Disturbing evidence of abuse and violence in Australia’s military cadets has acted as a “very important catalyst for change”, according to the vice chief of defence.
In June last year, the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse examined the experiences of Australian defence force cadets since 2000.
It found there were 154 known incidents or allegations of child sexual abuse in the cadets between 2001 and April last year.
Fifty-one of those involved an adult instructor and a cadet, and the remaining 103 were sexual abuse perpetrated by other cadets.
It emerged that defence had been giving cadets inaccurate information on the age of consent, failing to warn instructors that sexual activity with cadets was a criminal offence, and equipping cadets with only a limited knowledge of complaint and child protection mechanisms.
The royal commission revisited the cadets on Monday, asking Australia’s defence leadership to outline the reforms achieved since June.
The commission heard 13 new complaints of abuse have emerged between the royal commission’s last hearing in June and February.
The vice chief of the Australian defence force, vice admiral Raymond Griggs, said last year’s evidence had acted as “a very important catalyst for change”.
He said a reform program, known as “one cadet”, had brought the three service arms of the cadets together under a single headquarters with a more centralised command structure.
The director generals of each cadet service now reported to Griggs and the relevant service chief.
Defence had engaged Ernst & Young and child protection group Bravehearts to help develop child protection policies and training packages for the cadets. Defence’s sexual misconduct office has been expanded to include cadets, instructing officers and their families.
New youth safety standards and policies have also been created, Griggs said. Asked what was needed to achieve cultural reform within defence and the cadets, Griggs responded: “Sustained, focused leadership.”
Counsel assisting, Gail Furness, SC, asked Griggs how he had demonstrated such leadership personally.
He referred to a letter he had written after last year’s royal commission hearings, in which he warned the cadets organisation must change.
“I will be writing a similar letter after this case study to reflect again that this matter is not something that just came and went in June last year,” he said.
“My own role in making sure that the One Cadet reform process goes through to completion is another part of this.”
