http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/australian-defence-force/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2013 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/coffee-with-my-mate-cate-who-used-to-be-malcolm/ Early in the year Lt Col Malcolm McGregor went to a Sydney doctor and ordered him to, “Completely eliminate this man.” The man was himself, and the order was obeyed. Now, Lt Col Catherine ‘Cate’ McGregor is in his place as a brilliant and important thinker and political strategist in the Australian Army. She also is one of about six members of the Defence force who have undergone a gender change and are still serving. Ostensibly the only alteration has been in the cut of the uniform and the replacement of “sir” with “ma’am”. She is part of a band of brothers…and sisters. feedback@thepunch.com.au (The Punch Team) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/coffee-with-my-mate-cate-who-used-to-be-malcolm/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/coffee-with-my-mate-cate-who-used-to-be-malcolm/#item9957 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember.- Ophelia November is here again. In temperate climates like Canberra’s it is definitely late spring, with roses bursting their buds and bright green canopies of oak and plane to shade the streets. From Sydney north through the subtropics it’s getting hot and humid. And there is another thing happening now. Today is Remembrance Day, commemorated as always on the 11th of November. The tradition of a minute’s silence for remembrance and reflection dates from 1919 and was fathered at least in part by the Australian journalist and soldier Edward Honey. He meant it to be, in his own words, “...communion with the glorious dead who won us peace, and from the communion new strength, hope and faith in the morrow…” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/lest-we-forget-there-are-others-to-remember/ There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember.- Ophelia November is here again. In temperate climates like Canberra’s it is definitely late spring, with roses bursting their buds and bright green canopies of oak and plane to shade the streets. From Sydney north through the subtropics it’s getting hot and humid. And there is another thing happening now. Today is Remembrance Day, commemorated as always on the 11th of November. The tradition of a minute’s silence for remembrance and reflection dates from 1919 and was fathered at least in part by the Australian journalist and soldier Edward Honey. He meant it to be, in his own words, “...communion with the glorious dead who won us peace, and from the communion new strength, hope and faith in the morrow…” feedback@thepunch.com.au (The Punch Team) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/lest-we-forget-there-are-others-to-remember/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/lest-we-forget-there-are-others-to-remember/#item9955 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember.- Ophelia November is here again. In temperate climates like Canberra’s it is definitely late spring, with roses bursting their buds and bright green canopies of oak and plane to shade the streets. From Sydney north through the subtropics it’s getting hot and humid. And there is another thing happening now. Today is Remembrance Day, commemorated as always on the 11th of November. The tradition of a minute’s silence for remembrance and reflection dates from 1919 and was fathered at least in part by the Australian journalist and soldier Edward Honey. He meant it to be, in his own words, “...communion with the glorious dead who won us peace, and from the communion new strength, hope and faith in the morrow…” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/something-rotten-in-the-heart-of-defence/ As more dire details ooze out, it becomes clearer that something has been festering in Defence for decades. The Government released the DLA Piper report into allegations of sexual and other abuse in Defence yesterday, and it was grim reading. Our military institutions over the past six decades have provided an excellent petri dish for abuse, cultivating many factors that increase risk. Many of the findings were released earlier this year. Of 775 allegations most were plausible and “probably substantially accurate” and there were probably many more that weren’t reported to the review. feedback@thepunch.com.au (The Punch Team) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/something-rotten-in-the-heart-of-defence/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/something-rotten-in-the-heart-of-defence/#item8949 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember.- Ophelia November is here again. In temperate climates like Canberra’s it is definitely late spring, with roses bursting their buds and bright green canopies of oak and plane to shade the streets. From Sydney north through the subtropics it’s getting hot and humid. And there is another thing happening now. Today is Remembrance Day, commemorated as always on the 11th of November. The tradition of a minute’s silence for remembrance and reflection dates from 1919 and was fathered at least in part by the Australian journalist and soldier Edward Honey. He meant it to be, in his own words, “...communion with the glorious dead who won us peace, and from the communion new strength, hope and faith in the morrow…” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/turning-back-the-boats-we-should-listen-to-the-navy/ Vice Admiral Ray Griggs has told of the reality, not the theory, of sending asylum seeker boats back to Indonesia: “There are risks involved in this whole endeavour.” He informed a Senate committee: “There have been fires lit, there have been attempts to storm the engine compartment of these boats, there have been people jumping in the water and that sort of thing.” Ray Griggs was there and saw violent eruptions and sabotage and one might have thought his opinion and those of other Defence figures would be keenly absorbed by federal MPs. Tony Abbott is determined to be inflexible on Coalition asylum seeker policy no matter how many committees or calls for compromise the Government and some of his own MPs might drum up. feedback@thepunch.com.au (The Punch Team) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/turning-back-the-boats-we-should-listen-to-the-navy/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/turning-back-the-boats-we-should-listen-to-the-navy/#item8945 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember.