The Hon Warren Snowdon places his head firmly in the sand, while Australian troops go into combat without appropriate health support

Below is the letter I have just received from Warren Snowdon, the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel. The Minister has been advised that the Department of Defence has conducted a full assessment of my concerns and has found no evidence of harassment or discrimination directed towards me, or other Specialist Service Officers.

This is passing strange, as Defence has consistently refused to abide by their own directives and investigate any of my strongly expressed concerns about the treatment of SSOs since 2008. In fact, they have done everything they can to stop me exposing the critical shortage of Medical Officers they have created through their misbehaviour. So it is certainly not possible for Defence to be advising the Minister they have conducted a full assessment of this matter. This is simply more of a cover-up of serious misbehaviour amongst senior officers in Defence.

Apparently, my written concerns, expressed consistently over the past four years, don't constitute evidence. Nor does the fact that the ADF is unable to provide health support to any of our deployed forces, and much of our garrisoned forces, provide any evidence of a problem.

The Minister goes on to say he is confident that these matters have been appropriately considered, while Australian troops on operations receive inadequate health support from civilians or other countries.

In my opinion, the Minister Snowdon must be grossly negligent or completely incompetent if he thinks these matters have been appropriately considered. At the very least, there is overwhelming evidence of a critical shortage of Medical Officers that has crippled the ADF. For an independent view, see my post publishing the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal's Reasons for Decision published earlier.

This letter nicely illustrates the whole problem, and how dysfunctional the senior leadership of the ADF has become: A Medical Officer (me) tries very hard to bring these facts to them and help them fix the problem. They charge me with insubordination, lie to the Australian Government, and rely on a dim Minister to accept their false reassurances.

Don't they know truth will out?
_________________________________________________________________________

Sedition and Mutiny in the ADF, or Incompetence?

Like Brigadier Michael Arnold, Brigadier Marsh has refused to investigate my concerns about the ADF's critical shortage of Health Professionals, despite my 4 page letter to him and written directives that he must do so. Apparently he doesn't care about Australian troops, either.

I have edited out names of innocents, as before.

___________________________________________________________

Brigadier Marsh, RFD

Commander 4 Brigade

Simpson Barracks

Victoria                                                                          6th December 2010

Dear Brigadier Marsh,

I write in response to LTCOL L.A. Grime's Notice to Show Cause why I should not be suspended from duty on suspicion of committing service offences.

In addition to responding to the notice, this document is also a complaint about harassment and discrimination against Specialist Service Officers by General Service Officers generally and discrimination against me specifically by General Service Officers because I am a Specialist Service Officer. I refer you to DI(G) PERS 35-3 Management and Reporting of Unacceptable Behaviour.

I have not sought advice about the notice as it was served upon me on Tuesday evening, giving me effectively three days (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) to seek advice. I have not received one of the documents, an MP3 file, that LTCOL Grimes promised me. The time given for me to respond is manifestly unfair and in keeping with the bastardisation of Specialist Service Officers by General Service Officers that I have been complaining about for several years now.

Nevertheless, the notice is of the same extremely poor standard as previous attempts by LTCOL LA Grimes to harass me and I am confident that this will be as easy to dismiss as the kangaroo courts she organised in 2008 and 2009 and the court martial in September this year.

I will assume the missing document LTCOL Grimes has failed to supply is substantially about the same subject, that is the inability of the ADF to provide health support to Australian soldiers because of the inability of the ADF to retain doctors, nurses and dentists.

There are at least seven reasons why I cannot be reasonably suspended. I suspect if I had a reasonable amount of time or the opportunity to seek expert counsel, many more would come to light. But off the top of my head I can immediately think of the following. In no particular order, they are:

1. There is insufficient reason to suspend me;
2. There is no advantage gained by the ADF in suspending me;
3. There is considerable disadvantage to the ADF if I were to be suspended;
4. Suspending me will diminish morale amongst health personnel and other ADF members;
5. There is overwhelming evidence the Defence Force Discipline Act is being misused again as part of a general campaign of harassment of SSOs and myself specifically;
6. Supporting the actions of LTCOL LA Grimes will foster the current poor practice of ADF GSOs in resorting to the most extreme processes and punishments as their first or early action in dealing with situations that are better handled through inquiry, education and negotiation; and
7. Suspending me from duty is not in the interests of Australia or the ADF.

