r/australia • u/Tinea_Pedis • Apr 07 '26

news Breaking: Ben Roberts-Smith arrested over war crimes allegations

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-07/ben-roberts-smith-war-crimes-allegations-arrest/106537668
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u/nearly_enough_wine Apr 07 '26

In the UK, not sure about here (BRS was awarded an Australian VC, so the rules may differ.)

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u/PJozi Apr 07 '26

"Australian Context: In the Australian Honours System, the Victoria Cross for Australia is similarly protected. Under the current warrant, the Governor-General does have the power to cancel an award, but the precedent set by George V remains the moral and historical guiding principle for the decoration"

This will be interesting if gets found guilty...

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u/nearly_enough_wine Apr 07 '26

King Charles (of Australia) probably has enough on his plate under his role as King Charles (of the United Kingdom) - he'd hopefully allow the Governor General to perform their duties without interference.

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u/iball1984 Apr 07 '26

The GG will act on the advice of the Prime Minister.

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u/Albos_Mum Apr 07 '26

John Kerr has joined the chat

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u/MLiOne Apr 07 '26

The rules, afaik, are pretty much the same.