Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has promised a calm and considered response to war crime allegations after the chief of armed forces backtracked on stripping awards.
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Angus Campbell initially promised to revoke meritorious unit citations from all 3000 special forces soldiers who served in Afghanistan during 2007 and 2013, when alleged war crimes were committed.
But in the face of public pressure and interventions from the prime minister, General Campbell now says no final decision has been made.
Senator Reynolds said the Australian Defence Force would work through the Brereton report's recommendations with a considered approach.
"This is the most serious issue the ADF has had to deal with," she told coalition colleagues on Tuesday.
"There is no rule book or well-worn pathway for responding."
She emphasised the allegations could not be dismissed as "fog of war" actions, noting evidence of potential murder.
But the minister also said presumptions of innocence and clear judicial processes would be afforded.
Labor's defence spokesman Richard Marles believes General Campbell is right to take his time.
"It needs to be dealt with very sensitively," he told reporters in Canberra.
"There is a desire to take some time to get this right and I think that's appropriate."
Mr Marles said he could understand the recommendation to revoke unit citations, which came from the Inspector-General of the ADF's Afghanistan inquiry report handed down this month.
"I can also understand the feelings of the thousands of Australians who served in the special operations task group with distinction who had nothing to do with the allegations that have been made feeling aggrieved by this recommendation," he said.
"We've got to give Defence the time and the space to work this through and work out the way in which the recommendations, including this one, of the Brereton report can be implemented."
Retired special forces commander Heston Russell, who started an online petition demanding only soldiers convicted of war crimes be stripped of their citations, criticised the response to Paul Brereton's report.
He wants General Campbell to admit he acted too quickly and commit to assessing each case individually.
"What we're hearing is political language from the senior military general who we need leadership from and demonstration of confidence," Mr Russell told the ABC.
"I want to see more stronger language in what is actually going to occur from this point forward."
Australian Associated Press