Firstly, It is clear from that the issuing of this notice that LTCOL Grimes does not understand the process she is initiating. She has written in her notice that I am being investigated, and the mere fact that I am being investigated may be reasonable grounds for suspension. This is nonsense. The investigation has not resulted in any charges being laid, nor will it. It is impossible for the ADF to prosecute me because I was not a defence member at the time the alleged offences took place.

Further, the issues discussed with the media are matters of public knowledge. Everything mentioned is well known to any interested observer of defence matters. It has been well known for a long time the ADF cannot retain SSOs. There was no utterance of confidential material.

In any event, it is not open to the ADF to pursue this matter.

The process initiated is only every used when it becomes clear there is a reasonable chance of success in a prosecution. This is usually signalled by a decision to lay charges. It is not the 19^th century, and the DFDA is not a plaything for struggling officers to use for personal vendettas.

Secondly, the ADF gains nothing by suspending me from duty. If the concern is that I will continue to voice my concerns to the Australian Parliament and press, suspension cannot prevent me from continuing to do so.

Thirdly, if I am suspended the ADF loses a critical individual asset. I enlisted in the ADF over thirty years ago, and have enormous experience working in countries all around the world. I am an experienced pharmacist, doctor and effective leader of health teams.

Fourth, morale amongst ADF health support personnel is already at an all-time low because of the extant situation you and your colleagues have created. ADF health support personnel are ignored and civilian contractors are given their jobs, or the health support is provided by allies. Suspending me from duty for trying to provide appropriate health support for members on operations will signal all observers that you disagree with the provision of appropriate health support to soldiers and further lower morale amongst all ADF members and health support personnel especially. My actions are strongly supported by every right-thinking soldier and officer.

Put more simply, I am trying to protect soldiers. You happily send them into hazardous operations without appropriate health support. No-one in their right mind would support your position, or act against mine. Suspending a Medical Officer for expressing concern about the current health situation is madness and will reinforce the current, unacceptable situation to the dismay of everyone affected by it.

Fifth, this notice continues a pattern of harassment carried out by LTCOL Grimes and her subordinates for the past two years. In some semblance of chronological order,

1. The captain OIC of Beersheba was replaced by a staff sergeant, over the heads of the three remaining captains who were all SSOs. This is bizarre and confusing for everyone, especially the SSGT and the soldiers who know a captain outranks a SSGT by a fair bit.
2. This year SSOs in 6^th Health Company, 4 CSSB were denigrated and undermined by the appointment of an engineering captain from outside the company and associated corps who has no association with health support as the second in command. This has continued the discrimination directed towards SSOs by failing to appoint, train or encourage any of the very competent Nursing or Medical Officers with 6^th Health Company.
3. LTCOL Grimes had me charged with insubordination for asking an ROG to be elevated to the Chief of Army, which is clearly an offence under Defence Force Regulations.

4. LTCOL Grimes instigated an investigation and adverse findings against me in my PAR, saying that I had carried out an unauthorised promotion of a new Nursing Officer, Lieutenant Nursing Officer, when he was in fact commissioned and appointed in the usual manner by a Major in Albury. All I did was congratulate him!
5. Immediately upon arrival the same LT was posted to a private's position in a Low Dependency Unit by our OC, without discussion. Again this is very demoralising and denigrating to everyone who is aware of this bizarre, destructive behaviour.
6. At the same time our OC said she was taking all of the Medical Officers out of their posted positions and teams and they would be working independently – which is a fairly good indication of how little she knows about our jobs, and how little she knows about how little she knows. I couldn't open the door to my practice without a receptionist and a nurse, and I often have another doctor, a practice manager and psychologist on site as well. Not to mention IT support, the bookkeeper and the other important team members I need to make a functional medical unit!

