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Chris Masters

Chris Masters

Chris Masters is a Gold Walkley award-winning journalist and author. He was the first Australian journalist to be embedded with special forces in Afghanistan.

Nick McKenzie (left) and Chris Masters arriving at the Federal Court in Sydney during Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation trial.

How is that an Aussie fair go, for the War Memorial to change the rules at half-time?

I was surprised, and not surprised, that my book had been twice rejected by the Australian War Memorial as winner of the Les Carlyon Literary Award, despite being nominated by independent judges.

  • Chris Masters

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Former AFP commissioner Mick Keelty at his home in Brisbane this week.

Time for truth on the ‘tip’ that destroyed top cop’s career

Former AFP chief Mick Keelty says the events that sprang from two meetings with the war criminal in 2018 have “all but broken” him. Now he wants to come clean.

  • Michael Bachelard, Chris Masters and Nick McKenzie
A special forces soldier on the ground in Afghanistan.

War crimes investigator launches raids in major escalation

The elite anti-war crimes agency probing Ben Roberts-Smith and other ex-SAS soldiers has conducted raids in Perth.

  • Chris Masters and Nick McKenzie
Ben Roberts-Smith arrives at the Federal Court in Sydney on Friday, May 2.

Roberts-Smith’s rabid band of supporters has an outspoken new member – Gina Rinehart

Australia’s richest person has asked why this “brave and patriotic man” should be “under such attack”. The answer is nearly 1000 pages of court judgments.

  • Chris Masters
Ben Roberts-Smith didn’t seem like a man with nothing to hide when Chris Masters questioned him.

A man with something to hide: The day I put tough questions to Ben Roberts-Smith

The more we spoke, the more his guard appeared to slip.

  • Chris Masters
The chief of the Defence Force, General Angus Campbell, offered to hand back his Distinguished Service Cross.

Defence chief Angus Campbell tried to hand back his Afghanistan medal but was refused

The offer was made to then-defence minister Linda Reynolds but was turned down by the Morrison government because it did not want anybody’s medals revoked.

  • Chris Masters
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Reputation over rank: Where was the command over this culture?

The Ben Roberts-Smith trial could not explore the full role of officers but it did provide important insights.

  • Chris Masters
Major-General Paul Brereton, whose report into allegations of special forces war crimes shocked the nation.

If we fail to prosecute war crimes, the law is a ‘dead letter,’ says inquiry judge

Major-General Paul Brereton has warned of the danger of national pride trumping justice when it comes to holding war criminals to account.

  • Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters
Australian Army soldiers from Special Operations Task Group prepare for a night-time operation in Oruzgan in 2008.

War Memorial historians denied access to Afghanistan war crimes report

The historians won’t see the unredacted report of the Brereton war crimes inquiry until the public sees it, which could be as long as seven years away.

  • Chris Masters and Nick McKenzie
Australian SAS soldiers in Afghanistan.

‘SAS protection racket’: Claims reforms to special forces have been sidelined

“The general mood [among high-ranking defence officers] is that it has been squibbed,” said one senior officer engaged with the Afghanistan inquiry reform process.

  • Chris Masters and Nick McKenzie