A growing divide has emerged within News24 over support for former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith, highlighting tensions among conservative commentators over one of Australia’s most polarising public figures.
The split became public this week when Andrew Bolt criticised what he called a Ben Roberts-Smith “publicity campaign”, taking aim at the former soldier’s supporters and their attempts to enlist prominent figures.
Bolt said he had been contacted by a “top lobbying” firm seeking to organise a meeting with Roberts-Smith. He also claimed another intermediary had encouraged him to publicly attack Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie.
Roberts-Smith and Hastie have been at odds for more than a decade, dating back to their service together in the Special Air Service Regiment. Their conflict intensified after allegations of misconduct within Australia’s special forces came to light.
The dispute reached the public arena during Roberts-Smith’s failed defamation action against Nine newspapers, which had accused him of involvement in war crimes.
Hastie appeared as a witness in the case and gave evidence against his former comrade.
The decorated veteran was arrested last year while trying to board a flight from Sydney. He was charged with five war crimes offences allegedly linked to deployments between 2009 and 2012.
Roberts-Smith has repeatedly denied the allegations and remains on bail.
Andrew Bolt (pictured) criticised what he described as a “publicity campaign” by Roberts-Smith
Bolt’s position contrasts with that of colleague Peta Credlin (centre), who has shared social media posts promoting Roberts-Smith merchandise through the EPIC 1 TWO brand
Following Roberts-Smith’s loss in court and his subsequent charges, Hastie became a frequent target of his supporters.
One Nation, which has publicly backed Roberts-Smith, described the Liberal MP as a “traitor” in its “Please Explain” political cartoon.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has also called for the charges against Roberts-Smith to be dropped.
Bolt, however, has made clear that he does not intend to participate in the campaign defending Roberts-Smith.
“Trouble is, I value truth, and want allegations this serious settled in court, and not by a publicity campaign outside it,” he said on air.
Bolt’s intervention could come as a surprise to people outside conservative political circles.
Although his critics often portray him as a right-wing provocateur, many conservatives regard him as an “old-school conservative” who places importance on due process, legal conventions and the rule of law.
That approach was evident earlier this year when Bolt challenged conservatives who defended Roberts-Smith after the charges were laid against him.
Peta Credlin (pictured) has been among Ben Roberts-Smith’s most outspoken defenders
“I have a simple question for the people angrily defending Ben Roberts-Smith, claiming a war hero is being persecuted by woke civilians judging soldiers in battle from the comfort of their sofas,” Bolt wrote.
‘Do you think Australian soldiers should be allowed to shoot unarmed prisoners?’
One News Corp insider compared Bolt’s stance to that once taken by News Corp columnist Miranda Devine, when she backed then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in 2017, breaking with the rest of the conservative media establishment, who were pushing for Tony Abbott’s return to the Liberal leadership.
Devine famously coined the term ‘del con’, short for ‘delusional conservatives’, to mock campaigners who agitated for Abbott’s return after he was rolled by Turnbull as party leader.
Bolt’s intervention has left him isolated among a number of conservative commentators who have enthusiastically championed Roberts-Smith’s cause.
Bolt’s longevity in the media and senior standing among colleagues has shielded him from some of the criticism directed at others who hold similar views.
In contrast, one of the most prominent Roberts-Smith defenders is News24 host Peta Credlin.
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On her October 22 program, Credlin launched a forceful attack on the Albanese government’s changes to the legal definition of hors de combat and their application to alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan.
Sharri Markson (pictured) is among the News24 commentators taking a measured approach
‘Now, I don’t think anyone is above the law, least of all our soldiers,’ Credlin said.
She argued soldiers are being judged under legal standards that didn’t exist when they served, and suggested political leaders and senior Defence figures had escaped scrutiny while veterans are facing prosecution.
During the same week, Credlin shared posts promoting Roberts-Smith merchandise through the EPIC 1 TWO brand on social media.
Roberts-Smith has begun building a commercial brand around his profile, launching an online store under the name EPIC 1 TWO, a reference to his SAS call sign.
The website sells branded T-shirts, hoodies and caps and offers a 10 per cent discount for military personnel, past and present.
Roberts-Smith has promoted the venture heavily online, featuring in marketing materials and modelling the products himself.
Another group within News24 includes those who have been more critical of the process, choosing not to cast criticism upon Roberts-Smith’s guilt or innocence.
Outsiders co-host Rowan Dean wrote critically in The Spectator about the way the government prosecuted Roberts-Smith.
Ben Roberts-Smith (pictured) launched his own merchandise line EPIC 1 TWO last week
‘It’s just my opinion, I am not a lawyer, and I make no judgment on guilt or innocence regarding the charges against Ben Roberts-Smith, but as far as I’m concerned, this entire affair stinks to high heaven,’ he said on Tuesday.
‘How can any Australian, in all good conscience, look at what our governments have done in relation to the Ben Roberts-Smith affair and not be appalled?
‘As usual, the process is the punishment.’
Sharri Markson, meanwhile, has taken a more measured approach to the issue.
While she has questioned aspects of the war crimes investigations and the resources devoted to them, she has stopped short of making Roberts-Smith’s case a central personal campaign.
Last Thursday, Markson argued the scale of the investigation was disproportionate, saying government agencies had devoted enormous resources to pursuing alleged war crimes.
‘Put guilt or innocence aside, one thing is for certain. Government agencies have spent upwards of $300 million and hundreds of staff on its war crimes investigation,’ Markson said.
‘Now, wouldn’t our country be a lot safer if that money and those major resources were redirected into investigating actual terrorists? There are 18,000 people on the terror watch list in Australia.’
Bolt said he was urged to publicly criticise Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie (pictured)
She went on to argue that Roberts-Smith had attracted an extraordinary level of scrutiny compared with many national security threats.
‘Ben Roberts-Smith has had more surveillance, more scrutiny, and more money spent on him than the vast majority of those 18,000 extremists.’
Bolt has previously shown a willingness to break with parts of the conservative movement on other contentious figures.
Bolt was sharply critical of British activist Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, a far-right anti-Islam campaigner with multiple criminal convictions.
He criticised former Today show host Karl Stefanovic for interviewing Robinson, describing the activist as a ‘public menace’ and accusing Stefanovic of helping to amplify division.
Bolt said the interview risked ‘stoking up tensions’ and argued Stefanovic was ‘increasingly flirting with the extremes in the hunt for clicks’.
