David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—In speaking to this report tabling today—this was a very important inquiry—I want to begin by saying that, in my nine years as a senator, with all of those years spent on the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee and the past three years as the shadow minister for defence, I have never been so frustrated, disappointed and angry as I have been with the way that Navy, Defence, its political leaders and sections of the media have treated the three sailors landed from HMAS Successin May 2009. I am standing here more than two years after these men were landed and they still have not been cleared or charged with anything after countless reviews, inquiries, investigations—some 11, I believe—and then the Gyles reports parts 1 and 2 and now the tabling of this Senate report, and these three men are none the wiser about what will happen to their careers.

I put it to every senator to imagine for a moment that someone in their family was stood down from their job, without being told why—asked to put their career on hold for two years and have unfounded, hurtful and completely untruthful allegations reported in the national and international media, unchallenged by anyone. How would we all cope with that? There would be an absolute outcry, I guarantee. These sailors, who have a combined 40 years of service to the Navy, have had their reputations irrevocably smeared, and their families have gone through this nightmare along with them. We are talking about Navy families here—families that we ask as a nation to move around the country for us, uprooting their kids from school; to send their loved ones overseas for months on end, sometimes on short notice; to miss birthdays and other family events. They are already made of strong stuff, but I know the anguish they have gone through during this whole sorry saga. It has had a dreadful effect on their physical and mental wellbeing and there has been little or no support from Navy or from this government.

What most people most remember when you mention HMAS Successis a 'sex scandal' or a 'sex ledger' and media articles with headlines spouting, 'Navy sex ship of shame'. The word 'sex' is mentioned and it is on for young and old—and don't let the boring truth get in the way of a good story. This story went around the world. The then Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, said that the alleged behaviours were 'disturbing'. His deputy at the time, now our Prime Minister, said she feared that such alleged behaviour would stop women joining the Navy. And so on and so forth.

The Gyles report was rightly damning of the Navy for its inept management of these claims. The Gyles report, which was an independent report, said in its recommendations that an ex gratia payment to compensate these three petty officers should be paid. To this point in time, the minister has done nothing and the Navy has done nothing—this is a disgraceful episode in the annals of what is a very proud and heroic institution in Australia: the Royal Australian Navy.

I do not have enough time to continue my remarks, but I should say the minister has an opportunity to put a U-turn into what has unfolded with respect to these three men. It is unique. It is absolutely astounding that we have three sailors who have been recommended to be compensated for their treatment and nothing is happening. The minister has an opportunity to rectify and repair this unholy mess, this unjust, unfair treatment of these three men—and I think he should so something urgently.