Culture of Australian special forces to be regularly reviewed in wake of Brereton inquiry, report reveals

The Australian defence force is also updating its respite policy to ease pressure on individuals after the inquiry found an overreliance on special forces in Afghanistan provided too little time between deployments.

An oversight panel led by the former intelligence inspector general Vivienne Thom carried out confidential interviews last year with 17 people who have regular working relationships with Special Operations Command. The goal was to check whether cultural change was actually filtering through.

Thom and two other panellists were appointed by the former defence minister Linda Reynolds in late 2020 to give the government and the public confidence that the Afghanistan inquiry led to lasting change.

Their latest oversight report was handed over to the deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, in February and covers the period November to January.

It does not investigate criminal allegations against individuals, which are considered by the Office of the Special Investigator and the Australian federal police. Last month a former Australian soldier, Oliver Jordan Schulz, 41, was arrested and charged with the war crime of murder.

It was the first such charge laid against a serving or former ADF member under Australian law. Schulz was granted bail under strict conditions.