The government must launch a royal commission into physical and sexual abuse in the Australian defence force (ADF), senator and former military police officer Jacqui Lambie has said, accusing the ADF of downplaying abuses in order to avoid the powerful inquiry.



A senate committee, which included the Palmer United Party senator, heard from numerous people involved in the ADF, veterans’ affairs and investigators on Wednesday regarding the government’s response to the defence abuse response taskforce (Dart) and findings from the DLA Piper review into the more than 2,400 allegations of abuse at the ADF.

It learned the ADF does not know how many alleged perpetrators of abuse are still serving in the military, and that more than 300 victims approached the Dart with their claims but were turned away because of a submissions deadline, which victims’ lawyers criticised as arbitrary.

The government was also accused of employing legal tactics against victims which were “worse” than those used by institutions appearing before the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.

Speaking to Guardian Australia after the senate committee on Wednesday – her first – Lambie said the questions raised showed there was little change occurring in the defence force and joined the leader of the DLA Piper review, Gary Rumble, in his calls for a royal commission.

She accused the defence department and high ranking ADF officers of working to downplay the systemic abuse revealed by the DLA Piper review and the Dart in order to avoid a royal commission.

“I’ve got these big boys up here who have got the big brass saying it’s not an issue – well that’s bullshit,” she said.

“There is an issue and there has been for many, many years, and the only way to fix the issue is to bring it all out in the open in a royal commission and start showing people out there who have been abused that their abusers will be held responsible and they will be thrown out of the military. That’s leading by example. That’s showing that the military has got the balls to stand up and … do something about this.”

Amid frequently heated questioning and accusations from Lambie on Wednesday, the head of the Dart, Major-General Len Roberts-Smith, said he had not made his mind up about a royal commission.

“At the moment, however, I have difficulty in seeing what a royal commission could do in this space presently which the task force is not doing and which would achieve what it seems to me people who are advocating for it are claiming – namely, to hold people to account,” he said.

“[Roberts-Smith] is playing it down” Lambie told Guardian Australia. “He’s diluting it. Instead of saying we have a massive problem and we need a royal commission, he’s not doing it. This is the problem I have.”

Lambie has been an outspoken critic of the military since taking office, prompting the defence chief, David Hurley, to write her a letter warning her to stop.

“I encourage you in future to provide me an opportunity to address any matters of concern you may have rather than becoming aware of them through a media release,” Hurley reportedly wrote.

Lambie was medically discharged from the ADF after a back injury in 1997 which prevented her being sent to East Timor, and she waged a decade-long battle for compensation.

During her 10-year career Lambie served in transportation and with the military police. She told Guardian Australia she witnessed instances of bullying and abuse – particularly against women – and that was driving her political interest in defence management and responses to allegations.

“I guess because I have the background and have seen it through the military police – my whole Army career. Females do get picked on. They’re usually a little bit weaker than men, usually in strength,” she said.

“You’ll get a leader of the pack, and three or four men, with just one pushing the rest to come with them. The other two or three might not be doing anything, they might be just standing around. But they’re not doing anything to stop the big man that’s out in front either. That’s the problem that there is. It’s a mentality – it’s a typical defence mentality.”

“There’s not many men that have the knack to ... be able to deal with the female [victims] and to go out and take action with great leadership,” she said. “That’s the problem that we have in our military at the moment, and we have had for quite some time.”

Lambie questioned whether Roberts-Smith – a career soldier who was also judge advocate general of the ADF – was the right person to investigate the alleged abuses. But most of the witnesses dismissed the suggestion.

Rumble said there was “minimal, if any” scope for conflict in Roberts-Smith’s focus on victims, but said that his background might have “discouraged some people from coming forward”.

The defence minister, David Johnston, said: “I look forward to seeing the Senate Committee’s final report, which I understand will be completed in late August, and I will respond in due course,” he said.

The Dart said it was unable to respond to questions put on notice during the Senate committee before they were publicly released by the committee.