BuzzfeedNews has
an interesting story about name suppression. Excerpt:
Australia’s defence department is unwilling to disclose the names of defence officers charged with criminal offences, in part because of the high rates of mental health issues suffered by military personnel, internal emails reveal.
Documents obtained under Australia's freedom of information law and reported by BuzzFeed News revealed that since September 2014 the Directorate of Military Prosecution has brought charges against 152 defence personnel across Australia’s army, navy and air force.
But while in an ordinary Australian court the names of the alleged offenders would generally be publicly accessible, the defence department's registrar of military justice, group captain Nina Harvey, has sought to suppress the identities of all defence personnel who have had charges brought against them.
Following the BuzzFeed News story the department announced it was reviewing this procedure.
BuzzFeed News subsequently sought access to correspondence that related to the review under freedom of information laws. The defence department then disclosed an email written by Harvey that said one of the most significant factors in not revealing names was the high rate of mental health issues.
“There are significant personal welfare considerations that need to be taken into consideration,” Harvey wrote. “These intersect with additional obligations with respect to veterans and persons with mental illness (including post traumatic stress disorder), particularly where these are service related.”
Stay tuned.
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