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News & Articles of Interest

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31 Oct 2015 Women in Aerospace Summit inspires
Navy was well represented at the recent Women in Aviation/Aerospace Summit 2015 held in Melbourne, which featured a stellar lineup of women who have achieved success in aerospace careers.  Cathy Riach, of BAE Systems, was master of ceremonies for the event while a highlight was a talk by Captain Georgina Sutton, Chief Pilot for Jetstar Australia.  More.....
30 Oct 2015 Korean exercise refines skills
HMA Ships Stuart and Arunta have followed up a successful port visit to Busan, South Korea, by participating in bilateral Exercise HAEDOLI WALLABY, with four warships of the Republic of Korea Navy.  The ships were joined by a AP-3C Orion aircraft from the Royal Australian Air Force's 92 Wing in Edinburgh, South Australia, for the exercise.  More.....
29 Oct 2015 Improved access to counselling services for Sydney’s veterans
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Stuart Robert today officially opened new Sydney CBD premises for the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service (VVCS) in Centennial Plaza.  “The Government is improving access to VVCS counselling and support services as part of the commitment we made in our Mental and Social Health Action Plan 2015–2016 to deliver quality mental health care to veterans,” Mr Robert said.  More.....
29 Oct 2015 Anzacs meet up in South Korea
East met west recently as HMA Ships Stuart and Arunta, usually based on either side of Australia, were both in Busan, South Korea.  Since departing Fleet Base West in late August, Arunta has had a busy program exercising and conducting visits to India, Malaysia, Philippines and Japan.  Stuart’s crew had similarly travelled from Yokosuka, Japan having participated in the Japanese International Fleet Review.  More.....
29 Oct 2015 Australian Defence Force trials new data transfer technology
The Australian Defence Force has transferred high quality imagery and colour video via Wideband High Frequency (WBHF) radio as part of the Royal Australian Air Force’s technology upgrade, Plan Jericho.  Today’s trial of the WBHF technology at HMAS Harman in Canberra is a major technical advance over the existing High Frequency (HF) radio infrastructure.  More.....
28 Oct 2015 Perth I survivor honoured
A visit to Western Australia by Second World War veteran, and HMAS Perth (I) survivor, Mr David Manning, provided a unique opportunity to unite a legacy with the current HMAS Perth and her namesake city.  Mr Manning, a long time resident of Magpie near Ballarat, is one of only four survivors still alive from the Second World War light cruiser Perth I which was lost on 1 March 1942 during the Battle of Sunda Strait.  More.....
28 Oct 2015 Future leader receives ADF Long Tan award
Camberwell High in Melbourne welcomed a naval officer to their annual awards evening recently, to help recognise the efforts of one of their students.  During their 2015 Valedictory Evening, Lieutenant Ben Willee was on hand to present an Australian Defence Force Long Tan Youth Leadership award to student, Paul Trinh.  More.....
27 Oct 2015 Freedom of Navigation in the South China Sea
The United States has publicly declared its policy of conducting Freedom of Navigation operations globally, consistent with international law.  It is important to recognise that all states have a right under international law to freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight, including in the South China Sea.  Australia strongly supports these rights.  More.....
27 Oct 2015 NVN's October newsletter
NOTE from Webmaster: If you are a member and haven't been receiving your monthly newsletters by email, the email address you supplied on joining is incorrect or out of date. To correct this, contact the webmaster at: and he will copy and amend your address.
27 Oct 2015

