00:01Around 6.20 last night, two paratroopers, including Warrant Officer Lachlan Muddle,
00:07took part in a parachute training activity here at Jervis Bay Airfield behind me.
00:13The two men jumped from a civil commercial aircraft leased by the ADF during low light.
00:19After successfully deploying their parachutes, it's believed the two men collided mid-air
00:24several hundred feet above the ground, then falling into a free fall.
00:28Warrant Officer Lachlan Muddle died after sustaining fatal injuries,
00:33while the other paratrooper sustained only minor injuries and didn't need to go to hospital.
00:38He provided first aid to Warrant Officer Muddle before ADF medics and NSW Ambulance arrived on scene.
00:46The ADF has now suspended all personnel parachute activities across the country
00:51as investigations into last night's incident get underway
00:55and are now working to support all of those involved, including Warrant Officer Muddle's family.
01:01In a tight-knit community like ours, his loss has been very deeply and immediately felt.
01:08Our priority at the moment is supporting Warrant Officer Muddle's family
01:12and also providing support to the ADF members involved in the incident last night.
01:1850-year-old Warrant Officer Lachlan Muddle is being remembered as a highly skilled and experienced member of the ADF,
01:25best known for his sense of humour and commitment to serving his country.
01:28He joined the ADF in 1994 and was deployed overseas five times, including to Afghanistan.
01:36Speaking in Federal Parliament earlier today, Defence Minister Richard Marles said that Warrant Officer Lachlan Muddle
01:42had hundreds of hours of experience in parachuting and free-falling.
01:47He said that he is the example of sacrifice to one's country.
01:51A moment of silence was held in his honour.
01:54He was a seriously experienced Special Forces soldier.
02:00He's remembered for his sense of humour and for his commitment to service.
02:06Warrant Officer Muddle's death comes just two years after Lance Corporal Jack Fitzgibbon died in a parachute training exercise
02:15at Sydney's Richmond RAF base in 2024.
02:18He was the son of former Labor Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon.
02:23The ADF was asked in a press conference earlier today about the status of investigations into Lance Corporal Fitzgibbon's death
02:30and were told that they are mostly ongoing and will be made public soon.
02:34A series of quick reports will be filed by the ADF Interlats Night Tragedy before training exercises can resume.
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