The failed experiment with the RAN's Celebrity-Muslim and her personal "Navy, Islamic" news service -
Wednesday, 06 January 2016
Yesterday The Australian reported that the RAN's celebrity-Muslim had her wings clipped with the closure of her political commentary Twitter account @NavyIslamic
Today The Australian follows up with the news that no less a figure than the Chief of Navy personally counselled Shindy about her activities.
The ADF's disciplinary processes as part of the Military Justice System are set out here
http://www.defence.gov.au/mjs/mjs.asp
Counselling is a significant black mark on a Naval Officer's record. But even in discipline, Shindy was treated like a celebrity with her counselling administered by the Chief of Navy himself Admiral Barrett. Admiral Barret probably took the lead from his predecessor as Chief of Navy, Admiral Ray Griggs.
Ray Griggs is the very Model of a Modern Naval Admiral. A bit like Mark Scott of the ABC, Ray is given to Twitter and to boosting favourites using the ADF's official Twitter service.
Here's Ray (@VCDF_Australia - Vice Chief Defence Force) congratulating Mona (@NavyIslamic) with a "BZ Mona" to boot.(Bravo Zulu, also referred to as "BZ," is a naval signal, an insider's code typically conveyed by flaghoist or voice radio, meaning "Well Done", it sends a pretty public message of warmth and personal endorsement when the highest ranking Admiral in the Navy puts a BZ out to the world using your first name. Other Captains get a bit envious).
Congrats to@navyislamic joint winner in Govt section of #TelstraBizWomen awards - BZ Mona - very proud of you!! pic.twitter.com/3m0HJFWaMc
— VADM Ray Griggs (@VCDF_Australia) November 18, 2015
So who is Ray Griggs and who appointed him?
Julia made Ray the boss of the Navy. What did Julia get in return? That's set out in this speech from Ray's successor Tim Barrett.
Here's the relevant bit of Admiral Barrett's speech - link here.
Islamic cultural advisors and religious advisory appointments
To commence this process the last Chief of Navy, VADM Ray Griggs, instituted the positions of Islamic Cultural Adviser and an assistant adviser in 2012. Captain Mona Shindy, who has just spoken and Chief Petty Officer Zul Naim, who organised this event, hold these positions at present.
These two adviser roles are here to stay because I, and my successors as Chief of Navy, will continue to need guidance to ensure that what should be done by Navy to meet the legitimate religious needs of those members of the Islamic faith is done. Henceforth Navy will always need advice on how to be an inclusive recruiter and employer of choice for those Australians who profess Islam.
One last point about the sort of bloke Gillard appointed as Chief of Navy. This explains a lot too about the Navy Chiefs tolerance for Shindy's escalating bad behaviour in publicly criticising Tony Abbott and his policies on her NavyIslanic platform - she'd watched Ray Griggs do it to Abbott.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Broadcast: 23/10/2011
The heat was on Tony Abbott last week, with business leaders criticising the uncertainty his promise to repeal the carbon tax is creating, and the Navy saying it may not be safe to turn back boats carrying asylum seekers.
TONY ABBOTT, OPPOSITION LEADER (at press conference): We have, as you would all know, had yet another boat.
JULIA GILLARD, PRIME MINISTER (at press conference): As a result of Mr Abbott's very reckless strategy we will see more boats.
TONY ABBOTT (at press conference): What we've said though is that it should be an option to turn the boats around where it's safe to do so.
RAY GRIGGS, NAVY CHIEF (excerpt from Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee hearing): Well there are risks involved in this whole endeavour.
CHRIS BOWEN, IMMIGRATION MINISTER (at press conference): This is people's lives at stake, this is the lives of Australia's sailors at stake.
TONY ABBOTT (at press conference): Now, the Navy's done it before, it can do it again.
RAY GRIGGS (excerpt from Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee hearing): There have been fires lit, attempts to storm the engine compartment of these boats, people jumping in the water, that sort of thing.
TONY ABBOTT (at press conference): No-one ever said that it was going to be easy. No-one ever said that it was going to be possible in every circumstance.
CHRIS BOWEN (at press conference): Whether it's legal advice, whether it's climate change, whether it's economists or whether it's border security advice, Mr Abbott just arrogantly ploughs on, ignoring that advice.
BRENDAN O'CONNOR (excerpt from ABC News 24): And it's something that I think people are concerned about.
Which brings us to today's instalment. Not many RAN Captains get their counselling from the Chief - but then again the Celebrity-Muslim is not your average Captain.
Here's a link to The Australian's story today.
Navy chief ‘counsels’ Islamic adviser Mona Shindy
- THE AUSTRALIAN
Captain Mona Shindy was counselled about the Twitter account by Chief of Navy Tim Barrett last month. Picture: Toby Zerna
The Chief of Navy “counselled” the most senior Muslim officer over her Twitter account and later shut the profile down after it attracted a “growing number of contentious comments” amid a heightened public debate on Islam and violent extremism.
