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MEDAL TO RECOGNISE SERVICE IN 
DEFENCE OF AUSTRALIA

             The Howard Government recently announced the intention to establish a new medal that recognizes volunteer service in the Australian Defence Force.   All relevant approvals are now being sought to allow the award of this medal.

            The Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence, Mal Brough, said those who had served for a total of six years in the Australian Defence Force, regular or reserve, would be eligible and the medal would be backdated to recognize past service.

            "The Australian Defence Medal also reflects the fact that when serving in a modern Defence Force, it becomes difficult to discriminate between those who serve directly on operations and those who support those operations."

            "The Australian Defence Medal reflects the fact that by serving in the Australian Defence Force individuals make a contribution to the national interest, whether they served the country on operations, or whether they remained in Australia in a support role."

            "The war on terrorism has redefined the notions of a frontline or even an easily definable Area of Operations."

            "Some tasks undertaken by soldiers, sailors and airmen remain invisible to the community at large but are very important to our nation's defence. These may include preparation and planning, intelligence and, indeed, other classified activities that for national security reasons can't be recognized by a specific award."

            "The Australian Defence Medal will recognize all of these circumstances of service."

            Mr. Brough said the Australian Defence Medal would be retrospective from the end of World War Two, in order to recognize that many people in the past had served their nation in a variety of forms, sometimes arduous, but had not been recognized by an operational medal. However, those who completed National Service would not be eligible unless they subsequently volunteered and completed the requisite six years volunteer service.  "Six years reflects a length of time that we could be reasonably certain that most people would have completed the requisite training and experience in the Regular or Reserve forces, to be considered fully deployable should they have been called upon,"  Mr. Brough said.

            "We believe these conditions also give effect to a motion from the Returned and Services League who agree with our desire to further recognize ADF service."  "The implementation of the medal will be a significant undertaking and the issue of medals to past servicemen will take time. It is estimated that up to 400,000 ex-servicemen and women may apply for this medal," Mr. Brough said. "It is anticipated that once a design has been finalized and the medals have been struck, the issuing of medals could begin around middle of 2005."

            "Operational and other demanding overseas service will still be recognized under the current arrangements. Processing and issuing of operational awards will take priority as the new Australian Defence Medal is being implemented.

            "Nonetheless, the Australian Defence Medal provides the Government and the Australian people the ability to recognize those service men and women who do volunteer and serve the flag in a variety of roles and are prepared, should the call come, to put their lives on the line," Mr. Brough said.

Veterans of the Vietnam War, Inc. & The Veterans Coalition - Australia

P O Box 183 Nairne, SA 5252

"An organization succeeds, not because it is long-established,
but because there are people in it who live it, sleep it, dream it,
and build future plans for it."