NHSA (Vic) President's October Musings - download.....
23 Oct 2015 Better care for veterans – hospital negotiations
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Stuart Robert, today announced the Government would be introducing a simplified approach to contracting private hospital services that will ensure veterans continue to receive high quality health services while reducing red tape for providers.  More.....
23 Oct 2015 Minister promises client-focused service approach for veterans
The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC, Stuart Robert, today outlined his priorities for the next 12 months for improving Government support and services provided to Australia’s ex-service community.  More.....
19 Oct 2015 Defence commits to Indigenous reconciliation
A plan to attract and retain more Indigenous staff in Defence was released in Canberra today.  Minister for Defence Senator the Hon Marise Payne formally launched the Defence Reconciliation Action Plan 2015-2018 during a ceremony at Russell Offices.  Minister Payne said the Reconciliation Action Plan set out Defence’s commitment to achieving reconciliation and contributing to the national efforts to close the gap in Indigenous disadvantage.  More.....
19 Oct 2015 Resilience resource a SMART move
The Departments of Veterans' Affairs and Defence have joined forces to develop some online tools to help serving and ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force and their families manage stress and improve resilience.  The High Res website is one of those tools and offers a range of resources that assist management of stressful situations and individual responses to them.  More.....
14 Oct 2015 Navy Personnel Embedded in AWD Project
In a unique arrangement between the Royal Australian Navy and the Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance, a number of Navy personnel are currently embedded in the project to maximise collaboration between industry and Defence.  This partnership allows for the Navy to develop ‘technical masters’ of the Hobart class destroyer capability by engaging them early in the project in key engineering and project management roles.  More.....
14 Oct 2015 Women in Defence conference addresses gender diversity
The 3rd annual Chief of Defence Force Women in Defence conference in Canberra has reaffirmed Defence’s ongoing commitment to improve gender diversity across the organisation.  Themed ‘Our People and Capability’, the two day conference brought together leaders from across Defence and other Government agencies, allied militaries and Defence industry to share best-practice policies, challenge myths and build networks.  More.....
14 Oct 2015 Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience travelling exhibition opens in Hobart today
The Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience travelling exhibition officially opened in Hobart today. The interactive experience includes more than 200 artefacts normally housed at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.  More.....
12 Oct 2015 Indian Ocean maritime security - a key focus
Maritime security was top of the agenda at the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium meeting of Chiefs, held during the Sea Power 2015 Conference.  Fifteen member nations and one observer nation took the opportunity to discuss common maritime issues facing littoral nation-states of the Indian Ocean.  More.....
12 Oct 2015 Courage rewarded at last
A campaign of handwritten letters by a now 93-year-old Queensland woman has resulted in the overdue awarding of a Star of Courage to an Air Force pilot killed in a fiery crash over England on July 28, 1944.  Seventy one years after he was killed during the Second World War, Pilot Officer Jim Hocking will be awarded a Star of Courage.  His legend lives on in the Navy through his great nephew, Lieutenant Aaron Hocking.  More.....
10 Oct 2015 Taking action to improve veterans’ mental health
Tackling the mental health challenges faced by veterans and their families is a priority for the Australian Government, the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Stuart Robert, said today during an address to the RSL WA Branch Annual State Congress.  More.....
09 Oct 2015 Dedication of new Coronet Bay War Memorial
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Stuart Robert, together with local Federal Member for Flinders, Greg Hunt, today attended the dedication of the new Coronet Bay War Memorial and met with local veterans in Melbourne’s south east.  More.....
07 Oct 2015 Press conference with Vice Admiral David Johnston – Update on Australian Defence Force operations
Before I talk about the Middle East region, I thought I’d cover just a couple of key ADF domestic activities that we have been involved in in the months of September and early October that are noteworthy.  I’ll start with Exercise Northern Shield, which I know has received some coverage, and occurred over last month.  A number of you would be aware that it concluded recently, it was conducted in the vicinity of Exmouth in North Western Australia, and it was an important activity for the ADF because it gave us the ability to demonstrate our capability to project military forces into North Western Australia in the event of a possible threat.  More.....
07 Oct 2015 Sea Power Conference, Sydney
Vice Admiral Ritchie thank you very much for your generous introduction.  To the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Barrett, to the distinguished guests, particularly senior naval representatives from I believe from over 40 countries.  I am absolutely delighted to have this early opportunity to speak to you as Minister for Defence at this very important national and international event.  The combination of the ninth Royal Australian Navy Sea Power Conference, the International Maritime Congress and the Pacific Expo provide the ideal venue for me to speak to you about the Government’s plans for the maritime industry and the Royal Australian Navy.   More.....
07 Oct 2015
DFWA Monthly Update - September 2015 - download.....
07 Oct 2015 International forces join together in Hobart for Exercise DUGONG 15
With the magnificent backdrop of Mount Wellington and working in the deep, cool waters off Hobart, personnel from Australia, Great Britain, the United States, New Zealand and Canada and observers from India and Sweden, began Exercise DUGONG 15 on 5 October.  More.....
07 Oct 2015 HMAS Melbourne intercepts 427kg of heroin
HMAS Melbourne’s crew has seized 427 kilograms of heroin hidden in a fishing dhow carrying the illegal drugs across the Indian Ocean. The intercept occurred during Melbourne’s first patrol of her current Operation MANITOU deployment to the Middle East Region assigned to the multinational Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).  More.....
07 Oct 2015 Call for veterans to apply for forfeited awards
Veterans, or the families of deceased veterans, who forfeited their medals have been urged to contact the Department of Defence.  The Assistant Minister for Defence, the Hon Darren Chester MP, made the call today as he announced that the Australian Government had received the Report of the Inquiry into the Refusal to Issue Entitlements to, Withholding and Forfeiture of Defence Honours and Awards.  More.....
06 Oct 2015 Defence Minister visits HMAS Canberra
New Defence Minister Senator Marise Payne made her first official visit to a Defence unit, embarking in HMAS Canberra in Far North Queensland.  Along with Chief of Defence, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, Defence Secretary Dennis Richardson and Service Chiefs, Senator Payne visited the Amphibious Ready Element and met with some of the sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen training as part of the SEA SERIES of exercises.  More.....
06 Oct 2015 Exercise demonstrates ADF’s new amphibious capability
Australia’s newest military capability, the Amphibious Ready Element, has demonstrated its capacity in waters off the North Queensland coast during the Sea Series of exercises.  The Sea Series of exercises enabled the amphibious force to achieve an interim operational capability.  The exercises involved about 1100 embarked forces and crew on board HMAS Canberra with medium lift helicopters, landing craft and small boats, trucks, troop carriers and other vehicles.  More.....
06 Oct 2015 Plans for HMAS Sydney's decommissioning weekend

