Austrailian Advisor asked to lie about Iraq threat. Not surprising.

[flamingpie2500]

Australian Adviser Asked to Lie About Iraq Threat, Paper Says
April 11 (Bloomberg) -- A senior Australian defense adviser claims she was fired after refusing to write briefing notes that would exaggerate the threat posed by Iraq's weapons program, the Sunday Herald Sun reported.

Jane Errey, who worked for the Defense Department for nine years, said she took leave in March last year rather than misrepresent Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program in notes for Defense Minister Robert Hill, the report said.

``As a public servant I shouldn't be expected to write propaganda,'' the report quoted Errey as saying.

Errey left the Defense Department because of ``management issues,'' Hill told Nine television in Sydney.

Australia committed 2,200 troops to the U.S.-led attack in Iraq, with about 850 still deployed in and around Iraq.

(Sunday Herald Sun, 4-11, online)

http://www.headliner.nl/headliner.php?c=us&id=53848&abbr=bloomberg

[revcarol]

1. Why does SHE say she left?

OK, investigative reporters. Get at the truth!!

[flamingpie2500]

2. The way I am reading it she took leave first then was fired recently.

Have to see if I can find out more somewhere.
Happy hunting!

[flamingpie2500]

3. One article I found:

She said she went on holiday rather than write the briefing.

"Anything I was doing with respect to the war was making me uncomfortable," she told the papers.

"Then, to have to brief the minister and fundamentally give him - even though I didn't write it - lines of propaganda that I didn't believe with respect to the war was beyond what I was prepared to do.

"I wouldn't lie or mislead the public."

When her leave ran out she took sick leave and then last Monday she was sacked on "performance grounds".


http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/11/1081621823280.html