Allegations surrounding Ben Roberts-Smith have intensified divisions within the Coalition frontbench, following a public confrontation involving defence personnel spokesman Phillip Thompson and a vocal supporter of the former SAS soldier. On Tuesday, Mr Thompson invited Afghanistan veteran Scott Jones, a former 2nd Commando Regiment signaller, to Parliament House in Canberra, drawing attention to growing tensions between factions within the party.

Mr Jones recently attracted controversy after making a crude hand gesture at the Australian War Memorial during an event commemorating Victoria Cross recipient Cameron Baird, who was killed in action. The gesture, directed towards the spouse of a witness in Roberts-Smith’s defamation trial against Nine Newspapers, highlighted the deep personal conflicts emerging from the ongoing case. Due to legal restrictions, the identities of the individuals involved in the incident have not been disclosed.

Roberts-Smith, a former Australian Special Air Service (SAS) corporal, lost his defamation suit and a subsequent appeal but has since faced criminal charges, including five counts of murder related to alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. Although his bail conditions were temporarily relaxed to allow attendance at the memorial event on Tuesday, he ultimately withdrew, citing illness.

Jones has been an outspoken defender of Roberts-Smith, leveraging social media and podcast platforms to challenge the credibility of the mostly anonymous witnesses against him, many of whom may testify in the forthcoming criminal trial. On one podcast, Jones falsely claimed that Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie, who testified against Roberts-Smith during the defamation proceedings, had never served with him and therefore should not have provided evidence.

The discord also reflects broader political undercurrents. Mr Thompson represents the electorate of Herbert, which includes the garrison town of Townsville, where a significant portion of constituents—around 36 percent—are active Australian Defence Force members, veterans, or their families. Observers have interpreted Mr Thompson’s actions, including facilitating Jones’s access to Parliament, as a challenge to Hastie’s stance and an assertion of support for Roberts-Smith within certain ranks.

Hastie, a former SAS soldier himself, has been vocal in his opposition to Roberts-Smith’s actions, underscoring the fracture within the Coalition regarding how to respond to allegations of misconduct in the military. While some members emphasize the need for due process and the presumption of innocence, the debate remains charged, reflecting the complexities of reconciling legal proceedings with political and military loyalties.