*  Fri 6 Nov - Freedom of Entry March – final preparations are occurring for the Freedom of Entry March to take place through Sydney ending at the Opera House on Friday, 6th November in the Forenoon.  There will be a platoon for current Ships’ Company and Decommissioning Crew, followed by a platoon for previous uniformed members of Ships’ Company, and a platoon for previous serving members of SYDNEY IV and SYDNEY III not in uniform.  Once timing and meeting points are confirmed, an email will be sent advising attendees.  Dress for uniformed personnel is S2 (medals). Dress for all others is neat civilian attire, medals may be worn.

*  Sat 7 Nov - Decommissioning Ceremony – The Official Decommissioning Ceremony of SYDNEY IV will take place at 1000 on Saturday, 7th November, on the Oiler Wharf at Garden Island.  Parking will be available in the Defence Car Park on Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo, with buses being arranged to transport personnel from the GI front gate to the Oiler Wharf.  Light refreshments will be available on completion of the ceremony.  Dress for uniformed personnel not involved in the ceremony is S2 (medals) or neat civilian attire.

*  Sat 7 Nov - HMAS Sydney's Decommissioning Gala Black tie Ball, detailing information for pricing and payment.  Once payment has been made, please contact the Decommissioning Committee, notifying us and including the names of all guests paid for.  Your tickets will be emailed to you once payment is confirmed.  In order to assist with seating arrangements, please notify us of any groups of up to ten, so we can do our best to seat you all together.  There is still plenty of tickets available, so please get in touch with any other ex-Sydney personnel you may know who have not yet registered their interest.

*  Please send all requests to attend any of the above to: sydney.decommissioning@fleet.defence.gov.au

*  Discounted accommodation has been arranged with the Rydges North Sydney Hotel, for any guests requiring overnight accommodation on either the Friday or Saturday evening.  To book, please following these instructions:

http://www.rydges.com/brand-offers/corporate-group-bookings/
1. Click on “Book Now”
2. Select Rydges North Sydney, enter your dates and number of people
3. In the “Block Code” field enter your Block Code: 0711HMASSYD
4. Click “Book Now”
5. Your special rates will appear on the rates screen
6. Available for stays between 6/11/15 and 7/11/15 (inclusive)

Alternatively, you may call the hotel direct on (02) 9922 1311 and mention the code "HMAS Sydney Gala Ball"

