Samantha Crompvoets hit with legal demand to prove book doesn’t pose ‘national security’ risk

A military sociologist who was targeted by vile online abuse is facing a fresh setback after Peter Dutton raised questions about her new book.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has hit the military sociologist whose landmark report sparked a major investigation into alleged war crimes by Australian soldiers with a legal demand to prove that her new book, Blood Lust, Trust and Blame, doesn’t pose a “national security” risk.

An organisational culture expert, Samantha Crompvoets was commissioned by the Defence Department in 2015 to provide a report on special forces culture, but soon realised there was a darker story behind some of the men’s trauma as they disclosed claims of illegal violence and alleged war crimes.

Her new book is billed as an investigation into how “fog of war” is woefully inadequate in explaining alleged conduct that was deliberate, targeted and repeated.

But the Morrison Government has now raised questions over whether it could breach national security or pose issues in terms of who holds the intellectual property rights to the work Dr Crompvoets was commissioned to conduct by the Defence Force.

News.com.au can reveal for the first time that the Australian Government Solicitor’s group has now written to Dr Crompvoets’ publisher, Monash University Publishing’s Louise Adler, with a legal letter raising concerns over the new book.

The AGS handles the most highly sensitive legal matters for the government, and the legal letter was sent just days after Mr Dutton expressed concerns about the new book.

In response to inquiries from news.com.au, Dr Crompvoets said the book was based entirely on material in the public domain and is absolutely not an expose or tell-all.

Despite this, if there is any specific information in the book that Defence identifies as a risk to national security, it will be removed.

100 per cent of any commercial benefit to the author will be donated to charity.

“I’ve spent more than a decade working with Defence to help improve culture. I’m proud of this contribution and how Defence has acted on it – important steps have been taken,’’ she said.

“These are difficult but important conversations that need to happen – both for the national interest and for the incredible service men and women who wear the uniform.

“Some of the personal attacks over recent days have been deeply distressing and patently false.

“The material the book draws upon is publicly available for anyone to see. Any proceeds I receive from the book will be donated to charity.”

Defence Minister Peter Dutton revealed last week he was “seeking legal advice” and didn’t plan to approve similar contracts in the future to examine army culture.

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Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian shared a photoshopped image of an Australian soldier appearing to be about to cut the throat of an Afghan child in a Twitter post condemning the alleged war crimes uncovered in Brereton Report. Picture: Twitter

“I’m concerned about the issue and I’ve sought some legal advice, so I’ll wait until I get that legal advice before I comment further, but I do have real concerns about the whole situation,’’ he told 2GB.

Since his appointment as Defence Minister, Peter Dutton has overturned a number of decisions over the war crimes investigation including the decision to strip soldiers of unit citation medals even if they were not involved in the alleged crimes.

“I’ve been very clear about the fact that we want to support, particularly, the officers within the SAS, within the commandos, within the Army and we’ve had an issue that we’ve had to deal with and our priority now is to make sure that the men and women of the Australian Defence Force units – whether they’re here or overseas – need to hear the message very clearly that we want to get them back to business, concentrate on keeping our country safe and secure, not to be distracted by things that have happened in the past, to learn the lessons, but I’ve got real issues in relation to this matter and I’m just exploring that at the moment,’’ Mr Dutton said.

Mr Dutton also revealed he didn’t want any more contracts for “cultural change” being handed out, which is the work conducted by Dr Crompvoets’ own company.

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Peter Dutton revealed last week he was seeking legal advice over the book. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

News.com.au revealed last week that Dr Crompvoets has engaged lawyers after she was branded a “b**ch”, “a bloody cow”, “a vile slug” and threatened with a bashing in a Facebook group for veterans.

On Facebook, a veterans group known as the Pineapple Express has now published her mobile phone number online, with members suggesting she needs to be bashed with “a chunk of 4 X 2 at full swing.”

“Is this the b**ch that claimed our soldiers took a bunch of indigs into a house in the morning and none came out alive,” one comment on the Pineapple Express Facebook page states.

“Some people really need the loving embrace of a chunk of 4 X 2 at full swing. Case in point,” another poster said.

“Drop her off in Tarin Kowt and let her walk out. She will soon get the message,” one post read.

“What a cow of a woman,” said another.

Dr Crompvoets said the online attacks that followed were distressing and she has now engaged lawyers.

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Dr Samantha Crompvoets has been hit by online abuse.

The Chief of the Defence Force, Angus Campbell, told Senate estimates last week that he did not believe Defence approval was required for the publication and that he had not read it.

“Subject to what is in it, Defence may have concerns, or not,” he said.

Chief of Army Rick Burr at Estimates described Dr Crompvoets’ work as “first class”.

“The work she’s done for the army has been first class and made us a much better army,’’ he said.

The book, Blood Lust, Trust and Blame, is due to be released on July 1.