Ben Roberts-Smith: Legacy, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson back Victoria Cross awardee amid war crime charges

Detailed summary

The Victoria Cross has been embraced by Legacy, the century-old veterans charity, and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.

Most people charged with notorious crimes are shunned by society. Not Ben Roberts-Smith.

In the past week the Victoria Cross awardee was embraced in public by two Australian institutions: Pauline Hanson and Legacy.

On Saturday evening Mr Roberts-Smith and his partner, Sarah Matulin, attended a black-tie dinner at Brisbane’s Royal International Convention Centre to raise money for Legacy, a 103-year-old charity for veterans’ families.

Apart from the Victoria Cross awardee, the event was notable for the presence of Queensland Governor Thomas Bradley KC, who gave a speech.

Legacy Brisbane’s acting CEO, Anthony Birch, told The Nightly all four living Victoria Cross recipients were invited. “Mr Roberts-Smith is a long-time supporter of Legacy, having attended many youth camps in Busselton, WA during his service career with the Australian Army,” he said in an email.

As one of Australia’s great charities, Legacy’s decision to associate with Mr Roberts-Smith sends a signal, intentional or not, that the wider military community has chosen not to reject the second Australian charged with war crimes by civilian prosecutors.

The first, fellow SAS veteran Oliver Schulz, has taken a much lower profile. His trial is due to start in February or March, and will be, in a way, a prelude to Mr Roberts-Smith’s more complex case.

On Wednesday, Mr Roberts-Smith attended a Remembrance Day ceremony in Brisbane, where he lives. According to an account on websites published by Nine Entertainment Co, which first published the war crimes allegations, he was “mobbed” by supporters, including military personnel.

The fans included the One Nation leader, Senator Hanson, who posted a video of herself briefly embracing the veteran, who was wearing his Victoria Cross, Medal for Gallantry and other decorations.

Opening of the article, excerpted from PerthNow. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.