Senate to air several Navy issues

Many Navy issues will come under scrutiny during the Senate Inquiry into the effectiveness of the Military Justice System (MJS).

These include the effectiveness and fairness of the military justice system as applied by the Navy; accidental deaths and suicides; mistreatment allegations; Navy investigations and implementations of findings; drugs and alcohol abuse allegations; disciplinary and administrative actions; the HMAS Westralia fire deaths and the disappearance at sea of Leading Seaman Gurr in 2002.

“VADM Ritchie, Chief of Navy, has made it quite clear that this Senate Inquiry is one of the highest priority activities on Navy’s radar this year,” Captain Drew McKinnie said.

“The broad scope of issues before the inquiry means that some painful and difficult events will be revisited. We will be as open as possible about these events and how we have handled them.

“CN also intends to highlight how Navy people have learned from the events, how our processes for investigating incidents and deaths have evolved and the ways we are improving our management of drug, alcohol and disciplinary problems.”

A Navy Tiger Team has been formed to support this inquiry. The team contact is CMDR Keith Smith on 02 6265 1757 or keith.smith1@defence.gov.au.

The CDF and Service Chiefs will appear before the Inquiry on March 1.

Shadow Minister for Defence, Senator Chris Evans requested the Inquiry last October, opening the opportunity for members of the ADF and the public to make submissions to the Senate Committee by February 16.

Head of the Senate Taskforce, Air Vice Marshal Bob Treloar, said it has been some six years since the last formal Senate Inquiry into the MJS and this will be a further opportunity for the ADF to consider and correct any shortcomings that may be identified during the inquiry.

“If anyone feels they have a need or wish to make a comment about the MJS, then they should do so by contacting the Secretariat of the Senate Committee at Parliament House, Canberra,” he said.

For full details on how to make a submission visit: www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/fadt_ctte/miljustice.

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