An Australian Defence Force member has been identified as a person of interest after a hidden recording device was allegedly discovered in a women’s bathroom aboard a Royal Australian Navy ship.
The device was found on HMAS Leeuwin on October 11 while the vessel was docked in Cairns, Queensland, sparking an investigation and a major security crackdown across the Navy’s fleet.
Defence confirmed on Thursday that an ADF member had been identified as a person of interest and was now assisting the Joint Military Police Unit with its enquiries.
Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Matt Buckley has condemned the incident as a “despicable betrayal of trust” and ordered an inspection of every bathroom across the Navy’s fleet.
“To provide assurance to all personnel Fleet Commander is undertaking a 100% audit of all of our bathrooms across the Fleet,” he said.
“This act is the most despicable betrayal of trust and is fundamentally misaligned with our values.
“I consider this a most serious matter, and accordingly, the Ship’s program has been altered to enable a rapid and rigorous investigation by the Joint Military Policing Unit.”
He confirmed the Warrant Officer of the Navy had travelled to Cairns to support crew members potentially affected by the incident.
“My highest priority, as always, is the wellbeing of our people. All potentially impacted personnel are receiving our strongest support,” he said.
“You have my assurance and commitment that we will tackle this act of sexual violence with all of our energy. Any perpetrator will be held to account,” he said.
“Eradicating sexual violence in our workplace is fundamental to the fighting efficiency of our Navy.”
The discovery has sparked outrage in Canberra, with Opposition Leader Angus Taylor describing the incident as “utterly unacceptable”.
“I can’t speak to how widespread that is. What I can say is that those instances are utterly unacceptable,” he said.
Independent senator Jacqui Lambie called for an overhaul of Defence’s culture and argued an independent body should investigate such incidents rather than leaving them in the hands of the military.
“The only way we’re going to be able to stop this is by taking it out of Defence’s hands and having an independent body that actually deals with this,” she said.
Communications Minister Anika Wells also condemned the discovery, describing it as “horrible” and expressing concern for personnel who may have been affected.
“You deserve to feel safe in your workplace and the rise of tech facilitated abuse … is horrific,” she said.
Defence said the ship had remained alongside in Cairns to allow the investigation to proceed, with civilian authorities also involved.
“Navy’s focus and priority is providing support to those who are impacted by this incident,” a Defence spokesperson said.
Defence has declined to provide further details while the investigation remains ongoing, citing the privacy of those affected.