Ben Roberts-Smith
Ben Roberts-Smith | |
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Roberts-Smith in 2015 | |
| Born | 1 November 1978 Perth, Western Australia |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army (1996–2013) Australian Army Reserve (2013–2015) |
| Years of service | 1996–2015 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit | 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1997–2003) Special Air Service Regiment (2003–2013) |
| Battles / wars | International Force East Timor War in Afghanistan Iraq War |
| Awards | Victoria Cross for Australia Medal for Gallantry Commendation for Distinguished Service |
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| Other work | Chairman of the National Australia Day Council (2014–2017) General manager of Seven Queensland (2015–2023) |
Benjamin Roberts-Smith (born 1 November 1978) is an Australian former soldier, who is a recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia—the highest award for gallantry in battle that can be awarded to a member of the Australian armed forces—who was found in a civil defamation trial to have committed war crimes (including murder) while deployed to Afghanistan. He was awarded a Medal for Gallantry in 2006, the Victoria Cross for Australia in 2011, and a Commendation for Distinguished Service in 2012.
Roberts-Smith joined the Australian Army in 1996 at age eighteen. In 1999, he was deployed twice to East Timor. In 2003, he was selected to serve in the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR).In 2004, Roberts-Smith was a part of operations off Fiji. He was deployed to Iraq in 2005 and 2006. Roberts-Smith was deployed to Afghanistan on six occasions during 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012.
After discharge from the Australian Army in 2013, he was granted a scholarship to study business at the University of Queensland. In 2015, he was appointed by Kerry Stokes to be deputy general manager of the regional television network Seven Queensland and later, general manager of Seven Brisbane until temporarily stepping down in 2021 to focus on his defamation action against Nine Entertainment. Following the defamation outcome in 2023, Roberts-Smith resigned from Seven West Media.
In October 2017, Roberts-Smith's conduct in Afghanistan came under scrutiny after reports that he'd tracked down and killed a teenager he suspected had spotted his patrol. In August 2018, he commenced defamation proceedings against the media outlets involved in reporting alleged acts of bullying and war crimes committed by him. In June 2023, Justice Anthony Besanko dismissed his defamation case, ruling that it was proven to the standard required in Australian defamation law that Roberts-Smith murdered four Afghans and had broken the rules of military engagement. An appeal to the Full Court of the Federal Court—heard over ten days beginning on 5 February 2024—was unanimously dismissed on 16 May 2025. Roberts-Smith was ordered to pay the defendants' costs.