Phil Goff Opposition defence spokesperson Phil Goff has accused the government of a cover-up of the circumstances of the April 2012 suicide of gay soldier Corporal Dougie Hughes. Hughes, who was serving in a forward operating base in Afghanistan, took his own life just hours after a confrontational meeting convened by a superior officer to address Hughes' alleged inappropriate behaviour towards another soldier who he may have had a crush on. Anti-gay coroner Gordon Matenga subsequently decided not to open an inquest and suppressed a military Court of Inquiry report into Hughes' death. Last week the Solicitor General's office turned down a request for the inquiry to be opened up. Speaking on Maori Television's Native Affairs programme this evening Goff says he is frustrated by Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman's refusal to discuss the matter in Parliament as it is subject to a suppression order. "Discussing this matter out in the open is in the public interest," says Goff, who describes the official silence as "a government cover-up."