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09 November 2001
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Government acting like Nazis: Admiral
From AAP
09nov01
A FORMER chief of the Australian navy has accused the federal government of acting like Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels in its handling of defence and refugee issues.
Retired Vice Admiral Sir Richard Peek said the government had muzzled defence forces over what was happening with asylum seekers and was deliberately keeping the public in the dark.
"Under the current rules the services generally are completely muzzled and treated rather in the way the German population was treated by Dr Goebbels in World War II - not allowed to say anything in public," he told ABC radio.
"If it's not the Australian navy, I think it's the Australian public. They're being kept from the truth of what's going on in the world.
"The press are not allowed to talk to people. You had a ridiculous situation in Western Australia recently when the wives of the servicemen who were going over to the Gulf were told not to say anything to the press. "I know of an academic (at the Australian Defence Force Academy) who's been told he's not to say anything to the press.
"This is censorship in its worst form."
Admiral Peek, whose career dates back to WWII, said such censorship was "unprecedented in what is essentially peace time".
He said even when letters were censored during WWII it was approved by legislation instead of ministerial or departmental decree.
He also said the government's handling of the matter had put almost unbelievable strain on personnel and would hurt recruitment and retention rates in the defence force.
Opposition Leader Kim Beazley said sailors' morale was being depleted by the continued use of the navy to ward off illegal immigrants.
He said the navy was not trained to carry out what was essentially a policing role, and did not have the resources for it.
"I've been disturbed by the fact that the navy's been obliged to play essentially a policeman's role (that) I know they're not trained for," Mr Beazley told ABC radio.
"The exercise is obviously, from the statements being made, depleting the morale of the navy or those who are engaged in it."
Mr Beazley said a Labor government would be more open in its approach to supplying information to the public about incidents involving boatpeople.
Mr Beazley said many of the problems surrounding boat people were being caused by Prime Minister John Howard's attitude towards foreign policy in Asia.
"He made a positive virtue of dismantling the types of foreign policy initiatives that we used to see from the ALP and his predecessors," he said.
"Now it's turned around to bite us.
"He took the view that all the benefit was their way, not our way, and now we see that it was a matter of mutual benefit."
Mr Beazley said neither Mr Howard nor Defence Minister Peter Reith had come clean today about the questions surrounding the initial report of children being thrown into the water by refugees.
He said the whole issue had to be the focus on an inquiry that would include navy staff.
"There will need to be an inquiry into these matters and people will have to be properly protected as they go before that inquiry," Mr Beazley said.
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