LTCOL Grime's behaviour is belligerent, bizarre and destructive of the fabric of the ADF. It displays hallmarks of psychopathic behaviour. It is most likely that the notice is so badly misconceived because it is wrongly motivated.

Sixth, if LTCOL Grimes was genuinely concerned about the ADF or members under her command or had any reasonable motivation for her actions she would have taken reasonable steps to gather information in order to make a good decision. I would have been interviewed about the precise nature of my concerns and asked why I had these concerns. Supporting her notice by suspending me will foster similar mismanagement and further poor decisions by your subordinates.

Seventh, suspending me from duty acknowledges publicly the ADF is discomforted by my concerns and adds credence and weight to them. If my concerns were unfounded, the matter would not be serious enough to attempt to silence me with the DFDA. It is not in the interests of Defence or Australia for my concerns to be supported or to be broadcast any more than is required to fix the problem. I acknowledge the futility of making this point – obviously if you had any regard for the interests of Defence or Australia, you would be more supportive of your SSOs, we would be able to provide health support for our troops and I wouldn't be so concerned about their welfare. I have included it for the other addressees.

Previous dealings in similar matters with your predecessor, Brigadier Michael Arnold, were handled in a particularly vile manner and I have no confidence you will behave any differently. Accordingly, I have elected to publish the Notice to Show Cause and my response to the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, the Minister for Defence and the Shadow Minister for Defence. I believe the critical shortage of SSOs in the ADF to be a Proper Reason for this disclosure. I consider these two documents can aid understanding of the reasons Australia is unable to properly support deployed ADF personnel and may be unable to meet treaty obligations and so constitute Proper Instruments. In the absence of any reasonable response by anyone in the ADF or the IGADF, I consider these offices to be Proper Persons to whom to disclose this information.

Further, I consider it possible the misuse of the DFDA and Military Justice System by senior officers such as Brigadier Arnold, Brigadier McDade and LTCOL LA Grimes to be seditious. The Australian Parliament, through the Senate, has made it very clear the MJS is not to be misused, and have allocated millions of dollars of public funds in order to stop this kind of misuse. I consider this notice to be further misuse of the DFDA and to directly undermine the Australian Parliament.

It is possible the actions of some of these officers have seriously weakened the ADF and may constitute offences under the DFDA, including, but not limited to:

DFDA Sect 15G Imperilling the success of operations

             (1)  A person who is a defence member or a defence civilian is guilty of an offence if:
                     (a)  the person engages in any conduct; and
                     (b)  the conduct imperils the success of operations against the enemy.

DFDA Sect 20 Mutiny

"mutiny" means a combination between persons who are, or of whom at least 2 are, members of the Defence Force:
                     (a)  to overthrow lawful authority in the Defence Force or in an allied force; or
                     (b)  to resist such lawful authority in such a manner as to prejudice substantially the operational efficiency of the Defence Force or of, or of a part of, an allied force.

Defence Force Regulations Reg 92 (2)

A member is guilty of an offence if he or she causes another member to be victimised, penalised or prejudiced in any way for:
                (a)    making a complaint; or
               (b)    requesting the referral of a complaint.

It is clear from the above that you have a major problem with several of your middle and senior officers discriminating between SSOs and GSOs and harassing them. While your predecessor and the Chief of Army do not feel directives are binding upon them and have ignored my previously expressed concerns about discrimination and harassment of myself and other SSOs, I would take this opportunity to remind you that DI(G)PERS 35–3 Management and Reporting of Unacceptable Behaviour specifically states that an overarching principle of the ADF is that:

7b. Defence does not tolerate any forms of unacceptable behaviour, nor the mismanagement or disregard of complaints;

and specifically that:

