Mr MICHAEL KEMP (Oxley) (19:58): Australia asks extraordinary things of the men and women it sends to war. In return, they should be entitled to fairness, due process and the certainty that their country will stand by them when they act lawfully in its service. Enlisting in the army at just 17, Matthew Locke served in some of the most challenging environments, including East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. In December 2006, Sergeant Locke was awarded the Medal for Gallantry. He was a little boy from Bellingen. Less than a year later, on 25 October 2007, Sergeant Matthew Locke was shot and killed while on duty in the Uruzgan Province of Afghanistan while serving with the Special Air Service Regiment.
Matthew was brave. He was dedicated and fiercely loyal to his mates. He died doing exactly what this country asked him to do. There are many more veterans just like Matt who served their country and yet are now being investigated by that same country years later—just like two of the men who were there on the day that Matt was killed. Twenty-five years ago, the world was gripped by fear. We lived through 9/11, the Bali bombings and repeated terrorist attacks across the globe. Australia responded by deploying its Special Forces to dismantle terror networks and protect our way of life. But while they were fighting a war on our behalf and protecting our values, a decade later media sensationalism took hold. Walkley Awards were there to be won. Careers were built on allegations, even at the expense of the very people who keep us safe. Medals were removed from the troops but not the commanders.
More than 400 Special Air Service [SAS] veterans were interviewed as part of the Brereton Report, a report that is now more than a decade old. Since then, 56 investigations have continued, often without transparency, without communication and without resolution. Only one charge has been laid. In the meantime, $268 million of public money has been spent. Veterans already struggle with their mental health. We have just had the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, which made it painfully clear that Australia must do better by the people it sends to war. The endless purgatory for our vets is unacceptable. They have gone through years of suspicion without due process and without the basic fairness that every other Australian is entitled to. If there is sufficient evidence, lay the charges. If there is not, clear their names.
In 2020 an SAS member known as "Horse" was notified that he was under investigation by the Office of the Special Investigator. He was told that there was enough evidence to refer charges to the Australian Federal Police. Then, for more than five years, there was nothing. Imagine that stress. Only after following it up himself did he finally receive a response, in December 2025, confirming that he was no longer under investigation. In 2019, while still serving, an SAS member known as "Clay" was interviewed as part of the Brereton process. Following an intense and aggressive interrogation, he was told there were two allegations against him.
The potentially affected persons report was later released and listed four allegations without any prior notice. They are piecemeal, "he said, she said" allegations. They have been prosecuted in the media with an assumption of guilt and without any due process that underpins our justice system. Lives have been damaged. Marriages have broken down. Health has deteriorated. Clay has lost 20 kilograms. He is unwell. The stress caused by unfounded allegations means that he cannot regain his weight or his health. Veterans live with the constant feeling of surveillance and of never being able to relax or live normally. The SAS Association has drained its own funds supporting members through legal costs—money that should be going to welfare and support, not barristers and solicitors.
Eight years after his death, the parents of Sean McCarthy received a letter advising that their son was not under investigation. That lacks sensitivity and respect. Those men answered the call when Australia felt unsafe. They followed orders. They operated within their rules of engagement. They did what this country asked of them and what most cannot fathom to do. What message are we now sending to the next generation of soldiers? That if you serve, your country may abandon you? That allegations may follow you for decades without resolution? That senior figures walk away untouched, while those further down the ranks are left to carry the burden alone? That cannot continue for another decade.
I call on the Federal Government to bring it to a conclusion, to finalise the work of the Office of the Special Investigator and to properly deal with the legacy of the Brereton Report. I ask people to watch Channel 7 at 9.00 p.m. on 26 April. It is airingBravery and Betrayal, a documentary about the real result of the wastage of $268 million that ended in a witch hunt. It is also available on socials. Lay the charges where evidence exists or clear the names of those who are brave enough to protect us. Give them their medals back or remove them from the commanders as well. Anything less is a betrayal of the men and women who are brave enough to fight for Australia when we ask them to.
Mr GREG WARREN (Campbelltown) (20:03): I thank the member for Oxley for making that private member's statement. It is valid and legitimate. I am very aware of the situation. I have spoken with some of those fellow veterans. The hardship that many of those people have been put through has had a life-changing and detrimental effect on them and their families. Like the member for Oxley said, it has gone on for too long. If there are allegations founded on evidence, they should be put through the legal process. It is not our place to interfere in that. It has gone on for too long and needs to be resolved. Many fellow veterans have been unfairly treated and defamed. I am not sure that some of their reputations will recover, which is grossly unfair, particularly if they are innocent.
