Many have politicised the Roberts-Smith case. That temptation should be over

April 10, 2026 — 5:00am

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If we’re fortunate, the fact federal police have charged Ben Roberts-Smith with war crimes under Australian law and before an Australian court will force us into a moment of hesitation. The early signs are promising, with the prime minister and opposition leader declining to weigh in, correctly noting the dangers of commenting on a matter before the courts. Such reticence is precious in a saga like this, which from its beginning took the shape of a culture war. It remained such, even as it worked its way through the courts courtesy of Roberts-Smith’s defamation suit against this masthead, breaking along familiar, highly politicised lines.

Put crudely, a conservative cohort was outraged, seeing a scandalous attack on a war hero, besmirching our armed forces. It was people who had never been to war presuming to judge those who had. Meanwhile, in progressive hands, this became a way to criticise a particular kind of nationalism, in which we package our national identity in the military, and assume it can do no wrong. For that reason, it also sat alongside a more thoroughgoing critique of our military’s culture. Cast in these terms, it is little wonder even, as this moved from the newspaper into the courts, plenty found themselves not merely interested observers, but barrackers, cheering for one outcome.

But no longer can this be reduced to such politics. No longer is this a contest between Roberts-Smith and some journalists. You can’t credibly frame the Australian Federal Police as........

© Brisbane Times