General unaware of Naliva reports

AN Australian Senate Estimates Ccommittee hearing in Canberra recently discussed the appointment of Colonel Penioni Naliva as deputy commander of the 7th Brigade based at Gallipoli barracks in Brisbane.

Australian Defense Force chief, General Angus Campbell was queried by Greens Senator David Shoebridge on whether he conducted due diligence on Col Naliva.

Senator Shoebridge asked General Campbell whether he was aware that in 2011, the UN special rapporteur on the Protection of Freedom of Expression named Col Naliva in its report to the Human Rights Council, citing his alleged role in the savage beating of Suva businessman and former politician Benjamin Padarath.

In his response General Campbell said: “No I wasn’t aware Senator.”

Sentaor Shoebridge then further asked General Campbell: “Were you aware of reports in The Australian of a prominent youth activist who said that Naliva was present when he was detained and tortured in 2006 and did nothing to stop it?”

General Campbell responded: “No I was not Senator?”

Senator Shoebridge said: “So you were not aware of the book published by former Fijian prime minister which detailed among other horrors, you weren’t aware of UN rapporteur report and you were not aware of The Australian report?

“Did you do any due diligence at all on the character of this man before appointing him to be second incharge of 3000 Australian soldiers?

In response General Campbell said: “That is the aspect of this issue that did not work as it should have.”

Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) Commander, Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai said there’s nothing to prove that Col Naliva was involved in a human rights violations.

Maj-Gen Kalouniwai said these reports were just allegations.