The chief of the air force has blamed “protocol creep” for the red-carpet treatment afforded to Scott Morrison when he visited a base near Newcastle last month – and is “taking steps” to ensure there is no repeat.
The prime minister’s team posted to social media a photo of him walking down a red carpet when he arrived at the RAAF Williamtown base – a picture described by the Labor senator Tim Ayres as “extraordinary” during a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday.
In 40 years in the ADF, with eight Prime Ministers during that time, never saw one receive a red carpet and an honour guard for an internal visit to a base.
— Ray Martin (@Raymartin55) May 8, 2021
Until now. Did I miss one? #insiders #auspol pic.twitter.com/W3iK2bIy1v
The chief of the air force, Mel Hupfeld, played down any suggestion the prime minister had requested that sort of treatment, but said there was “some ambiguity” in the air force’s standard directive on arrival protocols.
“The instructions just said that appropriate stair guards can be used for VIP visitors and a picture was included in our instructions that included a red carpet. The base executives then took it upon themselves to use a red carpet for that particular arrival,” he said.
Hupfeld said his understanding was that the VIP operations team within defence “will have advised the prime minister’s office that there would be a stair guard on arrival but they did not mention anything in terms of a red carpet”.
The air force chief said he was taking accountability for “what I would call protocol creep within the executives on some of our bases”. He signalled he wanted to limit the red-carpet treatment to visitors such as Australia’s governor general and heads of state of other countries.
“I am taking steps to remedy that to ensure that the use of stair guards is appropriate for ceremonial events, and in working across the defence enterprise now for ceremonial occasions, then my intent is to only use red carpet as a key example here for regal, vice-regal or head of state occasions, welcoming those types of personnel on to our military bases.”
Hupfeld also faced questions about the use of the Top Gun soundtrack when Morrison walked into Williamtown back in February for a Joint Strike Fighter event – something the air force chief also attended.
“I thought they were playing that for me – I was the only top gun in that group,” Hupfeld quipped.
He brushed off responsibility for the music, saying that particular event had been hosted by an industry partner, BAE Systems Australia.
Ayres replied: “Normally, serious people don’t require theme music.”
