1
00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,680
Speaker 1: We know that tomorrow marks the tenth anniversary of the

2
00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:09,000
Speaker 1: downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH seventeen. The commercial passenger

3
00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:13,119
Speaker 1: plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine in July twenty fourteen,

4
00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:17,360
Speaker 1: killing all two hundred and ninety eight passengers and crew

5
00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:20,640
Speaker 1: on board. Among the victims were thirty eight people who

6
00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:24,560
Speaker 1: called Australia home and that well, what followed was an

7
00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:29,639
Speaker 1: immediate response from numerous Australian agencies, including the Australian Defense

8
00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:32,680
Speaker 1: and sorry, the Australian Federal Police, i should say, and

9
00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:35,840
Speaker 1: their remarkable stories have been captured in a new podcast

10
00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:38,360
Speaker 1: that's going to be released this week. It's called Search

11
00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:44,320
Speaker 1: among the Sunflowers and AFP Family investigative liaison officers played

12
00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:48,360
Speaker 1: a critical role assisting those families of the MH seventeen victims.

13
00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:52,760
Speaker 1: An Acting Commander Yvonne Crozier was the team leader of

14
00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:55,280
Speaker 1: the fellows at the time, and I'm very pleased to

15
00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:57,960
Speaker 1: say that she joins me on the line right now.

16
00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:00,360
Speaker 1: Good morning to Yvonne.

17
00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:01,360
Speaker 2: And good morning Katie.

18
00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:04,319
Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your time. Now tell me what

19
00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:08,520
Speaker 1: is the role of a family investigative liaison officer and

20
00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,640
Speaker 1: how did they operate in tragic circumstances like the MH

21
00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:13,160
Speaker 1: seventeen situation.

22
00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,559
Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, we have about one hundred and sixty part

23
00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:21,840
Speaker 2: time experienced investigators across the country who are trained in

24
00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:24,880
Speaker 2: assisting families who are in shock and loss in Greece

25
00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:29,840
Speaker 2: through some of these criminal justice and coernial processes, and

26
00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:33,200
Speaker 2: in this case, it was to identify their love ones

27
00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:34,199
Speaker 2: to bring them home.

28
00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:36,960
Speaker 1: And so I mean, tell me a little bit more

29
00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:41,479
Speaker 1: about you know, the first things that you and that

30
00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:45,039
Speaker 1: team needed to do as that news about the MH seventeen,

31
00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:49,080
Speaker 1: you know that flight coming down. You know what the

32
00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:50,200
Speaker 1: first steps were.

33
00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:56,200
Speaker 2: For the AFP. It was obviously to determine how we

34
00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,960
Speaker 2: would respond over a European country in a conflict side,

35
00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:02,480
Speaker 2: but from the filos, it was to ensure that we

36
00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:06,120
Speaker 2: could arrange for face to face contact with families impacted,

37
00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,440
Speaker 2: to give them a primary point of contact contact moving

38
00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:14,160
Speaker 2: forward around how we could identify and bring their loved

39
00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:15,040
Speaker 2: ones home to them.

40
00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:19,040
Speaker 1: What type of person does one of those filos need

41
00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:22,000
Speaker 1: to be. It's like it's an incredibly important job by

42
00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:22,720
Speaker 1: the sounds of it.

43
00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:30,560
Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, those that are trained experienced in understanding investigative processes.

44
00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:35,440
Speaker 2: They've got high levels of empathy and emotional intelligent intelligence

45
00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:39,120
Speaker 2: and they're able to sit with families in a quiet

46
00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:42,080
Speaker 2: space when they are in shock and loss and grief

47
00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:46,360
Speaker 2: very reflectively to support them.

48
00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:51,639
Speaker 1: Now, I know that the MH seventeen investigation, it lasted

49
00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:54,200
Speaker 1: eight and a half years, and it's fair to say

50
00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:56,600
Speaker 1: that you would have formed some significant bonds with the

51
00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:02,200
Speaker 1: Australian families now that investigations. Is it sort of like

52
00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:05,000
Speaker 1: you must all have a very close relationship with them.

53
00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,520
Speaker 2: Yeah, and leading up to the tenth anniversary. Over the

54
00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:13,560
Speaker 2: ten years we've assisted the families through the prosecution and

55
00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:16,640
Speaker 2: the verdict processes and had face to face briefings with

56
00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:21,520
Speaker 2: all families every year as well as PILO contact. But

57
00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:25,080
Speaker 2: you do build a strong relationship getting to know who

58
00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:29,000
Speaker 2: their loved one was, but also those families over that

59
00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:30,040
Speaker 2: ten year period.

