Sky News host Chris Smith says the ADF response to the Brereton report gets “worse every day” after it was revealed alterations to strict rules relating to military citations were signed off by the Queen.
The Daily Telegraph reported the Queen signed off on the alterations in July.
“That would immediately suggest to most Australians that the ADF hierarchy successfully lobbied the government and probably the Governor-General to have the Queen approve changes to rules which would enable them to reverse the Meritorious Citation for 3,000 personnel who fought in Afghanistan,” Mr Smith said.
“It’s reported that the move to change the rules was actually set in motion back in 2014, that would mean the changes were not designed to deal with the stripping of citations as recommended in the Brereton report.
“Paul Brereton was not even assigned the job until two years after that; so according to the Defence Ministry today, the Queen’s signature was the final act in the lengthy process of those 2014 ammendments.”
Mr Smith said the Brereton report, however, “can not be the final say”.
“The presumption of innocence must be maintained for those in and out of the Defence Force.”
