Sky News host Peta Credlin says the presumption of innocence lies at the heart of Australia’s criminal justice system, following news the Australian War Memorial could make changes to its existing Afghanistan displays following the Brereton Report.

“News today that the Australian War Memorial might move to make changes to its existing Afghanistan displays, based on this report alone, disturbs me greatly,” she said.

“I don’t resile from the fact that if crimes might have been committed, they should be further investigated; and if the evidence stacks up, there should be prosecutions.

“But under our law, only after a guilty verdict is anyone then guilty of a crime. And to get to that point, the accused must first have their say in court.

“As Justice Brereton himself said, and I quote; ‘credible information’ is not necessarily admissible evidence; and it might not even lead to a prosecution, or again in Brereton’s words, ‘let alone a conviction’.”

Ms Credlin said, “in any event, nearly 40,000 Australians served in Afghanistan. More than 3,000 Special Forces soldiers did one or more tours of duty, with night-after-dangerous-night of insertion into hostile territory, never knowing whether they’d be alive next morning.”

Ms Credlin said out of the total number of those who have served, the accused comprise scarcely half of one per cent of them, where there are “credible suspicions” of unlawful killing.

“That’s why it would be so wrong for the Australian War Memorial to rush to incorporate the Brereton report into its account of the Afghanistan campaign,” she said.

“Essentially, that would be presenting allegation as fact; and possibility, as certainty.”