Nelson blasts ‘low’ slur on hero soldier

Brendan Nelson has denounced allegations that Australia’s most decorated soldier was violent towards a woman.

Australias most decorated Afghanistan veteran Ben Roberts-Smith with his wife Emma, on the Sunshine Coast. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Allegations that Australia’s most decorated soldier, Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith, had been violent towards a woman after a function attended by Malcolm Turnbull were denounced last night by former Liberal leader Brendan Nelson as “the lowest” slur he had encountered in public life.

Dr Nelson, the director of the Australian War Memorial who as defence minister signed off on one of Mr Roberts-Smith’s bravery awards, defended the Afghanistan war hero as the Prime Minister came under pressure to withdraw a claim that the police had been called in.

Mr Turnbull on Friday made three references to a police investigation of Mr Roberts-Smith after Fairfax Media alleged he had subjected a female companion to an “act of domestic violence and intimidation” following the event at Parliament House in Canberra on March 28.

A spokesman for the Seven Network, which now employs Mr Roberts-Smith as its general manager in Queensland, said yesterday his solicitors would ­approach Mr Turnbull to set the record straight.

An ACT police spokesman ­refused to say whether an investigation had been launched or even if a complaint had been made by the woman.

Asked last night whether Mr Turnbull would issue a clarification to reflect Mr Roberts-Smith’s insistence that there had been no police follow-up, a spokesman said further comment was inappropriate.

The four prime ministers who oversaw Australia’s war effort in Afghanistan — John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott — threw their support behind the elite SAS at the weekend, with Mr Howard warning against those who would ­“demonise” the military.

Confirming yesterday that he would launch legal proceedings for defamation against Fairfax, Mr Roberts-Smith said the media group had also published secret and classified material from a closed-door inquiry by the ­Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force into alleged war crimes by special forces, ­including the SAS in Afghanistan.

His solicitor, Mark O’Brien, wrote to Attorney-General Christian Porter requesting the alleged security breaches be ­referred to the Australian Federal Police for criminal investigation. Mr Porter’s office last night said he would consider this.

The alleged domestic violence incident, flatly ­denied by Mr ­Roberts-Smith, was detailed by Fairfax with claims that the VC and Medal for Gallantry winner had bullied fellow troops and ­mistreated Afghans during SAS operations.

Dr Nelson said the domestic violence allegations against Mr Roberts-Smith “did not gel” with the man he knew. “Look, I’ve been in public life for 30 years and I’ve seen some pretty low things,” he said. “But I don’t think it gets much lower than this.”

Dr Nelson, who was succeeded as Liberal leader by Mr Turnbull before he left politics in 2009 to take up ambassadorial posts, followed by the high-profile job at the war memorial, said any examination of the conduct of Australian special forces in Afghanistan had to take into account the challenging context of “repeated and seriously high-intensive war fighting against an asymmetric enemy”.

“I am angry that there are ­people in our country who seem to want to jump to thinking the worst of people. I question whether the national interest is in trying to tear down our heroes,’’ he said.

“If any one of these men has committed egregious crimes, broken the laws of armed conflict in a cold, sober environment, then … they should be charged and justice should be done. But I think context is everything. I am very concerned that if the media pursuit of Ben Roberts-Smith and others continues … we run the risk of becoming a people unworthy of such sacrifice.”

Branding the stories a “catalogue of lies, fabrications and misrepresentations”, Mr Roberts-Smith said he unequivocally denied physically abusing any woman, and at no stage had he been interviewed or contacted by police. He told The Weekend Australian that he had not been present when the heavily intoxicated woman fell down stairs at Parliament House, coincidentally in front of AFP officers.

The Prime Minister’s Office yesterday did not respond to a further question on whether ­efforts were made to verify with ACT police the existence of any investigation before the Fairfax allegations were raised with Mr Turnbull by journalists in Perth last Friday. “The PM was asked about a story that said the matter had been referred to the police. He ­responded in that context,” the spokesman said.

Mr Turnbull told the media on Friday: “I am aware of the allegations, complaints have been made to the police and they will be dealt with appropriately. Obviously I can’t make any comment on the specific matters because they are being dealt with by the police.’’