Mark Bishop (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Industry, Procurement and Personnel) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. For the advice of the minister, the report was recommended; the government accepted the recommendations on the advice of the Chief of the Defence Force. So it is not a matter of further work; it is a matter of answering that question—and you should be aware of it, Minister. In that context, my supplementary question is this: isn’t it the case that the bungled investigation of Private Kovco’s tragic death occurred because of the military’s lack of forensic skills and experience? Isn’t this the same problem that was clearly identified three years ago by both the Senate committee and Ernst and Young reports? Hasn’t the audit report also concluded ‘that it would be futile to maintain the ADF investigative capability as it presently exists’? When will the government take responsibility for fixing this mess so that military personnel and their families can receive the justice they deserve?