During a parliamentary committee session, the head of the Australian Defense Force (ADF) revealed that he had not been informed of significant allegations against a Fijian military officer before endorsing his assignment to an Australian army brigade.
Colonel Penioni (Ben) Naliva, a Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) officer, was recently appointed as the deputy commander of the 7th Brigade located at Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane.
The allegations against Naliva were disclosed during a Senate estimates committee hearing in Canberra on Wednesday, February 14.
The Greens senator David Shoebridge stated, “In 2011, the UN special rapporteur on the protection of freedom of expression named Colonel Naliva, in a report to the Human Rights Council, citing his [alleged] role in the savage beating of [a] Suva businessman and former politician.”
Shoebridge inquired of General Angus Campbell, the chief of the ADF, whether he knew about this allegation at the time of appointing him as the second in command of 3,000 Australian soldiers.
“No, I was not, senator,” said Campbell.
Shoebridge informed the committee that a former prime minister of Fiji authored a book detailing accusations of torture inflicted by Colonel Naliva on one of his political opponents at that time.
Addressing the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Affairs Defense and Trade on Wednesday, Campbell admitted deficiencies in the appointment vetting procedure.
According to Campbell, “The process that we undertake to consider those persons being nominated for appointments did not occur as it should have in this case”
“And I’ve heard what you’ve just read out. It is, of course, very disturbing. It is an allegation and concerningly, unfortunately, I’m advised that no relevant authority has received a complaint from those who are making those allegations.”
General Angus Campbell
Campbell asserted that he, as chief of the ADF, was responsible for endorsing the appointment, which was part of a program of “further strengthening the relationship between Pacific military forces and Australia”.
Responding to inquiries from independent senator Jacqui Lambie, Campbell mentioned that Naliva “was recommended by the commander of the Fijian military forces”.
Campbell would “consider next steps” after consultation.
“I have directed that the process be completed, as it ought to have been, so as to present me with the full view, including the advice offered from the government of Fiji and the commander of the Fiji military forces as much as the considerations of our own vetting mechanisms,” he said.
Campbell clarified that Naliva had not been suspended but was currently “working remotely from home, providing support to his family amidst a challenging situation.”
Campbell emphasized the importance of proceeding cautiously through this process, citing his duty of care both to the individual and to the ADF.
Campbell said, “Progressing beyond one error to make a second error without undertaking what should have been a correct process is simply a perpetuation of the error.”
He also highlighted that Naliva deserved the presumption of innocence.
Government Took All Allegations Of Wrongdoing Too Seriously
In the Senate estimates discussion, Shoebridge argued that Campbell’s situation management constituted a complete failure.
Labor Senator Jenny McAllister, representing the defense minister at the committee hearing, stated that the government took “all allegations of wrongdoing seriously” and Campbell was taking steps “to remedy those matters”.
The first assistant secretary of Defence’s Pacific division, Susan Bowdell, told the committee that in the case of Naliva, “we got confirmation from the government of Fiji that he had a clear police clearance and national security checks”.
“These are allegations against the individual, so they would not have been picked up in that criminal check from the government,” Bowdell told the committee.
“Yes, it was a gap of information that, unfortunately, was not put to the CDF in the appointment process.”
Fiji’s home affairs minister, Pio Tikoduadua, stated“understandable that individuals may have faced challenges or concerns about coming forward with their claims, especially considering the political and social context at the time”.
Tikoduadua stressed the need for due process for Naliva and a thorough discussion of the allegations.
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