Apparently the Chief of the Royal Australian Navy and celebrity Muslim Mona made their decisions about setting up the @NavyIslamic Twitter service based on "the vibe".  Or perhaps Mona just went ahead and did it without approvals.  Either way, in answer to our reader's request for the documents that might explain all, Defence has "refused access to these documents because they don't exist".  Got that?  Good.  Now move over to the mess with your pans, set, messing so we can consider your request for lunch that hasn't been cooked.

Thank you to our reader GL for this insight into how things get done in this man's Navy.

I wanted to know who approved for Captain Mona Shindy RAN, CSC to use Defence multimedia infrastructure to convey her twitter account and similar material. Reading Clause 11 of the response letter, it would appear that no manager in Defence had authorised her actions. Her chain of command are legally in the clear, but demonstrate poor judgement and lack of governance and oversight.

In my opinion she is in breach of the Defence Act, and I will be further researching this aspect.

In the mean-time, I have another FOI request that is being processed on who has authorised the said lady to wear a headscarf when in formal Navy uniform. To the best of my knowledge headscarfs are not part of the Navy uniform code. I await that answer with baited breath.

Kind Regards