The Royal Australian Navy has stood down a person of interest who is assisting military police with inquiries into a recording device found aboard HMAS Leeuwin while it was docked in Cairns.
At a 19 October press conference, Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Buckley said the person had been stood down from duty while the investigation continues. He said an audit of the fleet completed late last week found no other devices.
Buckley said he had seen no evidence that recordings had been shared, but stressed that the inquiry is ongoing. That statement does not establish what the investigation will ultimately find. Defence has not publicly identified the person of interest or announced a charge in the cited update.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the conduct under investigation raised serious privacy and dignity concerns for Navy personnel. The device was discovered earlier this month while the vessel was in Cairns.
Source: Australian Defence Ministers, 19 October press conference transcript. Background: ABC News report on the discovery in Cairns.
Image disclosure: AI-generated editorial illustration of a generic harbour and vessel. It is not a photograph of HMAS Leeuwin, the device or the reported scene.
