Howard Must Repudiate Coalition Treason Charge – or own it!

Media Statement - 30 September 2002

Hockey Exits To Las Vegas But Cameron Compounds The Damage

Another senior Liberal has today compounded Joe Hockey's treason charge against Labor by again attacking Labor's right to question Government policy on Iraq.

Liberal Parliamentary Secretary Ross Cameron told Channel Seven's Sunrise programme Opposition leader Simon Crean had "a continual willingness to weaken our morale and our military capability…".

This is despite Defence Minister Robert Hill declaring on Sunday that it was entirely appropriate for the Opposition to raise such questions in Parliament.

Cameron was standing in for Small Business Minister Joe Hockey who, viewers were told, had gone to a friend's wedding in Las Vegas for ten days or so – conveniently removing himself from public view following the public controversy of the treason charge he levelled against those daring to challenge the Howard Government's level of defence preparedness.

This is after we learnt Hockey telephoned former SAS commander, Brigadier Wallace, to apologise, despite denying in Parliament that it was the Brigadier he was accusing of treason.

Ross Cameron's accusation today shows Joe Hockey's treason charge was no isolated outburst, but a continuing campaign to denigrate anyone, be they a former SAS commander or the Federal Opposition, which dares to question this Government's policy on Iraq.

The challenge facing John Howard is a simple one: either he publicly repudiates both Ross Cameron, and in particular Hockey's treason charge (irrespective of whether Hockey believes it was levelled at Brigadier Wallace or the Federal Opposition) or else John Howard, by his conspicuous silence, owns it.

Hockey's treason charge creates two specific problems for John Howard - based on the fact that Hockey has never disputed that he used the term ‘treason' in Parliament last Thursday.

On the one hand, Hockey maintains that he did not use the term ‘treason' in reference to Brigadier Wallace. But if that is the case, why did Hockey then telephone the Brigadier on Saturday to apologise to him personally?

On the other hand, if we take Hockey at his word then it is the Labor Opposition he is accusing of treason. My understanding is that in Hockey's apology to Brigadier Wallace, Hockey confirmed it was the latter.

There can be no graver charge against anyone in public life than to betray your country. This is not a simple trifling matter. These are not "mere words".

They constitute a serious charge, which the Prime Minister appears prepared to leave hanging. John Howard did not have the courage to rebuke Alexander Downer for accusing the Federal Opposition of appeasement back in July.

And once again, it appears as though John Howard does not have the courage to rebuke another of his Ministers who has plumbed the depths by leveling the treason charge against Labor.

John Howard is always very quick to attend a public ceremony welcoming home Australian troops from abroad but when it comes to disciplining his own troops, the Prime Minister has shown himself to be remarkably slow.