The government is setting up a special investigator office to examine the findings of the inquiry into alleged misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016.
The Morrison government is repurposing defence spending in a A$1 billion boost to support about 4,000 jobs and assist small and medium-sized businesses in the defence industry supply chain.
Australian-based companies get a good share of Australian defence contracts, but not the Australian owned ones, and much of the work is mere subcontracting.
China didn’t feature explicitly in Scott Morrison’s speech, but the dramatic growth in its military capabilities was a clear reason for the surge in defence spending.
Soldiers on Australian streets are not a common sight outside parades. But the current pandemic requires a much more coordinated and strategic response – and a bigger role from the ADF.
A Senate report recommended several measures the government should take to prepare for climate-fuelled migration, natural disasters and conflicts. The response so far has been underwhelming.
State governments have apologised for past laws discriminating against LGBT people. LGBT service members deserve the same from the ADF, as well as a path toward redress.
Media reporting on women in the military plays an important role in cultural change. Recent research shows Australian newspapers focus on scandal and place responsibility on the women involved.
Under proposed changes, the war crime offence of murder, in a non-international armed conflict, would not apply to collateral civilian deaths resulting from an otherwise lawful attack.
Military institutions and militarised cultures seek to generate a unity of people and purpose. Initiation rituals have been a historically stable strategy to achieve this.
Nations such as the United States have treated climate change as a major security threat for years. The Australian government’s forthcoming Defence White Paper cannot afford to ignore the issue.
On Anzac Day 1982, five gay veterans tried to lay a wreath at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance, but were turned away by the Shrine Guard and the state RSL president. This year, that won’t happen.
As I was showering five or six senior [others] attacked me – they turned off the lights, tied my hands behind my back and proceeded to do things to me. I was held down whilst one of them put his penis…
In February, Victorian premier Denis Napthine locked the door and threw away the key for Hoddle Street mass killer Julian Knight. Despite being eligible for parole in May after serving a 27-year minimum…
Prime minister Tony Abbott’s three-word slogan “stop the boats” may be meeting its promise. Last Friday, Abbott was “very pleased” to point out that it was the “50th day without an illegal boat arriving…
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has long been wary of the media’s power to derail its promotional narratives and damage careers in the process. But there was nothing irrational about its members’ determination…