Defence responses to enquiries by Peter Mickelburough in relation to his story published in the Sunday Herald Sun on 19 January 2014

The 19 January 2014 Sunday Herald Sun article entitled “Award dishonour” contained only part of a response provided by Defence. Defence considers that using this partial information changed its context and does not accurately reflect Defence’s position on this matter.

Following are the full responses provided by Defence to the journalist on 15 and 16 January 2014:

Question: I was wondering if you could tell me when [name redacted] left the military and whether he resigned or was sacked.

Response:

Due to the Privacy Act, Defence will not comment on a member’s personal details, including their service history, without the individual’s consent.

Question: Is he one of the officers accused of being involved in the so-called “Jedi council”?

Response:

On 14 November 2013, the Australian Army announced that it had terminated the service of six members in relation to the allegations of unacceptable behaviour announced by the Chief of Army, Lieutenant General David Morrison AO, on Thursday, 13 June 2013.

As indicated at the time of the announcement, Defence will not release any further details regarding personal information including specific ranks, units, locations, or disciplinary or administrative action as they relate to these individuals. As such, Defence will neither confirm nor deny any individual’s involvement in this matter.

Media Contact:
Defence Media Operations (02) 6127 1999