Flawed Hero
2023 book about Ben Roberts-Smith
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Flawed Hero: Truth, Lies and War Crimes is a 2023 non-fiction book by Australian investigative journalist Chris Masters, published by Allen & Unwin. The book details allegations of war crimes against Ben Roberts-Smith and a subsequent defamation action undertaken by Roberts-Smith against Masters and others.[2]
Book cover | |
| Author | Chris Masters |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Allen & Unwin |
Publication date | 2023 |
| Media type | Book |
| Pages | 592 |
| Awards | 2024 Australian Political Book of the Year Award 2023 Walkley Honour for Media Freedom |
| ISBN | 978-1-761-06981-9 [1] |
Synopsis
Flawed Hero tells the story of Roberts-Smith, one of Australia's most highly decorated soldiers. Holder of a Victoria Cross and a Medal for Gallantry, Roberts-Smith returned from the war in Afghanistan as a national hero embodying "the myth of the classic Anzac". As his public reputation grew, rumours circulated inside the army. In his book, Masters details his investigation of alleged summary executions, "bloodings" of junior soldiers and bullying.[3]
In 2018, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times published a series of articles by Masters, Nick McKenzie, and David Wroe outlining the alleged war crimes. Roberts-Smith, with the backing of media mogul Kerry Stokes, launched civil proceedings against the newspapers and journalists. The respondents mounted a defence of substantial truth. Hearings ran from June 2021 to July 2022, complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, and national security sensitivities around some of the evidence.[4]
Justice Besanko dismissed Roberts-Smith's case in June 2023, with both the plaintiff and defendants spending approximately $25 million each in legal fees. Masters's book is divided into three major sections. The first section deals with various SAS soldiers leaking information about Roberts-Smith's alleged war crimes. The second section details legal manoeuvring in the lead up to the court case. The final section outlines the evidence given by different witness.[4]
Critical reception
On Newtown Review of Books, Braham Dabscheck—a Senior Fellow at the Melbourne Law School—writes that the book is a revealing account of investigative journalism, legal process, and culture of the Australian SAS, centred on one soldier's moral failings in Afghanistan.[4] The Saturday Paper, states that the book does not dwell on Roberts-Smith's celebrity nor go into the consequences for Afghanistan, instead providing "a step-by-step account of reporters taking on the legal system, the political establishment and much of the Australian media".[5] The Sydney Morning Herald writes that the book is a "compelling retelling of the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial" and that "for those who believe unquestioningly in the ANZAC spirit, this book offers an important corrective – hero worship must not be blind".[6]
Awards
- 2024 Australian Political Book of the Year Award[7]
- 2023 Walkley Honour for Media Freedom[8]
Australian War Memorial prize
A committee of the Australian War Memorial selected the book for a literary prize. In September 2025, the council of the memorial subsequently overruled the selection, stating that the committee had not followed recently updated criteria, thus disqualifying the book. The retrospective change in criteria was criticised by Masters; however, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese supported the decision.[9][10][11][12]