Truth is the first victim of war

Abbott said recently in Sri Lanka that under certain circumstances torture is justified. He has also said that he would accept the word of an Australian sailor over that of a person who sought to enter Australia illegally (he was referring to asylum seekers).

It is not as if the Navy and the ADF have a perfect record. Griggs will not have forgotten the unedifying farce of the inquiries into the sinking of HMAS Voyager by HMAS Melbourne. He will be aware of issues of sexual harassment in the Navy dating back fifty years and covered up until recent times and he will be aware of conduct unbecoming on HMAS Ballarat last year. The Army has also had its share of scandal particularly during the war in Vietnam and also shares a history of bullying and sexual harassment.

Sailors and soldiers under pressure can behave badly, particularly if leadership is weak or lacking.

Having failed to defend the seamanship of his sailors against the nonsense put about by Morrison and Campbell, is Griggs jumping to the blind defence of his sailors a ploy to deflect his lack of leadership on the more basic question of defending their professional competence. Griggs hasn’t long to go in the job, surely he should consider retiring with pride. He needs to find some moral courage. A starting point might be to assert himself over the operational use of his vessels before the Indonesians start firing at them.

The Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, needs to place distance between himself and Abbott. Together with the Opposition Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Tanya Plibersek, he should visit Indonesia and seek to repair the damage being wrought by Morrison and Abbott. They might begin by addressing the issue of the joint processing of refugees.

Indonesia would genuinely welcome good relations with Australia, but despite their inane statements that all is well with the relationship, Abbott and Morison are doing everything to wreck it.