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Speaker 1: It's been reported today in the paper that thousands of

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Speaker 1: Australian soldiers that serviced within the Special Operations Task Group

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Speaker 1: the SOTG, Well, they shouldn't be stripped of their meritorious

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Speaker 1: unit's citation because of the actions of a few. That

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Speaker 1: is what Labour's Member for Solomon Luke Gosling has said,

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Speaker 1: and he joins me in the studio right now. Good

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Speaker 1: morning to you, Luke.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.

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Speaker 1: Now. I know that you have written an op ed

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Speaker 1: and opinion piece you've pend it for the Northern Territory

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Speaker 1: News and said those responsible for alleged war crimes in

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Speaker 1: Afghanistan should be held to account, but it would be

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Speaker 1: wrong to strip the three thousand or so soldiers that

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Speaker 1: were part of the SOTG to be stripped of recognition.

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Speaker 3: I think you've made a really good point on this one.

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Speaker 2: I think it's a really important issue, Cadie. And we've

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Speaker 2: seen in previous wars or conflicts that Australia has been

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Speaker 2: involved in, such as Vietnam, that those veterans weren't treated

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Speaker 2: well when they got back and because of some people

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Speaker 2: who committed really serious offenses. Unfortunately, so many got tired

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Speaker 2: with that same brush when really they were just enjoying

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Speaker 2: their life here in Australia in the sixties and early

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Speaker 2: seventies and got called up to conscripted to serve their country,

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Speaker 2: put in this position of being in combat and did

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Speaker 2: their best and come home and weren't treated well. So

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Speaker 2: I really want to avoid that sort of thing happening

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Speaker 2: these days. I will not stand by and let our

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Speaker 2: Australian soldiers who served US in Afghanistan be thrown under

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Speaker 2: a bus, had this award stripped off them because of

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Speaker 2: the failures of a.

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Speaker 1: Few And Mate, I actually think that, you know, I

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Speaker 1: think that's fair enough. And I know that there will

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Speaker 1: be plenty of us listening this morning who probably are

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Speaker 1: a little bit like me that maybe don't understand, you know,

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Speaker 1: the way in which these medals and things are awarded,

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Speaker 1: and maybe don't have as much inside as someone like

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Speaker 1: you does when it comes to the time that people

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Speaker 1: have served and what they've done for their country. Yeah.

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, and I guess that's why I wanted to

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Speaker 2: contribute something to this conversation, to not only stand up

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Speaker 2: for people in my elector who served in the Special

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Speaker 2: Operations Task Group sometime between two thousand and seven and

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Speaker 2: twenty thirteen, which is the period for which this award,

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Speaker 2: which is called the Meritorious Unit Citation, was awarded to

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Speaker 2: those members of the Special Operations Task Group. Because that

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Speaker 2: was an enormously intense period of time, there were multiple rotations,

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Speaker 2: they were doing a very difficult job during a really

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Speaker 2: difficult campaign in Afghanistan that wasn't well understood by the

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Speaker 2: general public. So I think it's exactly the wrong message

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Speaker 2: to send to serving men and women about the value

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Speaker 2: of their service to strip it from all three thousand

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Speaker 2: because of these allegations that a small amount less than

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Speaker 2: zero point one percent of them are alleged to have

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Speaker 2: been guilty of. But they haven't been found guilty yet.

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Speaker 2: There's still a court process to go through. Sure, if

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Speaker 2: any of those have found to have acted illegally, then

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Speaker 2: they should be stripped of awards. But let's not tar

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Speaker 2: the more with the same brush.

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Speaker 3: I agree with you.

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Speaker 1: I think if we're in a situation here we've got

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Speaker 1: people who've risked their lives overseas, you know, for Australia,

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Speaker 1: then I just you know, I know obviously what's being reported.

