Nick Xenophon (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. My question is to Senator Evans, representing the Minister for Defence. The Department of Defence has announced eight reviews into allegations of abuse and misconduct in the ADF. Of these reviews, one relates to the personal conduct of ADF personnel and another to the process by which incidents and complaints were managed by the ADF. These are the only two reviews run by ADF officials out of the eight. Can the minister advise why these two reviews, unlike the other six, are not being undertaken by independent parties? Does the government acknowledge that some victims of alleged abuse may be reluctant to come forward because of this lack of independence?