A Defence spokesman yesterday said Captain Shindy was counselled about the account by Chief of Navy Tim Barrett last month, and he decided to shut it down after conducting a review.
The profile was established in 2013 to promote Defence and navy policy on diversity in employment opportunities in the defence forces.
“Initially, the account received mixed attention but in recent months, in line with increased public debate on Islam, it has attracted a growing number of contentious comments,’’ the spokesman said.
“In administering the account, Captain Shindy was inundated with these comments and endeavoured to ensure a balance between policy and other comment.’’
The Defence spokesman did not say whether Captain Shindy had breached its social media policy, which states personnel “must not post material that is offensive towards any group or person based on any personal traits, attributes, beliefs or practices that exploit, objectify or are derogatory of gender, ethnicity or religion”.
According to ADF policy on political activities, members must not engage in conduct in such a manner as to identify Defence with a political activity.
ENDS
The Australian's put in some solid work getting reactions to the news of Shindy's performance failure. For convenience I've grouped the reactions under headings.
Australia Defence Association Neil James
ADA executive director Neil James said there was widespread concern in the Australian Defence Force and ex-service community that some of Captain Shindy’s statements “appeared to have breached the nonpartisan principle”.
He said a Defence cultural adviser for anything other than indigenous matters “appeared to have far more disadvantages than advantages” for the Defence Force’s public image, internal cohesion and morale.
“The experiment of having an Islamic cultural adviser without adequately defining what are cultural matters and what are religious matters … has clearly failed,” he said.
“We also believe the Twitter site that was allegedly under (Captain Shindy’s) control was an experiment that clearly failed, and it wouldn’t be repeated.”
Brigadier Andrew Nicolic AM CSC MP - served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon - a solidier's soldier
Read Andrew's impressive biography here.
Liberal MP Andrew Nikolic, who was in the army for 31 years, accused Captain Shindy of insulting the “professionalism” of Australian troops by claiming in a June essay that they indiscriminately bombed Islamic extremists without clearly knowing who the enemy was. He said her public comments on Islamic terrorism were “misguided” and “flawed”.
Defence Minister Marise Payne whose personal ineptitude and belief that a person's "diversity" background is an achievement drip from every ill chosen word.
Defence Minister Marise Payne said Captain Shindy was “an outstanding Australian” who had served the country “with distinction”.
Ms Payne said the navy continued to develop an “effective and engaging” social media strategy and Defence was committed to increasing cultural diversity among serving members to better reflect Australian society.
Dennis Jensen also contributed with the eminently sensible observation that Captain Shindy should not offer political observati0ns in her role with the RAN.
So just pause there and contrast the Minister responsible for the entirety of the Defence portfolio with Dennis's response.
Marise Payne went straight in to bat for the person whose performance was so bad she'd been counselled by the Chief of Navy. What a stupid thing for a Minister to do over the head of her service Chief. She either didn't know or didn't care about the disciplinary process, nor did she comment on the single thing she should have commented on as Minister - Shindy's political activism under the banner of the Royal Australian Navy.
But Marise is one of those Mark Scott leaders who communicates with employees via Twitter.
Big congratulations to @Australian_Navy's inspiring Captain Mona Shindy who is the 2015 Telstra Business Woman of the Year! #TelstraBizWomen
— Marise Payne (@MarisePayne) November 18, 2015
Our Defence Minister should be more astute than that. She's now locked herself into a stupid position of stating Shindy's "Outstanding Australian who's served with distinction" status - after Shindy had been disciplined for her improper political activities, after the controversy over Shindy's activism had become public and worse than that she's inserted her judgement about Shindy over the top of the Navy Chief who's just counselled her. As if she wasn't before, Shindy's status as a "management problem within the chain of command" has now gone to the power of Marise, and that's a big number.
It wasn't important to Payne to look at Shindy's actual performance or outrageous use of the platform @NavyIslamic to make widely viewed political commentary - because the things Payne wanted to say were:
- Captain Shindy was “an outstanding Australian” (possibly for being a Muslim in the Navy, Payne didn't say)
- Shindy had served Australia with distinction (she's also taken advantage of lax supervision to stir up an Islamic/Australia divide that's infuriated much of the defence community)
- Defence was committed to increasing cultural diversity among serving members
Julia Gillard could have said all that and we would thought, "typical, what about being a good Naval Officer in the traditions of the service"? But for the Gillard tradition to be reinforced by Chairman Mal's new Minister of Defence who was just given the perfect opportunity to break the old mould?
What's the emoji for a bit of vommie in the mouth? I hope Marise realises quickly what she's done and whose divisive and damaging legacy in buggering up defence she's chosen to preserve. She'd better wise up quickly because this disaster and its repercussions need urgent attention now to stop the Muslim/Defence issue escalating.
New bosses have the chance to change an organisation's culture early on in their appointment, particularly with opportunities for cultural change like this one. But new bosses who reinforce what the last mob did own the results. Over to you Minister.