"Peter Dutton met soldiers in Townsville last month." />When Peter Dutton visited his first military base as Defence Minister last month, he had a remarkable message for senior military officers: leave the room. He was at Lavarack Barracks in the garrison city of Townsville and he was on a mission. The objective was two-fold: begin lifting morale following the Brereton war crimes inquiry and find out what troops on the ground want from the government.
“He comes to Townsville, we meet with a bunch of soldiers and senior officers. The first thing Peter did was to tell the cameraman to get lost. And then he said to all the senior officers: ‘You can leave as well’,” says Phil Thompson, the member for Herbert in north Queensland and a former soldier.
“He wanted to talk to the soldiers about what they needed from the government to do their job – how’s the kit, how’s the morale? That’s the first time any minister for defence has ever done that.”...MORE
