Australian Defence Minister censured over prisoner abuse scandal:

The Australian Senate has censured Minister for Defence Robert Hill over his handling of the Iraqi prisoner abuse issue. It was revealed earlier this month that both the Minister and some Australian military officers learned of concerns that detainees were being mistreated last June, yet nothing was done. Labour is demanding that Mr Hill resign immediately.

"It's not as if there are claims of conflict of interest of misleading the parliament or even a charge of incompetence," claims Hill.

But both Hill and Prime Minister John Howard did make repeatedly misleading statements, claiming Australian officials knew nothing about Abu Ghraib till the scandalous photos were published in the media. If they didn't know, they should have known. Like Bush, they are either lying or incompetent.

Senator Hill and the Prime Minister, John Howard, denied the report for almost a week but then confirmed it, admitting they had misled the public. They blamed the Defence department for giving them the wrong information.

Despite knowing on Sunday, May 30 that they had made many wrong statements, Senator Hill, the Defence Force chief, General Peter Cosgrove, and the Defence Department secretary, Ric Smith, waited until 12.30pm on Tuesday before confessing.

The three had been questioned for 15 hours.

As an occupying power - and more especially so because our invasion was illegal and Australian troops drew first blood - Australia has an obligation to guarantee the safetly of the Iraqi people. Both Hill and Howard should have reacted very quickly and very vigorously to any implication that our "coalition" "partners" were abusing Iraqis as part of their mis-guided "war" on "terror".

Hill must now resign or be sacked, and Howard should apologize to the Iraqi people.

Hill must also release a detailed 61-page dossier outlining what Australians knew about prisoner abuse in Iraq. Hill says the dossier would be embarrassing to the USA. So what? Are we now afraid to embarrass liars, criminals and torturers?

Enough of this morals-free attitude to government. It shames us all.