60
00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:34,440
Speaker 1: What is your most enduring memory from the MH seventeen experience.

61
00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:40,240
Speaker 2: Well, one of the most important memories I have is

62
00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:44,960
Speaker 2: the period of time where we were actually working with

63
00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:48,560
Speaker 2: other countries to bring their loved ones home from the

64
00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:52,480
Speaker 2: Ukraine and into the Netherlands and to those families knowing

65
00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:57,160
Speaker 2: that their loved ones were coming to the Netherlands meant

66
00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:00,560
Speaker 2: for them that they would becoming high to them at

67
00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:05,080
Speaker 2: some point, So that actual moment was very important for us,

68
00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:07,960
Speaker 2: and being able to message to families that that was

69
00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:11,080
Speaker 2: occurring was the privilege at that time.

70
00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:15,320
Speaker 1: Now I understand that an idea for a podcast has

71
00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:17,880
Speaker 1: obviously come about, and I reckon it'd be you know,

72
00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:21,520
Speaker 1: it will be a really interesting listen. It must be

73
00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:25,279
Speaker 1: hard though, reliving, especially for some of those families reliving

74
00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:27,120
Speaker 1: the experience.

75
00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:32,960
Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, families. You know, it's been ten years, but

76
00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,920
Speaker 2: for families it feels like a year and every day

77
00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,520
Speaker 2: is still a loss to them. So some families have

78
00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,480
Speaker 2: joined us in the podcast to talk about their loved

79
00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:49,960
Speaker 2: one and sharing that. But every day continues to be

80
00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:52,960
Speaker 2: a loss for all of them, and we're always conscious

81
00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:56,760
Speaker 2: of that loss and any impacts of any menia on

82
00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:58,600
Speaker 2: those families at any given time.

83
00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:01,400
Speaker 1: Now, if any body is keen to have a listen

84
00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:03,200
Speaker 1: to that podcast, where can they go to?

85
00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:08,360
Speaker 2: They can absolutely visit the AFP website, AFP dot gov,

86
00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:14,560
Speaker 2: dot AU, MH seventeen or any podcasting site. Well, AFP

87
00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:16,040
Speaker 2: welcome them to join us.

88
00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:19,280
Speaker 1: Yeah, look, I think it will be yeah, I think

89
00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:22,200
Speaker 1: it will be really interesting for Ozzies to listen to it.

90
00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:25,720
Speaker 1: I mean, especially when you consider the number of Australian

91
00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:30,440
Speaker 1: families that were impacted by this thirty eight people who

92
00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:31,720
Speaker 1: called Australia.

93
00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:37,040
Speaker 2: Home absolutely, and also the Darwin community that lost community

94
00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:41,480
Speaker 2: members on the flight as well. Not just Australians, but

95
00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:44,400
Speaker 2: that's you know, residents of Darwin and much loved by

96
00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:46,520
Speaker 2: the Darwin community, because.

97
00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,200
Speaker 1: There were a few Darwin residents on that flight, weren't they.

98
00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:52,640
Speaker 2: Yes, there were, Yes, they were. Yeah.

99
00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:55,279
Speaker 1: Well, yvon I really appreciate you having your chat with

100
00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:57,520
Speaker 1: us this morning. Thank you very much for your time

101
00:05:57,720 --> 00:05:59,400
Speaker 1: and all the best.

102
00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:04,120
Speaker 2: And thank you Katie for drawing attention to the commemoration.

103
00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:05,039
Speaker 2: It's very important.

104
00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:10,880
Speaker 1: I agree. Thank you. That is AFP Acting Commander Yvonne Crozier.

105
00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:15,360
Speaker 1: And yeah, ten years, I mean, it's hard to believe

106
00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:18,360
Speaker 1: it's been ten years. It's like it's one of those

107
00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:20,360
Speaker 1: moments that I think when we heard it, like when

108
00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:22,840
Speaker 1: Ossie sort of heard about it, you just you go,

109
00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:25,280
Speaker 1: it's hard to sort of fathom the fact that it's

110
00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:28,360
Speaker 1: actually real, that that's happening, and then the involvement then

111
00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:31,960
Speaker 1: by the AFP has been unbelievable in terms of that

112
00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:34,040
Speaker 1: investigation and the support provided