Richard Marles hits back at Peter Dutton in tussle over decision to strip medals from Afghan vets

Defence Minister Richard Marles and his predecessor Peter Dutton have tussled in a war of words over the Government’s decision to strip medals from up to nine officers who served in Afghanistan but not hold the most senior leaders to account.

In a statement to Parliament on Thursday, Mr Marles said that almost four years after Paul Brereton handed down his extensive report which made 143 recommendations and found “credible evidence” some Australian soldiers had engaged in war crimes, the government response had concluded.

His final act was to write to a group of less than 15 commanding officers who had been earmarked by the inquiry, advising up to nine of them they would have their honours revoked.

It came just days after the royal commission into defence and veteran suicide handed down its final report, prompting loud criticism from veterans groups and Mr Dutton alike that the government had been “insensitive” and “tone deaf”.

Mr Dutton on Friday said Mr Marles had done the Australian Defence Force a “great disservice” in his timing, and went further to question why the more senior leaders had not been held accountable.

“Why is it okay to throw lower rank diggers under the bus, but those who are higher up the chain avoid any scrutiny — and the Chief of the Army, the Chief of the Defence Force and people in between those ranks and where Richard Marles has acted here — why is there no accountability there? I think that’s why the average digger is asking a lot of questions, as you rightly point,” Mr Dutton said on the Nine Network.

Veteran groups are especially outraged that former defence chief Angus Campbell, who commanded the entire Middle East task force in 2011, has been allowed to retain his distinguished service cross that he received for his tenure.

Mr Marles hit back later on Friday, accusing Mr Dutton of being the one who failed to hold senior officers to account.

“When he was the defence minister, he actively suspended making a decision in relation to command accountability,” Mr Marles said.

“Now that’s not a point that we particularly wanted to make this week, but that is actually what he did when he was the defence minister — he suspended the decision making in relation to command accountability.

“Difficult decisions require leadership. That’s what I’ve done as the Minister for Defence.”

Mr Dutton’s comments came after his defence spokesman Andrew Hastie, a former SAS captain who served in Afghanistan, said higher commanders should have been held to account for the alleged crimes identified by the inquiry.

“I believe our troops were let down by a lack of moral courage that went up the chain of command all the way to Canberra, including in this place,” he said in an emotional speech to Parliament on Thursday.

“From Tarin Kowt to Kabul to Kandahar to Dubai to Can­berra. Those in the chain of command should have asked more questions.”

Asked about why General Campbell had not had his medal revoked, Mr Marles on Thursday said he had followed the Brereton inquiry “to the letter”.

It found that while troops, squadron and task force commanders bore moral responsibility for the alleged war crimes that occurred, that onus did not extend to the most senior of officers like General Campbell.

Chairman of the Australian Special Air Services Association, Martin Hamilton-Smith, made specific reference to the timing when he said Mr Marles had “spat at the feet” of all Australians who served in Afghanistan.

Mr Hamilton-Smith also questioned why personnel — who have not been found guilty in a court of law — had been punished so harshly.

“To do this, to punish these people before the matters have been taken to a criminal court to establish truth, is wrong,” he said.

A new senate inquiry, established after The Nightly revealed dozens of veterans had written to Mr Marles demanding he revoke General Campbell’s medals over claims it is “invalid”, has been tasked with probing the integrity of awards to senior officers for their conduct in Afghanistan.