Rita Panahi: Dutton rejects collective guilt in ADF medals ruling

By refusing to strip soldiers of medals, Peter Dutton shows he has the backbone to do what’s right, not just what’s politically expedient.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton’s intervention in reversing the decision to strip thousands of Special Forces soldiers of Meritorious Unit Citations shows he is the right man for the job.

In overruling Australian Defence Force chief Angus Campbell, Dutton shows that he has the judgement and the backbone to do what’s right, not just what’s politically expedient.

He will not engage in collective guilt and punish the many who have served with distinction for the actions of the few who have brought disgrace to the uniform.

Campbell’s panicked response to the Brereton report was unjust and decimated morale among serving members.

It also devastated the families of fallen soldiers with one grieving father, Felix Solomon Sher, telling Campbell: “If he wants it (the medal) back, he can come and collect it himself from my son’s gravestone.”

Sher’s son, Private Gregory Michael Sher, was killed by the Taliban in a rocket attack in 2009 in Oruzgan province.

Defence Force General Angus Campbell. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Defence Minister Peter Dutton. Picture: NCA NewsWire

It’s unconscionable to put the families of fallen commandos, who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, through further trauma. And, it’s an insult to former ADF members who have done nothing wrong.

“We honour these young men and women and they will be wearing their unit citation medal with pride,” Dutton said.

“Almost 40,000 honoured our country with their service in Afghanistan and Iraq and I couldn’t be more proud of their sacrifice. We honour them and their loved ones this Anzac Day.”

General Campbell’s decision to penalise thousands for the sins of a few was a kneejerk response to the shocking findings of the Brereton report which detailed credible information implicating up to 25 Australian soldiers in alleged unlawful killings in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016.

To be clear, these allegations are appalling and must be further investigated with those responsible prosecuted to the full extent of the law, but no good comes from collective guilt and punishing the innocent along with the guilty.

Due process and the presumption of innocence are paramount.

Some of those who would’ve been penalised are the brave whistleblowers who brought to light the actions of the small minority who the inquiry found “fused military excellence with ego, entitlement and exceptionalism”.

Stripping citations from more than 3,000 Special Forces soldiers would’ve been a mass miscarriage of justice and Dutton deserves praise for overruling the Defence chief.

He has also been a strong advocate for a royal commission into veteran suicides, which the Prime Minister announced Monday afternoon.

Dutton has made it clear that one of his top priorities as Defence Minister is to improve morale and reassure serving members that “the government has their back” as they face the challenge of intensifying national security threats.