Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was not a government decision to award Ben Roberts-Smith the King Charles Coronation Medal.
Former SAS officers were welcomed to Western Australian Government Building this week to receive a special honour given to all Victoria Cross recipients.
Last year, Roberts Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient, lost a libel lawsuit against three newspapers for slandering him as a war criminal.
Judge Anthony Besanko found that the newspapers had succeeded in proving on a civil balance of probabilities that Roberts-Smith was complicit in the murder of four unarmed civilians while serving with the SAS in Afghanistan, as well as in bullying and intimidating colleagues and threatening a woman with whom he was having an affair.
Roberts-Smith, who has always denied any wrongdoing, appealed the sentence.
Appearing on the Nine Network’s Weekend Today show on Saturday, the Prime Minister said the decision to award Mr Roberts-Smith the Coronation Medal had been made by King Charles, not the Australian Government.
“It was the Palace’s decision to award a further medal to all Victoria Cross recipients,” Mr Albanese said.
“Legal proceedings are ongoing on these issues and, given the government’s involvement, it is important that we do not interfere with that.”
“But that was clearly not a government decision.”
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Ms Roberts-Smith was photographed attending the event with her parents last Thursday and has contacted Western Australian Premier Chris Dawson and Buckingham Palace for comment.
Roberts-Smith sued the Sydney Morning Herald last year for publishing a number of news articles containing allegations of war crimes.
After a 110-day trial, Judge Besanko ruled that the newspapers proved his suspicions that Roberts Smith was involved in four murders during his time on the force.