7c. Commanders and managers are to take all reasonable measures to eliminate and prevent unacceptable behaviour and to manage complaints, including the appointment of a case manager;

My concerns are not trivial and are not confined to me. The conduct I refer to above has crippled the ADF, as you well know.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Julian Fidge BPharm, Grad Dip App Sc (Comp Sc), MBBS, FRACGP

Captain

Medical Officer

6^th Health Company

4 Combat Service Support Battalion

 

cc Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

Minister for Defence

Shadow Minister for Defence

____________________________________________________________

When questioned about why the ADF was not investigating, a spokesperson for Senator Snowdon, the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel and Veterans Affairs, wrote:

"On January 13, the Commander requested Dr Fidge provide  additional information by January 31 in order to proceed with the investigation, as Dr Fidge's letter of complaint does not contain sufficient detailed information to thoroughly consider his complaints."

Brigadier Marsh continues to mismanage my complaint, which obviously contained enough information to make enquiries, as at the date of ths post. I am happy to report that 6th Health Company has a new 2IC, whom I think is a Nursing Officer. I am happy to have forced Lieutenant Colonel Grimes to have reversed that appointment and awarded it to an appropriate officer.

The reason it is has never been open to the ADF to investigate or prosecute me is quite clear - I was not a defence member at the time. A defence member is defined in the Defence Force Discipline Act as:

________________________________________________________

"defence member" means:

                     (a)  a member of the Permanent Navy, the Regular Army or the Permanent Air Force; or

                     (b)  a member of the Reserves who:

                              (i)  is rendering continuous full‑time service; or

                             (ii)  is on duty or in uniform.

_________________________________________________________

And I was never on duty or in uniform when I wrote these letters or spoke to the press, far less rendering CFTS. But as the Senate found, many ADF officers don't think they are bound by the laws of this country.

I'll publish the Senate findings on the ADF's contempt of Parliament when I get time.

Cheers,

Julian

Medical Observer Article 21st February 2010

Military GP with a mission

21st Feb 2011

 

Melinda Ham reports on how Dr Julian Fidge’s whistleblowing caused a national controversy.

 

Being labelled a whistleblower has not deterred Dr Julian Fidge, a Wangaratta-based GP from country Victoria.

In fact, he regards it as a compliment and after being rebuffed by the Australian Defence Force (ADF), he is now taking his concerns to the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.

Dr Fidge, a Reserve ADF medical officer in Melbourne with the rank of Captain, made national headlines recently when he claimed the ADF was critically short of medical personnel, including doctors, nurses and dentists, due to an entrenched culture of demeaning these professionals.

Talking to the press about these allegations has predictably landed Dr Fidge in hot water; the ADF has referred him to a psychologist and he has faced more than a dozen charges of insubordination. While the charges have all since been withdrawn, he remains suspended from the Reserves.

“I entered the military with my eyes wide open. I knew the army was a large organisation and very hierarchical, but I never expected this,” Dr Fidge says.

Citing a “deep ethos of public service and duty”, Dr Fidge joined the armed forces in 1980 as a reservist at age 16 and a student at Melbourne High School. He then served in the regular army from 1981 to 1985 as a signalman.

After completing a Bachelor of Pharmacy and then medical qualifications, Dr Fidge returned to the army as a reserve medical officer in 2005 in the 4th Combat Service Support Battalion in Melbourne.

He had his first taste of working overseas for the military with a stint in East Timor for four months in 2006, conducting aeromedical evacuations.

“Having a Black Hawk helicopter as your taxi was amazing and to be part of Australia’s effort to stabilise that country was fantastic,” he says.

At the same time though he saw firsthand that contract medical teams didn’t always have the best judgment. He recalls one incident where as the result of incorrect treatment, a soldier lost his hearing in one ear and had to be discharged from the army.

It’s been this experience of service and a continuing sense of duty that motivates Dr Fidge to pressure the joint ADF High Command for change for the good of the common soldier, he says.

“It’s not about me,” he says. “I have a pretty perfect life; a busy country practice, great friends.

