Lambie wants David Morrison dumped as Australian of Year

Jacqui Lambie will ask the Senate to remove David Morrison as Australian of the Year over his handling of “Jedi Council” sex ring.

Karel Dubsky, left, in Melbourne yesterday with David Morrison, centre, and Jacqui Lambie.

The former lieutenant colonel who was wrongly accused of being involved in the infamous “Jedi Council” sex ring has slammed David Morrison over his handling of the affair, as Tasmanian crossbencher Jacqui Lambie prepares to ask the Senate to remove the ex-army chief as the current Australian of the Year.

Senator Lambie will give notice of the motion today, which refers to the treatment by Mr Morrison, as army chief, of former lieutenant colonel Karel Dubsky. The senator will call on the government to replace Mr Morrison with “a person worthy­ of the title”.

Mr Dubsky told The Australian yesterday he wanted a public apology from Defence for the way he was treated over the Jedi Council affair, making clear he was never part of the ring, which shared material detailing sexual exploits and demeaning images of women. He was the highest-ranking office­r to be implicated in the scandal that rocked the defence establishment in 2013.

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“With respect to the motion for removal of Australia of the Year, I personally believe the Australian of the Year should have honour, courage, respect and understand team work,” Mr Dubsky said.

“I don’t believe that in my case, and in many others, he (Morrison) has demonstrated those values.

Mr Dubsky added: “I didn’t want any of this media coverage. I just wanted a correction of the public record that I was not ­involved in the Jedi Council — something that Morrison and (former defence force chief David) Hurley both gave me letters for.

“I’m hopeful that the Senate understands the gravity of the situation and the toll that it has taken on me and my family, and that they do pass this motion.”

The scandal led to Mr Dubsky being relieved of his position as the commanding officer of the joint logistics unit in north Queensland for “failing to remain aware of issue­s that affect him, his unit and army.” None of the other men were in Mr Dubsky’s unit.

While it was determined that Mr Dubsky was not one of the army officers involved in the Jedi Council ring, he was identified as a member of the group. He has said publicly that this was made possible because Mr Morrison, in his June 2013 press conference on the scandal, revealed there was a lieutenant colonel who was part of the group.

Investigations found that Mr Dubsky was copied in — but never opened — any of the offending emails and the then defence force chief, General Hurley, wrote to him in October 2013 making clear he was no longer considered part of the group’s activities. But the experience took a heavy personal toll on Mr Dubsky, who was admitted to a psychiatric ward. He then tried to commit suicide­ when he heard Mr Morrison was made Australian of the Year.

In the draft motion, Senator Lambie accuses Mr Morrison of ignoring the findings of a NSW police report by Strike Force Civet into the Jedi Council and of allowing Mr Dubsky and others to be “wrongly accused” of being members of a group of sex-offenders.

“General Morrison’s behaviour caused exceptional and undue harm to retired lieutenant colonel Dubsky, his family, and other innocent members of the ADF — and demonstrated behaviour that was the opposite required­ of the Australian of the Year,” the motion says.

The motion notes that Australians of the Year have traditionally needed to demonstrate “excellence in their field” and to have been an “inspir­ational role model for the Aust­ralian community.”

Mr Morrison last night ­declined to comment.