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Speaker 1: I know that it is alleged and I understand that

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Speaker 1: if people are found guilty of doing the wrong thing, then,

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Speaker 1: like you've said, I do agree with that sentiment, but

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Speaker 1: I just feel really worried that we're going to have

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Speaker 1: a situation where, you know, we've got serving members of

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Speaker 1: the Defense Force who are treated differently through no fault

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Speaker 1: of their own, and also they're broader family Like, I

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Speaker 1: think we've got to be really careful here that you know,

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Speaker 1: that we don't have a situation where families are made

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Speaker 1: to feel, you know, like their loved ones are doing

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Speaker 1: something that they shouldn't be when they simply are not,

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Speaker 1: if that makes sense, yeah, or if.

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Speaker 2: Other people of the community are looking at them in

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Speaker 2: a different way because they've heard about these war crimes.

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Speaker 2: And I didn't your dad serve in Afghanistan. So I

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Speaker 2: just wanted to say really clearly through your radio station

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Speaker 2: right now, Katie, those that served in Afghanistan, the overwhelming

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Speaker 2: majority did a really excellent, outstanding job in difficult circumstances.

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Speaker 2: So thank you for your service. There's been obviously some

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Speaker 2: really concerning reports, but that is in out of thirty

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Speaker 2: thousand Australians, we're looking at less than thirty, so it's

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Speaker 2: a very small percentage. So I don't want everyone tired

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Speaker 2: with that same brush, and I want people to understand

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Speaker 2: that it really is difficult work. That we ask not

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Speaker 2: only the soldiers, the sailors and airmen. Because we've got

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Speaker 2: Navy members of our community here in Darwin that were

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Speaker 2: awarded that medal for being part of that group. We've

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Speaker 2: also got members from Robson Barracks who are part of

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Speaker 2: that group. They should be really proud of their service

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Speaker 2: and that service has come with a lot of pressure

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Speaker 2: on families. So thank you to the families. Rest assured

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Speaker 2: that I'll be taking this cause to Canberra next week

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Speaker 2: because I'm not going to stand by and have a

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Speaker 2: situation where all our people are tired with the same brush.

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Speaker 2: We can send the right message to serving men and

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Speaker 2: women and their families, which is your service is valued

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Speaker 2: and crack on in the military and we'll support you

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Speaker 2: as best as we can.

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Speaker 1: Look, if there's anybody listening this morning who is feeling

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Speaker 1: like they need some assistance, or if there is a

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Speaker 1: military family who's listening this morning and they're thinking, you know, look,

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Speaker 1: I just need to speak to somebody. I need a

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Speaker 1: bit of help. I know that mates for Mates is

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Speaker 1: due to launch in the territory. But who can people

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Speaker 1: sort of reach out to if they do need some assistance.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, there's a number of organizations that are providing support

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Speaker 2: in this area and Open Arms, which they've got an

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Speaker 2: office in Winnelly, So give Open Arms a call, and Katie,

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Speaker 2: if you could put those details.

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Speaker 1: I've actually got the number here Open Arms is one

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Speaker 1: eight hundred zero double one zero four six. And we

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Speaker 1: also know that there is that defense all our support

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Speaker 1: line as well, isn't there, Luke and I have got

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Speaker 1: that number. It is one eight hundred and six to

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Speaker 1: eight zero three six. But Luke, I really appreciate you

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Speaker 1: coming in this morning. I think it's a really important

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Speaker 1: message that you've got today, and I think it's really

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Speaker 1: important for us as a community as well to remember,

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Speaker 1: as you've said that the large majority here.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely do a wonderful job.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, Katie, and I just yeah, I ask you listeners

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Speaker 2: to support our people in uniform. They sacrifice a lot,

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Speaker 2: they're a big part of our community. They're a love

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Speaker 2: part of our community and we wish them well and

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Speaker 2: we'll do everything we can to support them.

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Speaker 1: Good on you, Luke Gosling Labour's member for Solomon always

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Speaker 1: appreciate your time.

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Speaker 3: Thanks for coming in this morning.

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Speaker 2: Cheers Katy,