1. Three Australian Defence Force personnel have been suspended following a series of emails that are offensive about women.
Another five personnel and public servants are also being investigated; with more than 90 people linked to the trail of emails in some way.
The Chief of Army, David Morrisson told a press conference in Canberra today that the contents of the emails was not violent to the ‘best of my knowledge’.
Morrisson looked extremely grave as he explained that an investigation was ongoing and described the incident as “worst than the Skype scandal” that was exposed in 2011.
The emails reportedly contained explicit material including photos and text that was derogatory about and degrading to the women who were being targeted. The emails also contained references to illicit substances.
It is understood that several veteran offices, including one as high ranking as Lieutenant Colonel were involved.
General Morrisson confirmed that he had spoken with some of the victims of the offensive emails and that they were deeply hurt by the contents.
Those personnel who have been suspended will now be investigated further by NSW Police and may face further action under the Defence Force Discipline Act.
2. The restaurant owner who hosted the infamous Mal Brough Liberal National Party Fundraiser has come forward to say he created the sexist menu as a joke.
Top Comments
How on earth can Ariel Castro plead not guilty? Bizarre...
I heard that he's hoping for some kind of plea bargain and if he pleads guilty the current charges, he won't be able to get one.
It really distressed me to see our Chief of Army, Lt-General David Morrison, having to deal with material denigrating female defence force members, material he described as 'demeaning and repugnant' and indicative of systemic problems inside the ADF culture. This material circulated through the Defence Force computer systems and over the internet; it involved close to one hundred ADF members, up to Lieutenant Colonel in rank, and consisted of emails and images.
But really should we be surprised? Perhaps our whole culture is contaminated - there have been so many ugly instances of late, and sexism is simply a part of it. No wonder the defence forces follow the pattern of racism, misogynism and homophobia revealed in the Adam Goodes incident, the sexist attacks on our female PM, the disgusting 'joke' menu at LNP candidate Mal Brough's $1,000 a head fund-raiser dinner, and now the ADF problems.
To an old woman like me, Australian society itself seems to be turning uglier and nastier by the day...
Seventy years ago I was aged eighteen. I was in the AAMWS, (Army Medical Women), stationed in a Convalescent Depot at Tallebudgera. There were perhaps a dozen girls there; we lived in tents, inside the 'Female stockade', a flimsy affair of palings, no gate. Hundreds of soldiers came and went, principally from New Guinea. Our AAMWS uniform was a pretty sky blue, with a butterfly wing veil.'Nursie, come over here and hold my hand,' the soldiers used to sing. They called us 'Fuzzy Wuzzy angels and treated us at every level with courtesy and respect. Why have we become so sexist, why have we such low standards?
What has happened to us as a nation? Is it because we have changed from a 'society', a 'community', to an economy? Do we now know the price of everything but the value of nothing (to quote Oscar Wilde)?
We live in the best country in the world, but accept the second-rate. On our big TV's (I have one myself), we view mainly sludge and spleen. We belittle our governance, our very democracy, as we sit and watch ancient cities destroyed, their citizens killed or driven into dire refugee camps, by vicious civil wars in countries without democracy, where the people must often yearn for what we have, but are at risk of losing...
Back in 'my day', we were a nation united; we worked together, ndards. I think at heart we are still, or could be, those people; surely at least we can be better than we have become. For the sake of my wonderful grandchildren and their children, I hope and pray so.