Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Cowan, and I thank him also for his warm-up kind words. I was pleased to open the Vietnam Veterans Counselling Service in Perth and—it must be a mutual love-in society—I was pleased to praise the member for Cowan for his contribution to VVCS. Thank you for that.

On the issue of the ADM, the Australian Defence Medal, the government did vary the eligibility entitlement. The member for Cowan rightly outlined the initial announcement at that time. For completeness, I should emphasise that quite a deal of consternation followed the announcement of the initial eligibility criteria, to the point where the government engaged in quite an extensive range of consultations with ex-service organisations, and I can provide a list of those. That occurred largely before my appointment on 27 January, which I am sure the member for Cowan is aware of. There was also consultation and discussion within the government.

The topics that arose were not limited solely to the question of national service. There were issues around particularly women. Mr Deputy Speaker Wilkie, you may have had representations, as I had, that the actual period of initial enlistment for women was in some cases under the minimum eligibility criteria for the medal. There were also other issues we characterised as employment related policies within Defence. For example, if a female member serving in the defence forces fell in love, she was invited to leave. If she was married, she was invited to leave. If she became pregnant, she was invited to leave, and some other relationships that she may have been involved in also could have meant there was an invitation to leave.

In that light, the review was carried out. The defence chiefs were involved; the government revisited that eligibility criteria. The member for Cowan is quite right: the emphasis on ‘volunteer’ was removed because the focus of the ADM, and the announcement that I made on behalf of the government, went to the question of service and all of the things that the member for Cowan mentioned about a preparedness to serve, to be called upon, to defend the country and to be involved in other defence related activities in the national interest.

A view was taken that if an individual had planned as part of their career to be a member of the ADF and had served out their initial undertaking, they were very deserving of the award of an ADM. The view was also taken that people might have had other career plans for their lives. They might have wished to do other things with their lives, but they were called upon through national service to also serve and, if they fulfilled that obligation appropriately and satisfied the enlistment period, they were equally deserving of having their service recognised.

The key issue that has caused some contention is a view amongst those who volunteered during the period of national service that the nashos have received double recognition; that they have received the National Service Medal and they are eligible for the Australian Defence Medal. This is true; it is a cause of consternation and it has been raised with me. What I have emphasised is that the ADM is to recognise service, and service has been provided and deserves recognition, regardless of the pathway that brought people to serve our country, and to serve well.

In relation to the National Service Medal, this is a commemorative medal. It is a ceremonial medal, not an honour or an award, yet many are saying it is still a medal, and some of the volunteers feel quite strongly that they have not been given the level of recognition for their voluntary service. I have met with a number of veterans organisations recently, and I am sure the member for Cowan would know they have put their views quite vigorously to me, and some points of view I have taken on board. The eligibility criteria for the ADM are sound, principled and, I think, entirely defensible. They will not be changed. The question of whether someone who was a national serviceman is receiving both the ADM and can claim the commemorative National Service Medal relates more, in my view, to the issue of the commemorative National Service Medal than the merit or otherwise of the eligibility criteria of the ADM.

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