AN extraordinary revelation has emerged about one of the most secretive chapters in Australian history — when armed troops were deployed, with live ammunition and bayonets fixed, to surround Fremantle Prison during a major riot in January 1968.

The rarely discussed event came to light through an interview with a former soldier, who described how he and dozens of others from Irwin Barracks were ordered to form a defensive line around the notorious prison while hostages were being held inside.

It appears to be one of the only times in modern Australian history where soldiers were authorised to potentially fire on Australian citizens.

Eerie parallels

The episode has eerie parallels with the United States last month, when president Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops and Marines in Los Angeles following riots sparked by the deportation of unauthorised immigrants, triggering widespread condemnation.

Civil Liberties Australia CEO Bill Rawlings told the Herald that while troops can now legally be deployed within Australia under amended legislation, his organisation opposes it.

“Civil Liberties Australia’s view is that the new Act is excessive, and troops should not be used for civil disobedience. Troops should never be on the streets to shoot civilians,” he said.

“It’s obvious; why not then get rid of the police and have troops? It smacks of a denial of democracy and the rule of law.”

At the time of the 1968 riot, the incident was not reported as involving military intervention, and even now, the event remains largely absent from official histories.

John McGivern, a 98-year-old former superintendent of Fremantle Prison who served from 1980 to 1986 and was secretary of the prison officer’s union in 1968, confirmed to the Chook he was completely unaware of any troops being deployed.

Even the prison itself says there was no mention of troops involved in the riots when they put together the exhibition Protest and Unrest in 2019, while documentation from that period is still with the State Records Office. 

But according to Soldier A, who says he signed an oath of secrecy at the time and is therefore still concerned about using his real name, troops were very much present..

“I can remember, we were at base at Irwin Barracks and I think there was issues brewing the day before,” he said.

“And then on the morning we were called on. 

“From recollection, there was two squads of maybe 20 or 30. I think there was two bus loads of us, and all they did was armed us, put us on the bus,” he said.

“There was a squad put over in the back of the prison. 

“‘This is the perimeter defence’, they said. And then I can remember, I was on a squad out the front, and we formed up in a long line.”

The soldiers were not only armed with live rounds but also issued orders to fire if necessary.

“We were close to the oval, so we had a fair distance from the wall. 

“From memory, I think they said, ‘if they break out, it’s first shot over the shoulder, and then try and shoot below the waist’. 

“I think we would have had fixed bayonets too, yes.”

He said the deployment lasted several hours before they were relieved and returned to barracks.

“It was a show of force.”

Soldier A described a culture of silence, both during and after the event. 

While he was curious about what happened on the inside, there was little interaction with prison staff and no official record he could find in later years.

“I spoke to a warden, and he was a volunteer guide, and I asked him, was he at the prison on that day? And he said, ‘Yes.’ And I said, ‘Oh, that’s interesting, because I was outside the main gate.’

“He said, ‘We’re not allowed to talk about it’.”

When asked whether he or other soldiers questioned the morality of being ordered to potentially shoot Australians, he replied: “We were trained to go to war; if you’re given a command, you carry it out.

“We didn’t have a chance [to discuss it], right? 

“We’re assembled, we’re armed, we’re bussed down. 

“We’re paraded, we’re given instructions, we stood to and we waited. 

“In the army, the worst thing you can do is complain.”

In retrospect, the idea of being prepared to fire on civilians still troubles him.

Command

“How do you know… and I always ask myself, had I been sent to Vietnam, how good a job could have I done under fire? I don’t know, but if you’re given a command, you’re trained.”

He believes the secrecy surrounding the 1968 deployment amounts to “bloody censorship.”

Historically, the use of military force on Australian soil has been rare and controversial.

In 1916, troops with bayonets were used to quell riots in Brisbane over bread shortages. 

In 1949, the Chifley government sent troops into coal mines to break a national strike—though not to suppress protesters. 

And during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, Australian Defence Force personnel were used to support police in enforcing quarantine orders and state border closures, prompting concerns about the “militarisation of public health”.

Despite legal mechanisms introduced under the Defence Act to allow military deployment during national emergencies, the idea of using troops for civilian control continues to spark fierce debate.

Under the Defence Act’s Part IIIAAA, only the Governor-General can authorise a troop call-out, and even then, it requires a request from the police and a guarantee that any force used will be reasonable and proportionate.

But for Soldier A, the lack of transparency remains the most troubling part of the story.

“Surely the police would have cordoned the streets off as well, so people would have seen things happening,” he said. 

by STEVE GRANT

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Do you recall the troops?

We’d be fascinated to hear if anyone can recall the troops being called out against prisoners.

Perhaps you were a resident living along Hampton Road, a prison warder, or even another of the Reservists called up to serve that day.

If you’ve got a recollection, email us at news@fremantleherald.com or call 0438 933 211.