The real ‘brutal truth’ about our veterans

Mr Morrison, if you wonder why you are 50-50 at the polls, here is a reason: If a government cares nothing for our veterans, why should the voter care for the government, Alan Jones asks.

The Newspoll last week provided little comfort for ­either Anthony Albanese or Scott Morrison.

Obviously, there is endless debate about Albanese’s future and, decent man that he is, it’s impossible to believe that he can survive; but Albanese’s ­future is, paradoxically, Scott Morrison’s future.

Widow Gwen Cherne, whose former partner Pete Cafe served in Afghanistan and was awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation for his services, which has later revoked. Pete died by suicide three years ago. Picture: Richard Dobson

While Albanese stays, Morrison is safe, maybe. If Labor were to change leaders, Morrison is in trouble. The polls tell us that very truth.

The Prime Minister has had ­unlimited exposure for 12 months. The public are sick of press conferences and alarmism day in, day out.

But then you get the two-party preferred vote from the Newspoll, a dead heat, 50-50.

It is impossible to escape the conclusion that the polls reflect a significant disillusionment with the Morrison government and the release of the Brereton Report on November 19 last year has added to the sense of voter despair.

You will remember the Prime Minister, ahead of the release, argued the report contained “brutal truths”.

The Australian Prime Minister apologised to the President of ­Afghanistan.

The Chief of the Defence Force, General Angus Campbell, told us that families in Afghanistan would be compensated.

Chief of the Australian Defence Force General Angus Campbell delivers the findings from the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry on November 19, 2020. Picture: Mick Tsikas – Pool/Getty Images

Campbell described the report as containing “shameful findings”; Lieutenant General Richard Burr, the Army Chief, said he was “sickened”.

But it’s interesting to note that the top brass at the time (because the ­report was for the period in Afghanistan from 2007-13), which included the current Governor-General David Hurley, the current Defence Force Chief, Angus Houston, Lieutenant General David Morrison, who was made Australian of the Year in 2016; and the now Chief of the Defence Force, Campbell who was the Commander of the Middle East Operations — the Brereton Report exonerated them.

But before you could say Afghanistan, the same Angus Campbell said he was writing to the Governor-general to ask that the Meritorious Unit Citation to more than 3000 Special Forces personnel be revoked.

Consider this: In 1991, Letters Patent were issued by Her Majesty, the Queen, and countersigned by Prime Minister Hawke, creating the Meritorious Unit Citation.

“Letters Patent” is a legal instrument, usually granting an office, a title or a status to a person or group.

November 19, 2020, was the date the Brereton Report was released.

What we haven’t been told by the Morrison government is that on July 13, 2020, five months before the ­release of the Brereton Report, the Letters Patent, were altered.

The Prime Minister signed off to alter them well in advance of the ­release of the Brereton Report on ­November 19 and told nobody.

They were redrafted on July 13 to provide for the very request that Campbell, in his immediate response to the Brereton Report, said he would be writing to the Governor-General, to revoke the Citation from everybody.

What Morrison signed off on July 13 changed the Letters Patent giving power to revoke the Meritorious Unit Citation from everyone, five months ahead of the release of the Brereton Report. Why were the public denied this truth?

It is far worse than this because part of the Special Forces’ role in ­Afghanistan was to have a partner force, special Afghan police on the ground.

Each mission had to have approval from the Afghan government for their activities.

During the conduct of all the operations, no reports were made from the Afghan partner forces of any atrocities, the murdering of civilians or farmers.

Yet long before the Brereton Report was released in November 2020, men who served in Afghanistan were being collared by the Defence heavyweights, as early as March last year, and directed to be interviewed, told they were mentioned in the report.

Then they were told, after the ­interview, or interrogation, that they weren’t allowed to speak to anyone about what had transpired.

These men who served were shell-shocked and traumatised after their interrogation.

Scott Morrison announcing the set up of a special prosecutor to deal with any Australian servicemen accused of war crimes in Afghanistan, a week before the release of the Brereton Inquiry. Picture: Sam Mooy/Getty Images

The wives and children were left to fend for themselves, the wife being the only emotional support.

One wife has said she is no longer a lover, but a health care provider, crying as she said she was no longer a parent. She was merely trying to shield her children.

Her husband was stood down, pay taken away, his car returned, supervised 24/7 and treated like a criminal. But, no charges laid; no proof.

Alienated from everything he knew.

His friends know nothing of this and they could not be told anything.

The current mental illness among vets has come predomin­antly from the way they have been treated by government and its service arms, ahead of the release of this ­report.

But it gets worse.

One wife was contacted by the media in August. The report was ­released in November.

The ABC had her phone number. They named her. They named the husband. They had all her details.

Columnist Alan Jones.

One wife was told “We have all the details, we can easily identify you”, and they were trying to intimidate her into speaking.

She was disgusted that an Australian citizen could be treated like this.

She reported all this to the ­Defence Media. Nothing happened.

And then, a notice came in October, prior to the Brereton Report being released, that this woman’s ­husband was a “potentially accused person”, a PAP, which infers he’s guilty of an incident which could be passed on to the Federal Police.

He was given two weeks to ­respond.

He had to finalise his PAP before the Brereton Report was released.

Then, at the start of November, this veteran received a termination notice when it was argued they had “credible info” and talked about him murdering people.

Other veterans, not called before the Brereton Inquiry, also received termination notices and virtually kicked out of the Defence Force; and with the termination notice, they were given two weeks to respond.

They did. They have heard ­nothing. But, no due process. No guilt established. No tested proof.

Mr Morrison, if you wonder why you are 50-50 at the polls, and ­wonder why things may get worse, here is a reason.

The way these men have been treated, sent to war by our government, is a source of monumental shame.

If a government cares nothing for our veterans, why should the voter care for the government?