Prime Minister says report on Australian Defence Force is ‘highly sensitive’

A long-awaited report into alleged war crimes by Australian troops touches on ‘highly sensitive’ matters, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says.

An explosive report into allegations of war crimes by Australian troops will be taken “very seriously” by the government, the Prime Minister has said.

Defence chief Angus Campbell has received the report from the inspector-general of the Australian Defence Force, who was tasked in 2016 with investigating dozens of incidents, including alleged unlawful killings, in Afghanistan from 2005 until that year.

“It is a very, very serious issue and the government will be taking it very seriously,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Saturday.

“We will be abiding by the proper legal and institutional processes that are appropriate here.”

Asked what level of information the public will be allowed to see, the Prime Minister said he will have more to say about that next week.

“At this stage though, the (chief of the Defence Force) has received the report. It goes to highly sensitive matters,” Mr Morrison said.

“It is important that we run a process here that respects the integrity of our defence forces, that upholds the standard all Australians would expect of the defence forces, and to ensure people are treated fairly in that process as well.”

The Defence inspector-general has confirmed in its most recent annual report that at least 55 separate incidents involving alleged law breaches during the war have been examined.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/prime-minister-says-report-on-australian-defence-force-is-highly-sensitive/news-story/f3843c5874e7fcbf2e2d22db514e8d76