Key facts
- A Senate committee recommended the Australian government issue a formal apology to LGBTQ+ veterans and service members.
- David Gibson was discharged from the Australian Defence Force in 1989 due to his sexuality.
- The military had a policy prohibiting homosexual members from serving until 1990.
- Recommendations include annotating defence records to reflect discriminatory actions and offering certificates of honourable service.
- The report calls for restorative outcomes for victims of historical discriminatory administrative policies.
A Senate committee has recommended that the Australian federal government issue a national apology to LGBTQ+ veterans and service personnel who faced discrimination within the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
David Gibson, who was discharged in 1989 due to his bisexuality, stated that an apology is long overdue. Gibson recounted his experience of entering the military in the 1980s and facing "witch hunts" by military police aimed at identifying and discharging homosexual members, who were prohibited from serving under policy at the time. He described intense interrogations and feeling abandoned by the system, fabricating a situation to end the process.
Gibson was subsequently isolated on another base and discharged in 1989. He noted that while homosexuality was criminalized, the military often used administrative processes to avoid negative publicity and the rights afforded through the justice system. The "traumatic" experience led to decades of shame and depression.
The Senate committee's report, following a royal commission into defence and veteran suicides, suggested that new legislation to modernize mental health treatment and improve the military discipline system should go further. The report calls for "restorative outcomes" for victims of historical discriminatory administrative policies, including those targeted for their sexual orientation or gender identity. These policies led to administrative discharge, forced resignation, and security clearance revocation.
Among the recommendations are allowing affected veterans to have their defence records annotated to show actions were driven by discrimination and would not constitute an offense under current law. The defence department should also offer a certificate of honourable service. The committee chair, Senator Raff Ciccone, stated that a modern ADF must learn from past mistakes and that all who serve should be judged on their ability, not their identity.