KEY POINTS:
- Ben Roberts-Smith has resigned from his role at Channel Seven.
- The War Memorial is 'considering' adding additional information to his displays.
- A defamation judge ruled the veteran was a war criminal and murderer.
Ben Roberts-Smith has resigned from his role at Channel 7, just 24 hours a
It comes as the Australian War Memorial confirmed it was “considering carefully” whether additional information should be added to displays lauding the veteran.
And Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to implement recommendations of the Brereton Report, which found evidence Australian special forces had committed 39 murders in Afghanistan, to "the fullest extent possible".
Mr Roberts-Smith was general manager of Seven Queensland, but took leave during a years-long defamation case against three newspapers which alleged he murdered Afghan civilians.
Mr Roberts-Smith has resigned from Channel Seven amid the fallout from Thursday's defamation ruling. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins
“We thank Ben for his commitment to Seven and wish him all the best,” he said.
Mr Roberts-Smith launched defamation proceedings against The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times for a series of articles claiming he had committed war crimes in Afghanistan.
In a landmark ruling on Thursday, a Federal Court judge found the media defendants had established their claims that Mr Roberts-Smith murdered four Afghan civilians were "substantially true".
Speaking for the first time since the ruling, Mr Albanese said it would be “inappropriate” to comment on the specifics of Thursday’s ruling, noting the potential for further action the “government might be a party to”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, on a visit to Singapore, says the international standing of Australian troops remains strong. Source: EPA / Roslan Rahman
“That is an area where we have a responsibility [and] we have indicated very clearly we will take up that responsibility,” he said in Singapore, where he is giving a speech to a key regional security forum.
Mr Albanese rejected suggestions Australia's international standing could be damaged by the ruling.
"[It] is extraordinarily strong, including the standing of our defence forces and our defence personnel," he said.
War Memorial 'carefully considering' Ben Roberts-Smith displays
Mr Roberts-Smith’s uniform, medals, and a large painting of the veteran are on public display at the memorial.
In a statement to SBS News, Australian War Memorial chair Kim Beazley acknowledged the “gravity” of the defamation ruling “and its broader impact on all involved in the Australian community”.
“The Memorial assists in remembering, interpreting and understanding Australia’s experience of war and its enduring impact. This includes the causes, conduct and consequences of war,” he said.
Ben Robert-Smith's uniforms are also on display at the Australian War Memorial. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
“Collection items relating to Ben Roberts-Smith … are on display in the Memorial’s galleries. We are considering carefully the additional content and context to be included in these displays.”
Greens senator David Shoebridge has called for the items to be removed entirely if the ruling is upheld.
“The first step in correcting the official record is for the Australian War Memorial to immediately remove Ben Roberts-Smith’s uniform from public display and to begin telling the entire truth of Australia’s involvement in that brutal war,” he said.
“This is not justice for the families who lost loved ones or for the communities that have been brutalised by war crimes, but it takes us a step closer.”
Mr Roberts-Smith was not present at the judgment. He was pictured holidaying in Bali in the days before.
Channel 7 chairman Kerry Stokes bankrolled Mr Roberts-Smith’s legal defence, and said in a statement on Thursday the ruling, “does not accord with the man I know”.
Roughly 40 war crimes investigations 'continue unabated'
The 2020 Brereton Report found credible evidence of war crimes committed by Australian special forces (SAS) in Afghanistan, including 39 murders.
The report prompted joint investigations between the Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) and the Australian Federal Police.
It did not name Mr Roberts-Smith specifically, but the Nine newspapers in January revealed he is under investigation.
In March, a decorated former SAS soldier became the first veteran charged with war crimes under Australian law, investigators alleging he murdered an unarmed Afghan man in a wheat field.
Last week, OSI director-general Chris Moraitis said efforts to advance war crimes investigations “continue unabated”.
OSI director-general Chris Moraitis says investigations 'continue unabated'. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
“Our teams are conducting their work as expeditiously as possible, conscious of not unnecessarily adding to the burden of anyone affected by the investigations, including their families,” he said in a statement to Senate estimates.
“The number of active investigations from all sources is fluid and under constant review.
“I expect it will continue to trend downwards over time, as we focus our efforts on alleged war crimes of particular gravity and which meet the high evidentiary threshold for a criminal justice process.”
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