Veteran advocacy groups have slammed the mayor of Australia’s largest garrison city for making “deeply disrespectful” false claims about his military history.
Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson is facing mounting calls to resign — including from the Queensland premier and his own councillors — after admitting that he inflated his service record ahead of the local government elections in March.
The matter is under investigation by the Crime and Corruption Commission.
Cr Thompson has refused to stand down, telling the ABC he is “disappointed” councillors have turned against him but “looking forward” to addressing the matter at next week’s council meeting.
In a lengthy post on social media on Friday night, Cr Thompson said he would not resign, regardless of any motion by the city’s councillors at the next council meeting.
Special Air Service Association chair Martin Hamilton-Smith said his organisation investigated Cr Thompson’s service history and found his purported links to the SAS did not stack up.
“When people make these things up, and they’re not true, I think they’re trying to hang on to the coat-tails of people who have joined the Australian Defence Force — or in this case, special forces — and been through the mill and proved themselves,” Mr Hamilton-Smith said.
“They want to be thought of by people as better than they genuinely are.
“It’s wrong, it should be called out and it has been called out.
“It’s a shame it wasn’t called out before voting day.”
Mr Hamilton-Smith, a former SAS soldier and South Australian politician, said the behaviour was a disappointing example of leadership and gave people a reason to be cynical about politics.
“I’m not sure how Mayor Thompson is going to be able to look people in Townsville in the eye — pretty solid community up there, they call a spade a spade — and be taken credibly going forward,” he said.
“I think he needs to go home and have a good think about his future.”
Mr Hamilton-Smith said the saga demonstrated the need for further scrutiny and independent verification of candidates’ claims before elections.
‘Seriously undermines genuine veterans’
Throughout the mayoral race, Cr Thompson said he served for five years with the Royal Australian Corps of Signals and the Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment.
During an interview with Channel Nine’s A Current Affair on Thursday night, he admitted he joined the Army two years later than originally claimed, only served with one squadron and was never a member of the SAS.
He blamed the lapse on suffering more than 100 concussions and apologised to the Defence community.
Townsville is home to more than 5,000 current Defence personnel and a large veteran population.
In a statement, the board of the Townsville RSL sub-branch said “misleading claims of military service for recognition, benefit, or advantage is unacceptable and seriously undermines genuine veterans and their sacrifice”.
“Townsville veterans have given life and limb, their physical and mental health, serving Australia,” it read.
“Misleading claims of military service are not only dishonest — but are deeply disrespectful to those who have genuinely served Australia.
“Exaggerating or fabricating military achievements … goes against everything we stand for.”
RSL Queensland state secretary Iain Carty said he was “concerned and disappointed” by what had unfolded.
“Over my 32 years in the service, and now six months with RSL Queensland, it’s not something I’ve come across often at all,” he said.
“We’ve had people, veterans, members quite rightly concerned about what is happening.
“I think he [Troy Thompson] should do the right thing by veterans.”
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