I’ve got nothing to lose. I am doing this because of the effects on the soldiers who are receiving substandard care from contractors.

“We rely on contract medical teams because Australian medical officers are intimidated and harassed looking after their own troops and quit.”

Dr Fidge says he has numerous examples of this “toxic culture” compiled from current and past serving ADF medical officers, which he says mocks their years of training, experience and expertise. He cites incidents of sergeants over-riding decisions of medical officers over whether or not a sick soldier was fit for duty.

Dr Fidge’s allegations have been broadly dismissed by the Defence Department.

A spokesperson told MO there is “no evidence to suggest that there is a morale problem among ADF medical officers or that there are widespread concerns that medical officers are treated poorly”.

While admitting medical staff shortages, the department denies the issue is hindering the ADF’s ability to provide health support to current operations where they are using contractors instead.

Interestingly though, Dr Fidge’s recent complaints have coincided with several recent changes by the ADF, including the introduction of a new salary and career structure that recognises healthcare professionals’ specialist and post-graduate qualifications.

The Federal Government has also approved new programs to better the flexibility of medical officers’ career paths.

But Dr Fidge says these steps are still woefully inadequate and the ADF is just skirting around the real issue of transforming the culture and attitudes in the armed forces towards medical officers.

“I am going to continue pursuing the issues of healthcare to ADF personnel until I get what I want,” he says. “I’m strongly supported by my medical officer colleagues.”

ADF Provides Sub-Standard Medical Care to Deployed Troops

A copy of a letter I wrote on the 22nd of June 2007 for a soldier who lost his career, after questionable treatment by ASPEN Medical Services in East Timor.

______________________________________________________

To Whom It May Concern:

Re: Medical care by ASPEN Medical Services in East Timor late 2006.

I was the uniformed ADF Medical Officer on Operation Astute in Timor Leste from early October 2006 until mid February 2007. I was in charge of the helicopter aeromedical evacuation team, and my role was limited to the stabilisation and retrieval of sick and injured ADF personnel.

Nevertheless, when medics or soldiers were unhappy with the medical care provided by ASPEN Medical Services I was often approached to help resolve the issue. In the case of PTE X, the medic providing emergency care, CPL Robert Buttery, contacted me after the third or fourth episode of care by ASPEN Medical Services had failed to have any effect and PTE X's otitis externa continued to deteriorate.

I asked for PTE X to be sent back to Dili, where I took a brief history. I had some history from CPL Buttery already. Specifically, I was able to confirm from PTE X that despite diagnosing otitis externa, ASPEN Medical Services had failed to perform any ear toilet (cleaning) and had merely prescribed antibiotics and returned him to the field.

This unusual management of a common condition was always destined to fail, and indeed PTE X represented to ASPEN Medical Services. Again, his treatment was deficient and could never have been successful. He was again given antibiotics and returned to the field without having the affected ear cleaned.

I understand this happened a third time, with PTE X's condition worsening again in the interim. When he still failed to improve and reported to CPL Buttery, CPL Buttery contacted me and I asked for PTE X to be returned to Dili so I could advocate for him directly.

This did not turn out to be necessary, as ASPEN Medical Services finally realised they were unable to manage this common condition and made arrangements to return PTE X to Australia for management by an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. However, by then it was too late and the repeated mismanagement and neglect of Jamie’s ear infection by ASPEN Medical Services had taken his hearing and vocation permanently.

There is no doubt in my mind that ASPEN Medical Services are responsible for Jamie’s hearing loss. Otitis externa is a common condition with a well established management regime which always responds well to appropriate management. Jamie’s ear infection should have both been better managed and referred earlier to an appropriate specialist.

This was one of several cases of mismanagement by ASPEN Medical Services that I personally witnessed in East Timor. I kept a record of these complaints as required of me and passed them to the Joint Operations Health Services Coordinator, Group Captain Amanda Dines. I did not receive feedback about the complaints I made or passed up my health chain of command.

