29th Nov 2016, 4:13 PM – Senate Motions - Australian of the Year - Remove General Morrison

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie (Independent), which means it failed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) Retired General David Morrison, AO, was appointed Australian of the Year for 2016,

(ii) Australian of the Year has traditionally demonstrated: excellence in their field, a significant contribution to the Australian community and nation, and been and inspirational role model for the Australian community,

(iii) a recently uncovered New South Wales Police Force investigation into the "Jedi Council", the Strike Force Civet report, which investigated sex assaults and other related crimes involving members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) during General Morrison's command of the Army, indicated a sophisticated, high-level, military cover-up, including deliberate lies, withholding of evidence, fabrication of information, and supported the conduct of criminal and serious internal offences,

(iv) sworn testimony from a subordinate of General Morrison, retired Lieutenant Colonel Karel Dubsky, indicates that General Morrison and others deliberately ignored the facts as stated in the Strike Force Civet report, and allowed Lieutenant Colonel Dubsky and others to be wrongly accused of being members of a group of sex offenders, and/or demeaners of women, and

(v) General Morrison's behaviour caused exceptional and undue harm to retired Lieutenant Colonel Dubsky, his family, and other innocent members of the ADF, and demonstrated behaviour that was the opposite required of the Australian of the Year; and

(b) calls on the Government to make a recommendation to remove General Morrison as Australian of the Year, and replace him with a person worthy of the title.