Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Member for Solomon Luke Gosling

Transcript

Katie Woolf spoke with Member for Solomon Luke Gosling · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: It's been reported today in the paper that thousands of
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Australian soldiers that serviced within the Special Operations Task Group
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: the SOTG, Well, they shouldn't be stripped of their meritorious
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: unit's citation because of the actions of a few. That
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: is what Labour's Member for Solomon Luke Gosling has said,
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: and he joins me in the studio right now. Good
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: morning to you, Luke.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Now. I know that you have written an op ed
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: and opinion piece you've pend it for the Northern Territory
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: News and said those responsible for alleged war crimes in
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Afghanistan should be held to account, but it would be
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: wrong to strip the three thousand or so soldiers that
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: were part of the SOTG to be stripped of recognition.
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: I think you've made a really good point on this one.
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: I think it's a really important issue, Cadie. And we've
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: seen in previous wars or conflicts that Australia has been
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: involved in, such as Vietnam, that those veterans weren't treated
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: well when they got back and because of some people
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: who committed really serious offenses. Unfortunately, so many got tired
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: with that same brush when really they were just enjoying
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: their life here in Australia in the sixties and early
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: seventies and got called up to conscripted to serve their country,
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: put in this position of being in combat and did
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: their best and come home and weren't treated well. So
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: I really want to avoid that sort of thing happening
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: these days. I will not stand by and let our
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: Australian soldiers who served US in Afghanistan be thrown under
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: a bus, had this award stripped off them because of
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: the failures of a.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Few And Mate, I actually think that, you know, I
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: think that's fair enough. And I know that there will
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: be plenty of us listening this morning who probably are
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: a little bit like me that maybe don't understand, you know,
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: the way in which these medals and things are awarded,
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: and maybe don't have as much inside as someone like
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: you does when it comes to the time that people
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: have served and what they've done for their country. Yeah.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, and I guess that's why I wanted to
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: contribute something to this conversation, to not only stand up
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: for people in my elector who served in the Special
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: Operations Task Group sometime between two thousand and seven and
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: twenty thirteen, which is the period for which this award,
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: which is called the Meritorious Unit Citation, was awarded to
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: those members of the Special Operations Task Group. Because that
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: was an enormously intense period of time, there were multiple rotations,
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: they were doing a very difficult job during a really
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: difficult campaign in Afghanistan that wasn't well understood by the
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: general public. So I think it's exactly the wrong message
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: to send to serving men and women about the value
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: of their service to strip it from all three thousand
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: because of these allegations that a small amount less than
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: zero point one percent of them are alleged to have
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: been guilty of. But they haven't been found guilty yet.
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: There's still a court process to go through. Sure, if
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: any of those have found to have acted illegally, then
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: they should be stripped of awards. But let's not tar
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: the more with the same brush.
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: I agree with you.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: I think if we're in a situation here we've got
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: people who've risked their lives overseas, you know, for Australia,
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: then I just you know, I know obviously what's being reported.
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: I know that it is alleged and I understand that
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: if people are found guilty of doing the wrong thing, then,
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: like you've said, I do agree with that sentiment, but
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: I just feel really worried that we're going to have
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: a situation where, you know, we've got serving members of
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: the Defense Force who are treated differently through no fault
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: of their own, and also they're broader family Like, I
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: think we've got to be really careful here that you know,
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: that we don't have a situation where families are made
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: to feel, you know, like their loved ones are doing
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: something that they shouldn't be when they simply are not,
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: if that makes sense, yeah, or if.
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: Other people of the community are looking at them in
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: a different way because they've heard about these war crimes.
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: And I didn't your dad serve in Afghanistan. So I
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: just wanted to say really clearly through your radio station
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: right now, Katie, those that served in Afghanistan, the overwhelming
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: majority did a really excellent, outstanding job in difficult circumstances.
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: So thank you for your service. There's been obviously some
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: really concerning reports, but that is in out of thirty
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: thousand Australians, we're looking at less than thirty, so it's
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: a very small percentage. So I don't want everyone tired
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: with that same brush, and I want people to understand
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: that it really is difficult work. That we ask not
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: only the soldiers, the sailors and airmen. Because we've got
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: Navy members of our community here in Darwin that were
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: awarded that medal for being part of that group. We've
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: also got members from Robson Barracks who are part of
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: that group. They should be really proud of their service
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: and that service has come with a lot of pressure
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: on families. So thank you to the families. Rest assured
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: that I'll be taking this cause to Canberra next week
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: because I'm not going to stand by and have a
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: situation where all our people are tired with the same brush.
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: We can send the right message to serving men and
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: women and their families, which is your service is valued
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: and crack on in the military and we'll support you
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: as best as we can.
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: Look, if there's anybody listening this morning who is feeling
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: like they need some assistance, or if there is a
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: military family who's listening this morning and they're thinking, you know, look,
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: I just need to speak to somebody. I need a
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: bit of help. I know that mates for Mates is
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: due to launch in the territory. But who can people
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: sort of reach out to if they do need some assistance.
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: Yeah, there's a number of organizations that are providing support
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: in this area and Open Arms, which they've got an
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: office in Winnelly, So give Open Arms a call, and Katie,
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: if you could put those details.
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: I've actually got the number here Open Arms is one
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: eight hundred zero double one zero four six. And we
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: also know that there is that defense all our support
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: line as well, isn't there, Luke and I have got
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: that number. It is one eight hundred and six to
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: eight zero three six. But Luke, I really appreciate you
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: coming in this morning. I think it's a really important
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: message that you've got today, and I think it's really
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: important for us as a community as well to remember,
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: as you've said that the large majority here.
• 7:02
  Speaker 3: Absolutely do a wonderful job.
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, Katie, and I just yeah, I ask you listeners
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: to support our people in uniform. They sacrifice a lot,
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: they're a big part of our community. They're a love
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: part of our community and we wish them well and
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: we'll do everything we can to support them.
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: Good on you, Luke Gosling Labour's member for Solomon always
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: appreciate your time.
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: Thanks for coming in this morning.
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: Cheers Katy,