I would be very comfortable testifying to the above. I also feel that any ENT specialist would point out that ear toileting (cleaning) is critical in the management of otitis externa, and that appropriate referral would have saved PTE X's hearing and career. This is a completely preventable tragedy caused by the neglect and mismanagement of PTE X’s ear infection by the doctors involved in his care.

Please contact me if I can be of any help.

Yours truly,

Dr Julian Fidge MBBS, BPharm, Grad Dip App Sc (Comp Sc)

_____________________________________________________

Instead of feedback and further inquiry about the medical care provided by ASPEN Medical Services from Joint Health Services, I was interviewed by the Battle Group Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Scott Goddard.

As an aside, I went to school with Scott, as I had done with the Joint Task Force Commander, Brigadier Mal Rerdon. Mal and Scott went straight to Duntroon. I thought I would learn a little more about the army before becoming an officer, despite being selected for officer training around the same time as them, and enlisted as a private soldier.

Scott instructed me that health complaints were to come to him. I don't know how Scott would decide what was poor service and what wasn't, as he had no medical training. And his orders were not in keeping with the health care directives of the army, so I don't know what he thought he was going to achieve.

In any event, I never heard anything back from Group Captain Dines or the Joint Health Services. I was forced to conclude the senior leadership of the ADF did not care about the medical services provided to the soldiers.

Could the ADF be any ruder?

I came across a copy of this letter from 2006. It is addressed to the Adjutant of 4 Combat Service Support Battalion, and shows just how stupidly the ADF treats Medical Officers. In his letter, this reasonably senior doctor, who is a critical individual assett to the ADF from the moment he accepts a commission, is asking why he is appointed at the same level as a doctor who has just finished his or her internship.

Another point arising from this letter is that the doctor writing it isn't too fussed, and his behaviour supports the view that health care professionals don't have unrealistic expectations about their treatment in the ADF.

But the letter does show how poorly the senior medical leadership functions - doctors like Major General Paul Alexander, for example, who has just been awarded an AO for his outstanding efforts in ADF health.
______________________________________________________

Dear Tim,

Can you please help or advise me how to progress the question of my rank.  My last payslip indicates I am a level 1 Captain.  All doctors join the Army as a Captain is what I was told when I was commissioned so I must've joined as a Level 1.

But I'm wondering how this is determined.  I have 16 years of experience since graduation and I got my specialist qualifications as an Emergency Physician in 1999.  Perhaps this wasn't appreciated when I joined up in 2004.  I did show them the documentation and I can do so again if I need to.  I certainly haven't given it any thought until a few recent comments made by others.  But it does seem odd to me that a doctor with 16 years of experience (nearly 7 of them as a specialist) would join the Army at exactly the same level as a newly graduated doctor fresh out of his first year as an intern.

The same sorts of issues will apply to Julian Fidge I reckon.

I think you mentioned having contacts in APA who would know about this and we started discussing this question with you on the weekend at which time you invited me to email you.  Are you able to enquire for me or at least point me in the right direction?

I can give you a little more information if its helpful - I graduated Monash Uni 1990, got my specialist qualifications with the Australasian College for Emergency Physicians in 1999.  I work in the Austin Hospital Emergency Department as one of their staff specialists (the Austin is a large tertiary teaching hospital in Melbourne).  I am MIMMS trained (Major Incident Medical Management and Support course) and have also done the MIMMS instructors course.  My interest area is disaster medicine and planning (including NBC events) and I help coordinate my hospital's planning and training for mass casualty events.  I don't know how much of this makes a difference but I figure you as the Adj might be interested anyway.  I've got a wife, 3 young kids, a house, blah blah etc. (I don't think you get higher rank for having a wife and 3 young kids - but you should).

Anyway, it was good to meet you on the weekend Tim.  I appreciated the little informal meeting you held and the interest you displayed.  I'd not seen that done before from the Adj.

