Fraser Anning (Queensland, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) expresses its strong commitment to ensure that Australian military veterans who have served this nation overseas receive their full entitlements;

(b) notes with concern that, for decades, the 9000 Australian Defence Force members who served in Malaysia during the counter-insurgency war in that country, as part of Rifle Company Butterworth (RCB), have been denied their rightful entitlements due to the government refusing to recognise their service as warlike;

(c) notes that this refusal was based upon a wartime propaganda deception, as shown by an Australian Defence Committee secret minute of 11 January 1973, which stated that this warlike deployment could be publicly portrayed as being for training purposes;

(d) condemns the refusal of successive Australian governments to admit the truth regarding this deployment, and to pay RCB members their just entitlements; and

(e) calls on the Federal Government not to wait until all RCB veterans have died to recognise their sacrifice on behalf of Australia, and to immediately recognise their service as warlike without further obfuscation.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Our Liberal-National government is putting veterans and their families first by investing more than $11 billion each year in support. We've invested more than $275 million in the most significant reform of the Department of Veterans' Affairs in a century. Rifle Company Butterworth's service is recognised in the context of the legislation and policies that applied at the time of the service. The service of Australian Defence Force members who served at Butterworth during the period 1970 to 1989 has been and will always be valued by Defence and the Australian government. This service is recognised by the awards of the Australian Service Medal 1945-75 with Clasp SE Asia or the Australian Service Medal with Clasp SE Asia, depending on the period of service. As such I ask that the question on part (a) of the motion be put separately from the question on parts (b), (c), (d) and (e).

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor understands that this matter has been reviewed a number of times, including: the Committee of Inquiry into Defence and Defence Related Awards in 1993; the Review of Service Entitlement Anomalies in Respect of South-East Asian Service in 1999; the Review of Veterans' Entitlements in 2003; the inquiry into recognition for members of Rifle Company Butterworth for service in Malaysia between 1970 and 1989, which was conducted in 2011; and the Final report by the Medallic Recognition Joint Working Group on service in South-East Asia 1950 to 2011, sponsored by the New Zealand government, in 2013. In addition, this was reviewed in 2014 by the Department of Defence in response to a petition seeking a review to enable reclassification of service by Rifle Company Butterworth from 1970 to 1989. As illustrated, this matter has been reviewed a number of times, including several of an independent nature. These reviews, several in the context of medal recognition, have concluded that service at Butterworth during this period is not considered warlike.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm going to put paragraph (a) of motion 1252 in the first instance—solely paragraph (a). The question is that that paragraph of 1252 be agreed to.

Question agreed to.

The question is that paragraphs (b), (c), (d) and (e) of motion No. 1252 be agreed to.