The Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon MP,
Minister for Defence
Inquiry Into Allegations Of Inappropriate Conduct On Forces Entertainment Tour
The Minister for Defence, the Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon MP, received a Department of Defence 'Hot Issues Brief' on Thursday
15 May informing him that Defence is investigating allegations of inappropriate conduct during a recent Forces
Entertainment Tour of the Middle East Area of Operations contained within that Brief.
The Minister has formally asked Defence for a review of the process which determines how 'Hot Issues Briefs' are
generated and how widely they are distributed. He has also asked what measures are in place to test the necessity of
using names in such briefs. Further, the Minister has directed that an inquiry be held into how this particular Brief
came to be made public.
The Opposition Spokesman for Defence Senator Nick Minchin's attempts to play politics with what at this stage is an
allegation only has dragged the state of the Liberal Party to new lows.
ENDS