he stated.
“Defence is looking into how we can improve our procedures, thus we have opened an official investigation into this occurrence.
“But we acknowledge military training is inherently risky and we remain committed to constantly training at the highest standards to achieve the level of excellence we know our nation demands of us.”
Fitzgibbon is the son of Joel, a former Hunter member and minister for defence in the Rudd government from 1996 to 2022.
The Fitzgibbon family, represented by Kidd, released a statement today expressing their shock and grief over the death of their beloved Jack.
Joel Fitzgibbon stated in the statement, “Being a member of the special forces was Jack’s dream job, and we take some comfort from the fact that he died serving his nation in an ADF uniform.”
“Jack was a brave, skillful, and committed soldier. He was a skilled paratrooper.
“Our lives will never be the same without Jack, but we will always remain proud of him and his many achievements.”
In a statement, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his condolences.
The statement said, “Our thoughts are with our friend Joel Fitzgibbon and his family.”
“Today, a great friend of many in the Labour family bears the weight of grief.
“Jack and his devoted family, Joel, Dianne, and his sisters, who are now cherishing his priceless memory, are in our thoughts and prayers.
“We think also of all who served with Jack and are now coming to terms with the loss of their friend and mate.”
According to Defence Minister Richard Marles, friends and fellow ADF members “will be feeling the heaviness of this news today”.
“It is tragic that he died. “His life was taken far too soon,” he wrote in a statement that was uploaded to X, the defunct Twitter platform.
“Jack served with honour and with ability in the Special Forces, a job he loved doing.
“When a member of the Defence Force is killed in action, it affects their loved ones. Here, it’s Joel Fitzgibbon, Jack’s father, a personal friend of mine. Joel’s pals are all deeply affected by this tragedy.
In a joint statement, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, Shadow Assistant Defence Minister Phillip Thompson, and Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie paid tribute.
“On behalf of the Coalition, we express our heartfelt condolences to the entire Fitzgibbon family on the tragic passing of their beloved son,” they said.
“The Opposition honours Jack and expresses its sincere gratitude for his military service.
“In this moment of devastation and heartbreak for the Fitzgibbon family and Jack’s fellow soldiers and friends, we acknowledge a young man of commendable character who epitomised the very best of our country.”
Kidd stated that it was “too early to speculate on what may have occurred in detail” and that an inquiry was in progress.
All parachuting training has been suspended by the ADF until further notice.
