Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

All who served in Afghanistan and did the right thing deserve recognition for their service. The reality is that these war crimes are horrific and cast a shadow over everyone who served, tainting their service experience. Whilst the removal of the meritorious unit citation recognises this reality, the impact must not be felt by the troops on the ground alone. It is so important that the chain of command, the military top brass, are held to account for their failure to take action. We cannot allow Defence leadership to apply one rule to their subordinates and another rule to themselves. Top levels of Defence must face similar disciplinary actions whilst this investigation takes place, and parliament—MPs—must be held responsible for their role in deploying our forces overseas.