Ben Roberts-Smith: Mining magnate Gina Rinehart weighs into arrest of Australia’s most decorated war veteran

Australian mining billionaire Gina Rinehart has hit out over the arrest of decorated war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith, criticising the $300 million spent on the investigation.

Mr Roberts-Smith, a former SAS corporal, was arrested on Tuesday and later charged with five counts of war crime - murder relating to several deaths while he was on tour in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012.

It’s since been revealed that the Victoria Cross recipient had offered to turn himself in to Australian Federal Police. Instead, he was arrested by officers at Sydney Airport in front of his partner and twin teenage daughters while on a school holiday trip.

Mrs Rinehart AO, the executive chair of Hancock Prospecting, is also an Honorary Guardian of Soldier On, a non-profit organisation that delivers support to veterans’ families.

She said she could not comprehend how $300 million could be spent on the years-long investigation.

“I don’t understand how it can be justified to spend more than $300 million to try for years to bring SAS veterans, who have served our country, towards criminal proceedings, and most recently the arrest of Ben,” she said.

“As the recently passed Brigadier George Mansford succinctly stated, ‘The oath to serve your country did not include a contract for the normal luxuries and comforts enjoyed within our society. On the contrary, it implied hardship, loyalty and devotion to duty’.

“Have we lost sight of the fact that in our inadequately defended country, facing uncertain times, the morale of our defence force has already been brought to its lowest ebb since inception, our defence personnel numbers are inadequate, and recruitment is suffering?

“Surely, the more than $300 million of taxpayers’ money would have been far better spent strengthening Australia’s security and keeping Australians safe from terrorism, including removing terrorists and their supporters from our country.

“Like many Australians, I hope that compassion and the Aussie spirit is extended to Ben and his family and his duty to our country in the hardship of war is never forgotten.”

Mrs Rinehart’s comments follow criticism from One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who on Tuesday said she supported Mr Roberts-Smith despite news of his arrest.

“Ben, his immediate and broader defence family need the Australian people’s support right now and I will not abandon him like so many other politicians,” Ms Hanson said.

“Ben was disgracefully arrested in front of his twin 15-year-old girls.

“He will be held in jail for 7 days. He gets just one bail application. If that application fails, they can hold him for 2 years.”

Former prime minister Tony Abbott also weighed in, questioning the time spent on the investigation.

“If Ben Roberts-Smith transgressed, why wasn’t this picked up prior to his gallantry awards and why wasn’t any culture of brutality towards prisoners detected by his more senior officers, and dealt with quickly, rather than being allowed to fester, as has been alleged, for over a decade?,” he said.

“The Brereton investigation commenced in 2016 and only concluded in 2020. The first war crime charge against a former special forces soldier was only laid in 2023 and three years later, this has still not been finalised.

“After doing their best to serve our country, dozens of former special forces soldiers should not still be in limbo years later because of ongoing investigations that have only resulted in charges in two cases.”

On Wednesday, Mr Roberts-Smith did not make an application for bail during his appearance at the Bail Division Court.

Judge Lucas Swan said Mr Roberts-Smith’s legal team could apply for a bail application to be heard in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court, which could be as early as today.

Mr Roberts-Smith’s matter was otherwise set down to be mentioned in court again on June 4, with the brief of evidence to be served by May 21.