Kind regards,
______________________________________________________

Don't forget the standard of care for an Australian soldier is to have a doctor trained in the emergency management of severe trauma flown to them when they are injured.

At the moment, our troops get a medic, because the senior leadership of the ADF either don't care about Australian troops, or are hopelessly incompetent. Either way, they need to be sacked, today.

Brigadier Michael Arnold ignores critical state of ADF health support

Below is an edited letter I wrote to Brigadier Michael Arnold, the Commander of 4th Brigade (Victoria) in 2008. It was in response to his unprofessional and incompetent determination with regard to my Redress of Grievance. I have withheld the names of innocent parties.
The ADF continues to lie to the Australian Goverment about this matter also: On the 19th of January 2011, a spokesperson for the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel and Veterans Affairs, The Hon. Warren Snowdon MP, said:

"Dr Fidge received a commitment from the Commander to continue to investigate the claims following the receipt of the additional information. Dr Fidge has not yet provided the additional information as requested."

Which is as good a way as any of avoiding the issue. I have, of course, provided all the necessary information and have done so since 2008. So I really don't have any options other than to publish the correspondence and let you judge for yourself if the ADF should be investigating.
__________________________________________________

Brigadier Michael Arnold
COMD 4 BDE

By facsimile

Thursday December 18th 2008

Dear Sir,

About a month ago you wrote to me with your decision about my grievances.

I am disappointed with your decision for several reasons, and do not accept it.

1. The ADF is unable to mount medical support for operations because of a lack of medical and nursing officers, even in such close proximity as the Solomon Islands and East Timor. The cost to the ADF of contracting medical support to ASPEN is at least ten times what it would cost to employ uniformed medical and nursing staff. Wounded soldiers have medics attending them instead of doctors, and the ADF is not able to satisfy the requirement of having wounded soldiers to doctors or vice versa within an hour of injury.
2. The ADF has a general problem with its behaviour towards medical officers. The unnecessary and preventable death of CAPT Paul Lawton is a demonstration of the attitude of GSOs towards MOs.
3. I have described a specific set of behaviours which comprise a subset of the general problems the ADF have with SSOs.
4. You chose to ignore my complaint, even though you have an obligation and the right to investigate my complaint. Your decision to not investigate all of my complaints was incorrect. Having been made aware of discrimination, harassment and bullying within your brigade by a Medical Officer, it was not and would never be open to you to ignore a serious complaint given to you in writing.
5. Not only did you fail to investigate, you actually failed to even acknowledge my written complaint of discrimination.
6. Of the two decisions you did make, one has not been implemented. I refer to your decision that I am entitled to a PAR for 2007. Your decision was ineffectual, and I have not received a PAR for 2007.
7. The other decision, that referring me for psychological assessment was appropriate, is incorrect. I have, some 4 months after the event, had some explanation for the referral. The referral was based, in part, on a WO2 Joanne Cripps (now a captain, I believe), complaining that I told her I was an MO and had made a decision about a patient of mine. The complaint, and the referral, are absurd. There was never any question that the CO has the power to do this. As a doctor, I also have this power. It was clearly an abuse of this power to refer me for psychological assessment without good reason. LTCOL Pollock's behaviour is not acceptable in Australia. I know this because I have been very well educated about this specific power, which I also have and am required to use reasonably and only as a last resort.
8. In addition to my previous expectations, I now expect CAPT Cripps to be charged with conduct to the prejudice of the ADF, as well as LTCOL Pollock and SGT Carmichael. Her complaint is obviously untrue and mischievous and has clearly caused me a great deal of trouble.
9. I insist on being treated in a similar manner to my peers. I also insist that my SSO colleagues are treated appropriately. Your decision reinforces the common bias against SSOs, that SSOs are not really officers, and that SSOs may be treated poorly. Your decision is unacceptable because it is discriminatory and undermines SSOs, specifically in this case CAPT Scalpel, CAPT Dentist and myself.

