pelican,
The incompedence of female police I refered to was mainly in relation to their lack of physical size and the feeling the male officers had that they had to do more to 'look after' their partner in bad situations. I suspect male instinct, but as i said this debate is not about female suitability for front line operations. Oh, and I did not say I agreed with the male police officers.

Lexi,
I did not know Reith made any comment. My info just comes from press stories and i refer you to the link in my first post. This morning their also was an item saying the college Commandant may have to resign. Guess the buck does stop somewhere.

Hasbeen,
I went through initiation rites and maybe the females have their own rites, i don't know, but this is not about that either.

Women have sexual urges as well as males and because she had sex with this bloke does not make her immoral. It is not reasonable that other cadets refer to her as a slut. I would really be angry if my daughter was treated this way by her classmates. If the bloke were my son, I would flog him for being so stupid and wasting my money in raising him.

There is no excuse for anyone, male or female, to film and broadcast a sexual encounter simply to embarrass and/or ridicule either of the couple. Sexual encounters must remain private. This bloke is no officer and gentleman. Standards have to be set.

Dear Banjo,

Well said. Standards do have to be set for the protection of all. And, in this case - someone must be held accountable. The fact that "we've always done it this way," is simply an excuse for bad behaviour - and should not be tolerated.

Dear Hasbeen,

I don't mean to be contentious in this matter. However the mere fact that the behaviour that you describe as typical of the Defence Forces doesn't excuse it, nor should it mean that it should continue. Things change with time - and by the evidence it seems that changes are long overdue here.

The nub of the problem is that there are women in the services.
When they had seperate women's services things went fairly well.

However that is not the bone of contention, any 'man' (and the inverted commas are there for a purpose) who would make love to a girl and then broadcast the act to others is not a man.
Such a person should never be entrusted with life or death decisions involving personell under him.
He simply could not be trusted not to look out for himself first.

This is the type of Officer who is sometimes 'lost in action' and no one ever wants to say where the bullet came from.

I remember an incident at the Battle School at Haramura in Japan back in the 1950s when a Sergeant (in a British unit) who was a particularly nasty bully was shot in the leg during an exercise where troops went in under covering rifle fire from their mates. The shooter was never identified (one of about fifty) but rumour had it that the one that drew the short straw was not a good shot.

@ StG:

You have to bear in mind that Hasbeen was training to fly a Sopwith Camel. Things were different then.

I would equate putting this immoral act on skype the same as taking photos of young teen girls and displaying them in the name of art. They are both abhorent.

A first cousin of mine (female in the Army)for 30 years Hasbeen found the Army 'easy' in comparison to her childhood on a farm.

A school girlfriend of mine now in her forties closer to the Admiral level in the Navy; intelligence plus! Could have chosen to be an Engineer, yet her skills and talents more suited, according to the Navy, in the Strategy area.

There are many females who could become Engineers in the Navy Hasbeen, however the Navy was rife, up until this Century, with a well hidden air/energy of chauvanism/gender favouritism. That was the era as we all know, however Australia has a way to go in stamping out archaic thought processes, the 'facade and egos' starting at the 'top'!

Interesting point that last term. 'The top'. Senior defence force staff, Senior Navy personnel (although the Navy has been through some of this crap a few years back and taken the steps/measures addressing negative behaviour)and related agencies have not been forced to address these issues for the good part of Australian defence history.

A strict 'zero tolerance' policy and implemented, after regular talks/meetings from Senior Training officials within Defence should have been sufficient discouragement to Cadets training at ADFA, never to have engaged in such disrespectful and disgraceful behaviour regardless of alcohol or any excuse.

Shame on any Defence Personnel thinking more of their careers and egos than the Victim.

Shame on the parents also for raising teenagers who could think to engage or participate in the filthy,degrading,despicable, sly and unlawful act.

No respect for themselves or their future cadets, in all probability saving their lives in the future, particularly during their first mission to Afghanistan.

Q: How the hell are Defence going to entrust these types of dispositions to saving and lawfully caring for female victims in other countries or our country in the future?

These types of conversations should be raised by ADFA Training Personnel at the 'commencement' of their Training, discussing consequences and loyalty to one's own trainees and future units/battalions preparing them for the real world 12 months away.