The discovery was made on October 11 aboard HMAS Leeuwin while the ship was docked in Cairns, Queensland. Defence confirmed in a statement it was aware of a video recording device located in a cabin of the vessel, which the ABC understands was a female-only cabin. The incident has been referred to the Joint Military Police Unit and Defence is working with civilian authorities.
Senator Lambie, a former army member, told the Senate on Wednesday she had received a letter from a person who said the device was found in the "shower facilities". She said her source also claimed footage from the cameras was uploaded online before the device was discovered, and that there were fears similar devices could be on other Navy vessels.
"Even more disturbing are claims that footage from these cameras may have been uploaded online before the cameras were discovered," Senator Lambie said. She called for a "zero tolerance" approach to abuse in the defence force and urged potential recruits not to enlist until the situation improved. "Do not let your kids in there, and certainly do not let your daughters or granddaughters enlist until it's fixed," she said.
Defence said it takes the incident extremely seriously and does not tolerate unacceptable behaviour in any form. The ship remained alongside to enable the investigation and to provide support to crew members. Defence declined to comment further while the investigation is ongoing, citing the privacy of affected individuals.
An ex-servicewoman told the ABC one of her friends was onboard and had been told not to speak to the media. "If defence was as good as they say it was, why would they need to silence anyone?" she asked. The Queensland Police Service and the Australian Federal Police referred inquiries to Defence.