- Ophelia November is here again. In temperate climates like Canberra’s it is definitely late spring, with roses bursting their buds and bright green canopies of oak and plane to shade the streets. From Sydney north through the subtropics it’s getting hot and humid. And there is another thing happening now. Today is Remembrance Day, commemorated as always on the 11th of November. The tradition of a minute’s silence for remembrance and reflection dates from 1919 and was fathered at least in part by the Australian journalist and soldier Edward Honey. He meant it to be, in his own words, “...communion with the glorious dead who won us peace, and from the communion new strength, hope and faith in the morrow…” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/world-of-warcraft-the-armys-best-training-ground/ Why train one weekend a month, two weeks a year to develop your social awareness, leadership potential and teamwork capacity when you can log onto the world of Azeroth every night after work and achieve the same goals? Perusing the Australian Government’s Defence Jobs website I read a section that explained all the benefits of joining the Army Reserve on a part time basis, I was struck by the number of qualities recruits are told they can develop in the army that could also be honed by building a character and running with a ‘guild’ on World of Warcraft (WoW). “Learn new skills like leadership, problem solving, communication and physical fitness…” the Defence website declares. They could easily be describing the exact skills one can glean from playing WoW…, well perhaps not physical fitness, although constantly getting up and down to grab another Diet Coke from the fridge gives your quads a good work out. feedback@thepunch.com.au (The Punch Team) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/world-of-warcraft-the-armys-best-training-ground/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/world-of-warcraft-the-armys-best-training-ground/#item8918 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember.- Ophelia November is here again. In temperate climates like Canberra’s it is definitely late spring, with roses bursting their buds and bright green canopies of oak and plane to shade the streets. From Sydney north through the subtropics it’s getting hot and humid. And there is another thing happening now. Today is Remembrance Day, commemorated as always on the 11th of November. The tradition of a minute’s silence for remembrance and reflection dates from 1919 and was fathered at least in part by the Australian journalist and soldier Edward Honey. He meant it to be, in his own words, “...communion with the glorious dead who won us peace, and from the communion new strength, hope and faith in the morrow…” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/smith-will-need-balls-to-tackle-the-top-brass/ There is great resistance at senior levels of the military to the idea of a Royal Commission into decades of sexual abuse and bastardisation within the defence force. The brass doesn’t want it. They don’t want the inconvenience and embarrassment. But they will find it hard to head it off now. Defence Minister Stephen Smith, having lifted the lid on the issue by commissioning a crack team from the law firm DLA Piper to conduct a review, has little choice. If he fails to take action he will be a laughing stock. feedback@thepunch.com.au (The Punch Team) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/smith-will-need-balls-to-tackle-the-top-brass/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/smith-will-need-balls-to-tackle-the-top-brass/#item8751 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember.- Ophelia November is here again. In temperate climates like Canberra’s it is definitely late spring, with roses bursting their buds and bright green canopies of oak and plane to shade the streets. From Sydney north through the subtropics it’s getting hot and humid. And there is another thing happening now. Today is Remembrance Day, commemorated as always on the 11th of November. The tradition of a minute’s silence for remembrance and reflection dates from 1919 and was fathered at least in part by the Australian journalist and soldier Edward Honey. He meant it to be, in his own words, “...communion with the glorious dead who won us peace, and from the communion new strength, hope and faith in the morrow…” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-royal-commission-is-the-only-answer-for-defence/ The review into the Australian Defence Force has revealed an endemic culture of physical and sexual assault, including that of children as young as thirteen, and other forms of abuse dating back six decades. Nothing less than a Royal Commission will deliver the systemic change needed to reverse the damage reaped by the existing culture. The report, by law firm DLA Piper, is based on 847 independent reports of abuse, involving men and women including allegations of crimes which had been committed against children. The special needs of children, based on their inherent vulnerability and the necessity of incorporating additional protections for children in the ADF, have historically been ignored. Many, according to the reports, were not kept safe and the long-term impacts, as potentially for all child victims of abuse, who have not received the right support, have been substantial. feedback@thepunch.com.au (The Punch Team) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-royal-commission-is-the-only-answer-for-defence/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-royal-commission-is-the-only-answer-for-defence/#item8748 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember.- Ophelia November is here again. In temperate climates like Canberra’s it is definitely late spring, with roses bursting their buds and bright green canopies of oak and plane to shade the streets. From Sydney north through the subtropics it’s getting hot and humid. And there is another thing happening now. Today is Remembrance Day, commemorated as always on the 11th of November. The tradition of a minute’s silence for remembrance and reflection dates from 1919 and was fathered at least in part by the Australian journalist and soldier Edward Honey. He meant it to be, in his own words, “...communion with the glorious dead who won us peace, and from the communion new strength, hope and faith in the morrow…” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/our-special-forces-dont-always-need-special-treatment/ We admire them, but we’re not entirely sure why. We allow them to operate in the shadows; we rarely ask what they do. The less we know about them, the more their mystique grows. Have we permitted our special forces, our SAS and Commandos, to become unaccountable? Special forces are becoming more imperative as mass troop deployments are seen as the undesirable option of last resort. If a situation can be sorted by sending in a small, skilled assault squad to eliminate the problem, secure the hostage, or stop the problem before it begins, it makes sense. feedback@thepunch.com.au (The Punch Team) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/our-special-forces-dont-always-need-special-treatment/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/our-special-forces-dont-always-need-special-treatment/#item8596 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember.- Ophelia November is here again. In temperate climates like Canberra’s it is definitely late spring, with roses bursting their buds and bright green canopies of oak and plane to shade the streets. From Sydney north through the subtropics it’s getting hot and humid. And there is another thing happening now. Today is Remembrance Day, commemorated as always on the 11th of November. The tradition of a minute’s silence for remembrance and reflection dates from 1919 and was fathered at least in part by the Australian journalist and soldier Edward Honey. He meant it to be, in his own words, “...communion with the glorious dead who won us peace, and from the communion new strength, hope and faith in the morrow…” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/mounting-a-defence-of-our-armed-forces/ When Rod Stewart rocked Adelaide last month, he dedicated Rhythm of My Heart to the servicemen and women of Australia and Britain. I remember it distinctly for two reasons: 1) in Australia, we might ‘well up’ once a year as veterans march on ANZAC Day, but we most definitely don’t fawn over serving troops; and 2) someone shouted “THANKYOU” in a way that implied “FINALLY, some bloody recognition”. I’ve been musing on the incident this week in the wake of those inane comments uttered on Channel Ten’s morning chat show The Circle. In the unlikely event you missed the subsequent outpouring of wrath, hosts Yumi Stynes and George Negus ‘joked’ about the intelligence and sexual prowess of Australia’s newest Victoria Cross recipient, Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith. Tacky at best, disgusting at worst, and the social networks went into meltdown. feedback@thepunch.com.au (The Punch Team) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/mounting-a-defence-of-our-armed-forces/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/mounting-a-defence-of-our-armed-forces/#item7915 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember.- Ophelia November is here again. In temperate climates like Canberra’s it is definitely late spring, with roses bursting their buds and bright green canopies of oak and plane to shade the streets. From Sydney north through the subtropics it’s getting hot and humid. And there is another thing happening now. Today is Remembrance Day, commemorated as always on the 11th of November. The tradition of a minute’s silence for remembrance and reflection dates from 1919 and was fathered at least in part by the Australian journalist and soldier Edward Honey. He meant it to be, in his own words, “...communion with the glorious dead who won us peace, and from the communion new strength, hope and faith in the morrow…” http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/War-is-hell-and-military-life-is-no-picnic/ The reader response to The Punch article, 12 January 2012, “Why have we abandoned our troops?” highlighted a deep misunderstanding of the central tenet of the article, and, more worryingly, a flawed knowledge of the actual conditions of service applicable in the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Some of the more ill-informed myths about what entitlements our military men and women received were: • Tax free salaries – No (but there are some concessions when deployed to war zones). feedback@thepunch.com.au (The Punch Team) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/War-is-hell-and-military-life-is-no-picnic/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/War-is-hell-and-military-life-is-no-picnic/#item7624 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember.- Ophelia November is here again. In temperate climates like Canberra’s it is definitely late spring, with roses bursting their buds and bright green canopies of oak and plane to shade the streets. From Sydney north through the subtropics it’s getting hot and humid. And there is another thing happening now. Today is Remembrance Day, commemorated as always on the 11th of November. The tradition of a minute’s silence for remembrance and reflection dates from 1919 and was fathered at least in part by the Australian journalist and soldier Edward Honey. He meant it to be, in his own words, “...communion with the glorious dead who won us peace, and from the communion new strength, hope and faith in the morrow…”