Andrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence. I refer to the front-page headline of Saturday's Daily Telegraph, 'Shock Backflip: Give Back Medals'. Can the minister confirm for the House that his review into command accountability covers all honours awarded to officers who commanded the tactical through to the national level, from the captains to the generals, during the period covered by the Brereton report?

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. It is unusual to receive a question from the shadow minister given the personal experience that he's had not just in service but in respect of this. I want to say up front that I very much acknowledge his service in Australia's Defence Force. But it's more than that—and he knows my feelings about this: the member opposite, in respect of this issue, is a very brave man. Australia owes him a debt of gratitude for what he has done on this.

What has happened in relation to the allegations that were made under the Brereton inquiry is obviously a matter of national shame. But what we can take encouragement from is that the Brereton inquiry, to the credit of the former government, is Australia dealing with its own issues. It goes to who we are as a people, and it is a fundamentally important report and one which needs to be treated with the upmost respect. I very much know that the honourable member knows that better than anyone in this place.

Our predisposition here is to fully implement, to the extent that we can, the Brereton report. There were 143 recommendations of the Brereton report. The former government dealt with 101 of them. I want to make clear that there is no intention to review any of the decisions that the former government made in relation to those 101 recommendations, particularly in respect to the ones the Leader of the Opposition made when he was the defence minister in respect to the Meritorious Unit Citation. None of that is under review.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The defence minister will pause, and I'll hear from the member for Canning.

Andrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance: I ask the minister to go to the substance of the question, which goes to command accountability and whether or not captains and generals during the period identified in the Brereton report will be subject to the same review?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I give the call to the Minister for Defence, who is being relevant to the question—with one minute to go.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Of the 42 recommendations that have not been implemented that we've, in a sense, inherited in terms of our managing this, our intention—in answer to the question—is to implement Brereton to the fullest possible extent, given what I have just said. One of those recommendations called on the review of the award of decoration to those in command positions at troop squadron and task group level during particular special operations task group rotations.

What we've seen in the last week or two is the Chief of the Defence Force writing to a small number of people to whom this recommendation concerns. We completely support the Chief of the Defence Force in the steps that he has taken. I can't disclose the number for privacy reasons, but what I will say is that, in terms of this recommendation and all others, it is our intention to try and implement Brereton to its fullest possible extent, which I know the member opposite would want this government to do.