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Hansard
- Start of Business
- SPECIAL ADJOURNMENT
- MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS
- PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS
- TELECOMMUNICATIONS INTERCEPTION AND OTHER LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL 2003
- SPAM BILL 2003
- SPAM (CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS) BILL 2003
- MARITIME TRANSPORT SECURITY BILL 2003
- FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (2003 BUDGET AND OTHER MEASURES) BILL 2003
- PARLIAMENTARY ZONE
- COMMITTEES
- MIGRATION LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (IDENTIFICATION AND AUTHENTICATION) BILL 2003
- MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS
- STATISTICS LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL 2003
- STATES GRANTS (PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ASSISTANCE) AMENDMENT BILL 2003
- MINISTERIAL ARRANGEMENTS
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QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
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Medicare: Bulk-Billing
(Crean, Simon, MP, Howard, John, MP) -
Transport: Alice Springs to Darwin Railway
(Tollner, David, MP, Anderson, John, MP) -
Medicare: Reform
(Gillard, Julia, MP, Howard, John, MP) -
Workplace Relations: Building Industry
(Cadman, Alan, MP, Abbott, Tony, MP) -
Australian Defence Force: Health Services
(Zahra, Christian, MP, Vale, Danna, MP) -
Aviation: Air Traffic Control
(Causley, Ian, MP, Anderson, John, MP) -
Defence: Property
(Thomson, Kelvin, MP, Vale, Danna, MP) -
Australian Labor Party: Centenary House
(Bishop, Bronwyn, MP, Abbott, Tony, MP) -
Social Welfare: Debts
(Swan, Wayne, MP, Howard, John, MP) -
Trade: Free Trade Agreements
(Pyne, Chris, MP, Vaile, Mark, MP) -
Taxation: Families
(Swan, Wayne, MP, Howard, John, MP) -
Environment: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
(Elson, Kay, MP, Kemp, Dr David, MP) -
Employment: Statistics
(Albanese, Anthony, MP, Brough, Mal, MP) -
Landcare
(Prosser, Geoff, MP, Truss, Warren, MP) -
Political Parties: Donations
(Roxon, Nicola, MP, Ruddock, Philip, MP) -
Youth
(Ticehurst, Kenneth, MP, Anthony, Larry, MP) -
Political Parties: Donations
(Roxon, Nicola, MP, Ruddock, Philip, MP) -
Employment: Job Network
(Thompson, Cameron, MP, Brough, Mal, MP) -
Political Parties: Donations
(Roxon, Nicola, MP, Ruddock, Philip, MP) -
Tourism
(Baldwin, Robert, MP, Hockey, Joe, MP)
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Medicare: Bulk-Billing
- QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE: ADDITIONAL ANSWERS
- PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS
- QUESTIONS TO THE SPEAKER
- PAPERS
- MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
- BILLS RETURNED FROM THE SENATE
- ADJOURNMENT
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Main Committee
- Start of Business
- STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS
- STATISTICS LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL 2003
- COMMITTEES
- ADJOURNMENT
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QUESTIONS ON NOTICE
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Education: Higher Education
(Macklin, Jenny, MP, Nelson, Dr Brendan, MP) -
Foreign Affairs: Iran
(Danby, Michael, MP, Williams, Daryl, MP) -
Defence: Tasmanian Personnel
(O'Byrne, Michelle, MP, Vale, Danna, MP) -
Barton Electorate: Programs and Grants
(McClelland, Robert, MP, Hardgrave, Gary, MP) -
Iraq
(Irwin, Julia, MP, Andrews, Kevin, MP) -
Defence: Service Medals
(McClelland, Robert, MP, Vale, Danna, MP) -
Defence: Depleted Uranium Munitions
(Bevis, Arch, MP, Vale, Danna, MP) -
Defence: Severn, Mr Roger
(Edwards, Graham, MP, Vale, Danna, MP) -
Defence: Service Medals
(Edwards, Graham, MP, Vale, Danna, MP) -
Defence: Visiting Warships
(Melham, Daryl, MP, Vale, Danna, MP) -
Defence: Visiting Warships
(Melham, Daryl, MP, Vale, Danna, MP)
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Education: Higher Education
Page: 20600
Mr Edwards
asked the Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence, upon notice, on 14 August 2003:
(1) What steps has she taken to ensure that the severe backlog of medals applications is being addressed and when can the thousands of ex-service personnel who have waited in many instances longer than twelve months for their medals expect to have them delivered.
Mrs Vale (Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence)
—The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:
(1) The Government's ongoing commitment to honour the service of Australia's current and former Defence Force members has resulted in the establishment of new medals and the widening of the eligibility criteria for existing medals. In particular, recent reviews, the establishment of the Anniversary of National Service 1951-1972 Medal and the increased operational tempo of the Defence Force generates thousands of enquiries and delays of some months in processing applications for awards.
To ensure fairness, each enquiry is processed in order of receipt. Every effort is made to ensure that eligible recipients receive their awards as quickly as possible. The process has been reviewed and, where possible, streamlined, to reduce the backlog. I am pleased to advise that there are a number of initiatives now in place aimed at introducing efficiencies and reducing the applications backlog, which include:
(a) the collocation of all Honours and Awards functions previously undertaken in Canberra, Melbourne and Queanbeyan, to one complex in the ACT was completed in February 2003;
(b) the recruitment of new staff to replace staff not transferring from Melbourne; and
(c) the introduction of a new application processing system, due to be introduced in the near future.
The Directorate in Canberra is working hard to reduce the backlog. Once staff are trained and all outstanding applications transferred to Tuggeranong are acknowledged, it is expected that backlogs will begin to reduce quickly.