Army letter to parents about Cadet paedophile "don't worry, he's been transferred", 1 month after Morrison took over investigation
Tuesday, 09 February 2016
I don't think I have ever seen so disgraceful a letter to a person worried about a Paedophile working with children.
I don't want to cause any distress to the person to whom this letter is addressed by identifying them but a little context is necessary.
Many parents with children in the Rockdale cadet unit also attended parade nights and other Cadet activities, either as instructors of cadets, officers of cadets or in other adult helper roles.
Some of those parents had children who alleged Williams had mistreated them.
Those allegations dated back two years and the complete lack of action against Williams was worrying them sick. When they discovered this guy had been kicked out of the Air Force Cadets many went ballistic. As the allegations were published in The Australian newspaper many of the parents felt moved to contact higher authorities in the ADF to pass on their own stories.
On 9 April the ADF published a statement without naming Williams stating "allegations of unacceptable behaviour had been addressed".
On 17 April Morrison personally took over the investigation into the matter, the ADF issued this statement:
- the Chief of Army, Lieutenant General David Morrison, AO, has directed an inquiry into the allegations, including Australian Army Cadets (AAC) policies, procedures and management of complaints,
- the individual concerned has been suspended from all duties and activities as an Officer of Cadets in the AAC,
On 16 May, 2014 Colonel MJ Miller RFD ADC, the deputy commander of Australian Army Cadets wrote this letter from his Canberra Office. It's a shocker, he says that as far as parents are concerned, the only thing they need to know was that Williams was transferred to another Army Cadet Unit (to allow him to look after himself, nothing about protecting children) and further:
Pigs' backside that was the "essential consideration". Mate if my children had an allegation that someone had groped them, the last thing that would satisfy me is a letter to say he's been moved elsewhere and the 'essential consideration' as far as I am concerned (patronising isn't he?) is that he is no longer a member of the old unit.
I wonder where those suspicions that Williams was being protected came from?
And as for Morrison, this is one month after you grandstanded about directing the inquiry into the matter. You own this. What did you do about it?