Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been labelled “disgraceful and disrespectful” for his government’s decision to release a major review of Australia’s defence force the day before Anzac Day.
Opposition assistant defence spokesman and Afghanistan veteran Phillip Thompson blasted the government for publicly releasing a declassified version of the defence strategic review on Monday.
“This Prime Minister is so out of touch, is disgraceful and disrespectful for what he did,” he told Sky News.
“It p—es me off … to release the [review] the day before Anzac Day.”
The Queensland MP, who represents Australia’s largest garrison city, said the release of the review was a double blow to Townsville’s 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment.
Mr Thompson said the mechanised infantry battalion was marking the Battle of Kapyong from the Korean War, while learning it would be affected by the cuts to infantry fighting vehicles in the review.
“I’m baffled and I’m hearing from soldiers at all levels that you know people want to discharge now they don’t feel valued,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, who is also the Defence Minister, defended the timing of the review’s release.
“We said quite a while ago, actually, that we were going to release the report in the first part of the year, and it was two months ago that I said it would be released in April,” he told Melbourne’s 3AW.
“That it was going to happen in this week has been really on the cards for quite a while, and that’s the reason why.”
Mr Marles would not be drawn on commenting on the review on Anzac Day.
Veterans’ Affairs Minister Matt Keogh also backed the timing of the release.
“There are things we need to do as a government that aren’t the sorts of decisions you can turn around in weeks, they need to be thought through with clear direction,” he told ABC radio.
“We’ll have more opportunity to discuss that over coming weeks no doubt, (but) the key focus today needs to be on commemorating our service men and women.”
– AAP
