The families of three Australian soldiers gunned down in Afghanistan have welcomed the findings of a coronial inquest into the men's deaths.
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Deputy Queensland Coroner John Lock found Lance Corporal Stjepan Milosevic, Sapper James Martin and Private Robert Poate may not have been killed in August 2012 if a crucial security warning had been passed down the chain of command.
"The (coroner's) decision has highlighted the inadequacy of orders being passed down through the commanding officer at battalion command level," said Suzanne Thomas, Sapper Martin's mother.
Mr Lock said in 2012, there had been a significant spike in insider attacks in Afghanistan.
This promoted the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force to release an order on August 13 that emphasised security,
including separation of Afghan soldiers from mentoring troops and the employment of armoured guards.
However Mr Lock found that when Sapper Martin, Lance Corporal Milosevic and Private Poate were gunned down while relaxing at their patrol base north of Tarin Kowt, the security recommendations had not been implemented.
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The Afghans had been allowed to mingle with the Australians, there was just one Australian guard on duty and the Australian platoon was dressed in gym gear rather than uniforms and body armour.
He said the deadly attack by Afghan National Army Sergeant Hekmatullah may not have happened if the ISAF orders had been implemented by the platoon's commander.
"Would that have stopped Hekmatullah? I don't know and no one can know," Mr Lock said.
"But what we do know is he would have seen a quite different defensive set up and posture compared to the relaxed state of affairs that had been seen ... that may very well have deterred him from attacking then."
