It's not just the guilty sailors who should be sacked for the latest Navy hazing scandal

HMAS Ballarat arrived at New Quay in preparation for Saturday's launching ceremony. Source: News Limited

The Captain of that ship either knew about the alleged disgusting behaviour or he didn't. Benefit of the doubt would say of course he didn't know. I certainly hope he didn't know.

A Navy source told News Corp's Ian McPhedran: "Any senior sailor or officer who knew about this and did nothing will also be for the high jump".

That's obvious. But it's not enough.

In what other industry could a break-down of authority such as this be tolerated - and the Military is all about authority.

For all the rhetoric about cultural change in our armed forces - the inquires, the soaring speeches, the assurances to Australian parents that 'you can trust us with your children' - if a captain of a naval ship can't get his own sailors to behave like human beings he's not doing his job.

In the same way military authority flows uniformly down the ranks, surely responsibility must flow uniformly back up the ranks again.

Until people at the top feel the consequences, what hope of real change?

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