Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister representing the Minister for Defence, upon notice, on 5 March 2012:

(1) When will a response be provided to the recommendations of the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal relating to the recognition of Royal Australian Air Force personnel who served at Ubon air base in Thailand between 1965 and 1968 with the award of the Vietnam Logistic and Support Medal.

(2) Given that the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence, Senator Feeney, was provided the relevant inquiry report on 24 February 2011, can an explanation be provided for the 12 month delay in the provision of a response.

(3) Will the recommendations of the tribunal be accepted; if so, will Letters Patent be drafted in order to give effect to the recommendation.

(4) It the recommendations of the tribunal will not be accepted, with which of the tribunal's conclusions does the Government disagree and why.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Defence has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) The response is presently with the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence for consideration.

(2) The recommendations of the report posed a number of issues that require further investigation within Defence before a response is provided for government consideration.and

(3) and (4) It is not possible to provide a response to these questions until government consideration of the report is finalised.