When Defence Minister Stephen Smith defended the girl in the ADFA Skype scandal who was secretly filmed having sex with another cadet and shown to his mates in another room, he acted decisively. It was a disgusting thing to do and he said so, but he seems to have cooled somewhat. Instead of announcing a Royal Commission to root out the pedophiles and sexual abusers who now hold senior positions within the ADF, he seems to be stalling.
The Piper Review shows there is very little evidence that abusers have been held to account and Mr Smith admitted he didn't know if any predators were still serving in the ADF. We need to find out who they are Minister, and soon.
The Review recorded 775 plausible allegations of abuse which is beyond shocking, and we can't let it continue. Mr Smith said investigations of so many claims over 50 years was "complex and complicated and couldn't be done overnight and couldn't be done as a job lot." He said a Royal Commission may be the most effective way of dealing with these matters and the government isn't far away from announcing what action will be taken.
Some of the options of how to proceed include compensation, a public apology and meetings between perpetrator and victim but a Royal Commission is the only way to get to the bottom of this sick culture that's been allowed to flourish since the 1950's. It's time the top brass, who are a protected species, were outed.
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