House debates
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Questions without Notice
Australian Defence Force
2:21 pm
Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source
Senator Conroy attacked this commander's motives and his conduct in a most despicable slur designed to dishonour an honourable man.
Lieutenant General Angus Campbell has served this country for 30 years: as a squadron commander of the SAS and he commanded the 2nd Battalion group in the UN Mission in East Timor. Indeed, he was awarded the Order of Australia for exceptional service. He commanded all Australian troops in the Middle East and he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his outstanding leadership.
He is a man of the highest calibre; an officer who has served his country with distinction. It was because of his outstanding skills that he was asked by the Australian government to serve his country once more. He has headed up Operation Sovereign Borders to fix the mess that was left on our borders by the last Labor government.
Operation Sovereign Borders was endorsed by the Australian people at the last election. It has been designed to dismantle the criminal people-smuggling trade. It is designed to stop people taking that dangerous journey to Australia and it is designed to save lives. It is dangerous work and it is difficult work, and General Campbell has undertaken this task with the professionalism and diligence for which he is renowned.
Labor can disagree with that policy. They can come up with their own policy. They can attack the government. But they should never engage in the gross disrespect that we saw meted out to General Campbell in Senate estimates yesterday. General Campbell himself said he took extreme offence at the slurs.
Mr Fitzgibbon interjecting—
Now, Senator Conroy should apologise. The member for Hunter knows that. Senator Conroy should apologise—he should have given an unqualified apology. If he does not, the Leader of the Opposition should remove him from the role of shadow minister for Defence. He is unfit for that role.
Honourable members interjecting—
Peter Wesley-Smith
Posted on 27 Feb 2014 11:34 am
I don't think it is necessary to read Conroy's comment as a personal attack on Campbell or in any way traducing his reputation as a military officer. The fact is surely that employing Campbell in Operation Sovereign Borders, when he is expressly not acting militarily, was designed for political purposes (at least in part to "justify" the restriction of information on "operational" grounds) and thus it is legitimate to take the view that he is part of a political cover-up. I'm sure the military have been uncomfortable with the government using a soldier in such a role, and for good reason. If Conroy sees Campbell as a political agent for the government he is entitled to say so.