My Commanding Officer, LTCOL Laureen Grimes, has ordered me to shut down this blog. Her letter to me can be found here .
I have elected not to oblige LTCOL Grimes, as I remain convinced that despite the tensions that might arise, the publication of these documents are overwhelmingly in the public interest. And the best way to prove their veracity is to publish the signed document where it is available.
I accept that officers who have behaved poorly are embarassed by the publication of the these documents. But I am motived by protecting Australia, Australian troops and improving the capability of the ADF. I have no idea what motivates senior officers of the ADF, but it seems to be mainly the vested interests of their colleagues, not the defence of Australia.
As I write, officers like LTCOL Grimes continue to discriminate against Specialist Service Officers - the doctors, dentists and nurses, and these officers leave the ADF. We are all very busy professionals, we don't have time to waste on fools and we won't be treated like dirt.
The end result of LTCOL Grimes' actions, and the actions of other senior officers of the ADF is that Australian troops are not able to be provided with appropriate health support. No ADFpersonnel deployed on operations anywhere in the world are supported by ADF health units, as there are simply not enough doctors, nurses and dentists left in the ADF!
I note also that despite having been suspended and investigated since December 2010 for essentially the same behaviour, Brigadier Robert Marsh, the Commander of 4th Brigade, has not yet charged me with anything. I strongly doubt that I am committing any offence against the Defence Force Discipline Act or any other law by publishing this blog, otherwise I am sure that 8 months later I would have been charged.
I am quietly confident that any judge would accept that I have exhausted all ADF avenues, including the Inspector General ADF and the Commonwealth Ombudsman without having my concerns properly investigated and that a blog like this is the least any responsible citizen would provide in an effort to promote improvement in the ADF.
The ADF would, of course, like to conceal their lack of leadership. I was hoping the new CDF would be more concerned about Australian troops and Australian interests than looking after his mates. Disappointingly, it appears to be business as usual.
Julian