In summary, your decision was ineffectual, incorrect and not in the best interests of the ADF and Australia. It falls far below any acceptable standard of decision that could have been taken. Your opinion is not important to me personally, or professionally outside my service as a reserve officer, and I would not pursue this if there were not more important ramifications to your decision. But the ADF requires SSOs to conduct operations and I believe your decision adversely affects the capability of the ADF to mount operations.

I note during your investigation another SSO, CAPT Dentist, from 4 CSSB Wangaratta has gone inactive. As a dentist, CAPT Dentist was a critical individual asset to the ADF.

I trust you will forward this letter along with my original complaint as required.

If at any time you wish investigate further any of the matters I have raised I remain available to help you do this.

Yours truly,

 

Dr Julian Fidge

Captain

Medical Officer

4 CSSB

Beersheba Barracks

Wangaratta

___________________________________________________________

Brigadier Arnold continued to act appallingly, charging me with insubordination for not accepting his decision and setting up a kangaroo court in which he tried to have one of his infantry commanders hear his charges against me. More on Brigadier Arnold's kangaroo court later.

It may interest the reader that the next brigadier who reviewed my Redress of Grievance was able to organise my Performance Appraisal Review for 2007. I received it in November 2010, so it was, of course, completely useless. This next brigadier, in keeping with the attitudes, behaviour and general level of incompetence displayed by General Service Officers in the ADF didn't remedy this. It was more of a "Yes, we acknowledge we completely screwed you. But we don't give a toss about SSOs, so suck it up."

Actually, no, I don't think I will suck it up. Another young soldier died in Afghanistan today. My understanding is that a medic was sent in a helicopter to help.  That's not good enough for Australian soldiers.

The ADF's usual standard of care is a Medical Officer trained in the emergency management of severe trauma goes in the helicopter that attends. This is called Rotary Wing Areomedical Evactuation, and I am a trained RWAME Medical Officer with operational experience who has flown out to injured soldiers in East Timor.

At present, because of the incompetence of the senior leadership of the ADF, we don't have doctors, nurses and dentists where we need them. Parliamentry inquiries have continually criticised the conduct of ADF officers, who consistently fail to heed their political masters. The behaviour of the senior leadership of the ADF goes beyond mere incompetence and ignoring direction to active sedition at times.

It is past time the Australian Government stopped accepting such consistently poor performance from the ADF and started sacking the service chiefs and their incompetent colleagues.

Why Specialist Service Officers resign

I was just laughing at the difference between an ADF recruitment advertisement for Specialist Service Officers and what actually happens once we're recruited. There is really no encouragement to serve, which is why I guess most of the specialists resign.

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Reality:

When we arrived at the Royal Military College, Duntroon, we were continually reminded that we were "not core business" at the College. Senior trauma surgeons were made to sit through 20 hours of first aid training. I am not joking. This is how dysfunctional the senior leadership of the ADF has become.

Reality (from my "Agreed goals") 2008 given to me by my Officer Commanding:

• Provide medical advice
• Provide clinical training
• Maintain fitness and weapons competency

I may as well have stayed at my practice and seen a few more patients. So much for leadership, management and the challenges for which I actually accepted a commission.

But still, 2008 was better than 2010. In my 2010 "Agreed goals" my new Officer Commanding,  Major Kaylene Baird,  wanted me to:

• Conform with ASODs

ASODs is the Army Standing Orders for Dress. My OC thinks a suitable goal for an officer who has ten years experience in the Australian Army, operational experience and three degrees from three of the best universities in Australia is to dress myself properly.

That's not a joke. Her goal for me was to dress myself properly, something I have been doing for ten years. This is how disrespectfully we are treated by senior officers in the ADF.

History has made a different assessment of Medical Officers than this stupid, rude officer and her like-minded colleagues. The Victoria Cross has been won twice by only three people in history. Despite the fact that Medical Officers don't usually go anywhere near the fighting, two of the three double VC winners are Medical Officers. We are smart and brave, keen to serve, and this is how we are treated.

No wonder the specialists resign.