Over the last four and a half years the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force has been investigating serious allegations of misconduct by SAS soldiers during the Afghanistan War.
Between 2005 and 2013 there have been hundreds of alleged incidents including the killing of unarmed civilians in cold blood and the execution of a prisoner of war by the SAS soldiers.
For more information, you can read the parliamentary brief prepared for MPs outlining all of the alleged incidents that are publicly known here.
In light of these allegations, a Special Investigator has been appointed to consider criminal cases against SAS soldiers who served in Afghanistan and an independent oversight panel to address the cultural issues within the SAS.
The Prime Minister failed to make key aspects of these processes clear.
The Greens are calling for:
- The Special Investigator to be independent, with no professional or personal ties to the Australian Defence Force;
- The scope of the Special Investigator’s remit to be broad enough to examine the conduct of all levels of command within the SAS and Defence leadership;
- Chief of Defence, General Angus Campbell, and Chief of Army, Lt. General Rick Burr, to resign to enable the recommendations of the Afghan Inquiry to be implemented free from any actual or perceived conflicts of interest; and
- For the findings of the Brereton Inquiry, and any subsequent findings by the Special Investigator, to be made public in full.
These crimes were committed in our name; the perpetrators must be brought to justice and the evidence must be made public.