He seemed too good to be true. With his chiselled jaw, muscled physique and courageous derring-do under fire, it felt like Ben Roberts-Smith had burst into this world not from the womb but the pages of a superhero comic book.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
We prefer our heroes to be uncomplicated and Roberts-Smith, recipient of the Victoria Cross and the Medal for Gallantry, fitted the mould perfectly. He was brave, laconic and modest; the living epitome of the Anzac ideal. Each retelling of his battlefield exploits - his coolness in combat, his fierce leadership - burnished the legend until man and myth became inseparable.
But reality, like war, is complicated and messy. The five charges Roberts-Smith now faces of the war crime of murder - accusations he again denied this week - are grave. They are not about the impossible moral choice soldiers frequently face in the chaos of battle but relate to the killing of unarmed civilians in Afghanistan.
Yet powerful and influential figures in this country would have you believe otherwise. Those two dedicated Donald Trump fangirls, Gina Rinehart and Pauline Hanson, echoed by an enthusiastic pack of conservative politicians and News Ltd commentators, are working diligently to drape the case of Roberts-Smith in the national flag.
Their argument challenges every Australian. The Roberts-Smith charges, they suggest, are not so much a test of law but a test of loyalty for us all.
Rinehart says she does "not understand" the justification for prosecuting Roberts-Smith. Hanson describes Roberts-Smith's arrest as "disgraceful". Former PM Tony Abbott observes that it is wrong "to judge the actions of men in mortal combat by the standards of ordinary civilian life."
It's a seductive argument, guaranteed to win the hearts of those who believe patriotism is sporting a blue singlet and a southern cross tattoo and that legion of Trump aficionados dedicated to importing America's cultural civil wars to our shores.
But if you accept the essential logic of their argument - that what happens on the battlefield should stay on the battlefield - then the investigation of the 1968 My Lai massacre in South Vietnam, in which US soldiers slaughtered hundreds of women, children and elderly men, should never have taken place.
At its most extreme does it also mean those complicit in the Holocaust should also have been excused for their genocidal actions?
War is not a moral vacuum. It is governed, often imperfectly, by conventions designed to limit cruelty, protect civilians and preserve a shred of humanity in the most inhuman endeavour known to us.
Soldiers should not be absolved of accountability to the law when it is among the ideals they fight for. Draping yourself in the flag while questioning the pursuit of justice doesn't protect Australian honour, it diminishes it. It suggests our values should be conditional, that they should only apply when convenient, that they be suspended when the myths we cherish are challenged.
Still, those who defend Roberts-Smith are right about one thing. He deserves fairness and the presumption of innocence. Fairness, however, cuts both ways. It means that due process be followed, that allegations be investigated without interference and the tawdry political grandstanding we have seen in recent weeks.
Those questioning the charging of Roberts-Smith have seized on his case because their politics thrives on simplification and division. They want us to ignore life's complexities by portraying one of Australia's most decorated warriors as the symbol of a cultural struggle, a man pursued by a nation of politically-correct elites unprepared to accept the dirty and often ambiguous realities of war.
Yet this argument falls apart when you consider Australia's cult-like devotion to commemorating the sacrifice of our soldiers.
Few nations can match our passion and reverence for those who lost their lives fighting for this country. We continue nurturing the pine trees we planted a century ago to mark those who fell in WWI. We lavishly spend hundreds of millions of dollars on memorials and museums dedicated to our dead.
To use our flag by questioning Australia's loyalty to our soldiers and our legal processes cheapens it.
Australia hasn't abandoned Ben Roberts-Smith. But the culture warriors defending him seem to have forgotten what he was fighting for in the first place.
HAVE YOUR SAY: The charges against Ben Roberts-Smith will be tested in court. Do you believe soldiers should be absolved of legal responsibility? Is Australia now experiencing the same bitter cultural wars dividing the US? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
- A scheme allowing more first home buyers to enter the property market may be driving up house prices.
A report released by Cotality found homes on the lower end of the property market eligible for the federal government's five per cent deposit scheme recorded stronger price growth than higher-priced houses.
In the first six months after changes were made to expand the scheme, the price of eligible homes rose by 6.7 per cent, compared with 3.6 per cent for other properties.
- Indigenous communities could ask the High Court to rule on the fundamental question of sovereignty, after the discovery of a landmark legal rule which upends the belief the court has no power to make a decision.
Research by Melbourne Law School's Olivia Barr has found a 1935 legal rule she says means there is an "open door" for the High Court to get involved in questions of Indigenous sovereignty.
The issue dates back to a 1970s case, Coe v Commonwealth, in which four High Court judges split two-two on the procedural question of whether the court should allow a trial on sovereignty.
- Radio and music personality James Valentine, who had a four-decade media career, has died after a battle with cancer.
The ABC, where Valentine had presented TV and radio since the mid-1980s, announced the 64-year-old's passing on Thursday morning.
Valentine was best known for presenting the Afternoons show on ABC Radio Sydney for more than 20 years.
He is survived by his wife Joanne and his two children Ruby and Roy after he chose to end his life using voluntary assisted dying, his family said in a statement.
THEY SAID IT: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire.
YOU SAID IT: There's little point whingeing about winter, wrote John. Better to celebrate the season and enjoy the cosiness it demands..
Stephanie grew up in the dreary grey of northern England but now lives in WA and relishes the change of every season. "I'm not a big fan of rain but it's usually followed by beautiful winter sun, which is glorious. My favourite thing about winter is definitely sitting by the wood burning fire, with Rosie, our kelpie, and having an unhealthy relationship with chainsaws makes that possible. As for winter food, you can't beat a roast and the accompanying array of roast vegetables!"
Sue lives in the environmentally conscious ACT, which has cut down on winter woodsmoke. "I miss it with mixed feelings: its absence no longer evokes memories of roaring fires at Granny's farm, but it doesn't trigger the hay fever either. Winter in Canberra is a favourite season and not because I like the cold. Mostly, we have dry weather, so we tend to have cold but sunny days, even though it may take until late morning for the sun to burn off the fog. The sun adds a wonderfully cheerful element to winter. I spent a couple of months in the north of England one year. The deep dark of night lightened to dim greyness at about 11am and then darkened again at about 3pm. I seldom saw the sun."
Anita used to abide by a heater rule stricter than the Anzac Day one. "My self-imposed rule entails a June introduction of the heater's warmth, but from now on I care not! I've had a 10kw battery installed to aid and abet my generous number of solar panels. In the past I'd try very hard to forestall heating until winter made its official appearance despite the icicles forming on my toes. I still prefer my electric throw rug when settled for my nightly viewing, but allow myself some heat on those chilly mornings and evenings."
Murray doubts winters are becoming milder and already sees the signs it's on its way this year. "Three cats asleep on the blankets on the sofa, an awful old wooly hat draped over the lamp on my desk. Yeah, winter is imminent. I can only speak for where I live in the middle of Victoria, but last winter we had month after month of below average temperatures. So no, it ain't getting warmer. However I agree the seasons are getting later and one day it's winter, next day it's spring. As John suggests, let's not whinge about it, put on another layer and be pleased we are here to see it."