Download Gala Black Tie Ball invitation.....
02 Oct 2015 ADF completes training mission in Afghanistan
The Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, today announced that the Australian Defence Force (ADF)-led 205th Corps Advisory Team has concluded its mission in Kandahar.  The end of the training and advisory mission in Kandahar is part of the broader, NATO‑led drawdown from a regional presence to a Kabul based mission.  More.....
01 Oct 2015 Counter IED forum held in Canberra
To promote strategic cooperation in the field of counter improvised explosive devices (CIED), the inaugural International CIED Leaders’ Forum was hosted in Canberra by INTERPOL, the Australian Defence Force and the Australian Federal Police.  The forum was attended by close to 300 senior government, law enforcement and military representatives from more than 70 countries and organisations, including the United Nations, NATO, African Union and International Bomb Data Centre.  More.....
01 Oct 2015 Notification of Investigations Under Section 196G of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986
The Repatriation Medical Authority (RMA) wishes to advise that two notices of investigation under section 196G of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 are expected to appear in the Government Notices Gazette of 2 October 2015.  A link to each notice is below. Persons and organisations wishing to make a submission should refer to the RMA Submission Guidelines, a copy of which is available on its website (www.rma.gov.au) or by telephoning the RMA Secretariat on (07) 3815 9404.  All submissions must be in writing and received by the RMA at the address, and by the due date, contained in the notice.  The investigation Notices also advise the date the RMA will hold its first meeting for the purpose of these investigations.
If you have any queries, I may be contacted on telephone (07) 38159418
Sandra Pollitt
Deputy Registrar
Repatriation Medical Authority
Notice of Investigation - diabetes mellitus - focussed review - passive smoking
Notice of Investigation - LIA investigations - multiple conditions
30 Sep 2015 Romeo packs a punch
To engage a surface target from the air with pinpoint accuracy or take out an enemy on the first floor of a building, leaving the rest of the structure intact, is a capability Navy has never had - until now.  The AGM-114N Hellfire air-to-ground missile was accepted into the fleet in August and rounds out the devastating weapons complement of the MH-60R Seahawk.  More.....
30 Sep 2015 Navy and creating One Defence
The Defence reform program ‘Creating One Defence’ is well underway and Navy is actively engaged in the transformation which will bolster Navy’s focus on the ability to fight and win at sea.  The program is broken into five work streams to deliver 75 recommendations of the First Principles Review of Defence, which were announced in April.  More.....
30 Sep 2015 Defence study shows caffeine can reduce driver error
Defence researchers have discovered that caffeine only marginally reduces driver drowsiness but significantly reduces driving errors, according to a fatigue study being presented today at the Australian Psychological Society Conference.  The study examined the effects of caffeinated chewing gum on drowsiness and driving performance on people who were sleep deprived.  More.....
29 Sep 2015 Understanding DVA Card Arrangements
The health card arrangements are the main way the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA), on behalf of the Australian Government, provides convenient access to health and other care services for veterans, war widows and eligible dependents.  Our arrangements are based on providing access to clinically appropriate and required treatment, which is evidence-based.  The Australian Government provides more than $5 billion in funding in health treatment, services and support to veterans and their families every year.  More.....
26 Sep 2015 Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience travelling exhibition opens in Launceston
The Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience travelling exhibition was officially launched today in Launceston.  The interactive experience includes more than 200 artefacts normally housed at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.  More.....
26 Sep 2015 Defence analysis: Not much cheer in new Cabinet
(article from the Townsville Bulletin 23 September)
The cheers greeting Stuart Robert’s ministerial elevation to Veterans’ Affairs barely drowned out the stale champagne fizz from the Canning by-election victory leftovers.  Even that momentary euphoria evaporated when it became obvious Robert had also been given responsibility for Human Services, covering a broad range of social and health services including Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support.  Veterans’ concerns that their hard won entitlements would eventually be subsumed into the “social security” pool have been realised thanks to Turnbull’s new ministry.  More.....
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Information of Interest

Request for Committal of Ashes to the Sea.  Download form.....

Current Repatriation Benefits for Gold Card Veterans -
As of 01 January 2018
This is a list of products that are available on a Doctor's prescription for Gold Card Repatriation Patients.  Download the list.....

DVA Mobile Apps
The new Operation Life mobile application is designed to help those at risk deal with suicidal thoughts and is recommended to be used with the support of a clinician.

The High Res (High Resilience) app helps you manage stress, build resilience and optimise performance on the go.

The PTSD Coach Australia app can help you learn about and manage symptoms that commonly occur after trauma.

 ON TRACK with the Right Mix mobile app from the Department of Veterans Affairs helps you to keep track of the number and types of drinks you consume; the amount of money it's costing you and lets you know about the impact the alcohol has on your wellbeing and fitness levels.

Guide to the assessment of rates of veterans’ pensions
Guide to the assessment of rates of veterans’ pensions (GARP) is used to assess the extent of incapacity from war caused or defence caused injury or disease for the purposes of determining the rate of pension.  Download.....

Planning ahead kit
Overview: Planning Ahead is a publication designed to help veterans and their families prepare for bereavement.  There is also a checklist that can be used to record the contact details of important people, businesses and organisations that may need to be notified in case of your death.  Download.....

DVA Concessions Fact Sheets
Factsheet CON01 - Concessions in NSW
Factsheet CON02 - Concessions in Vic
Factsheet CON03 - Concessions in QLD
Factsheet CON04 - Concessions in SA
Factsheet CON05 - Concessions in WA
Factsheet CON06 - Concessions in Tas
Factsheet CON07 - Concessions in NT
Factsheet CON08 - Concessions in ACT

War Service

Check your ship's eligibility for war service.....