PRIME MINISTER:
Well what's happening is that we are changing the regulations governing this medal which were found to be deficient because under the existing regulations service in the wake of the tsunami was not eligible whether you were a civilian or a military person for humanitarian service because it wasn't deemed to be a hazardous area. In the past most of these humanitarian operations have been carried out in places like Kosovo, Iraq, so forth, where self-evidently there was firing and danger and regarded as a hazardous area of operation and although the tsunami involved great loss of life and tragedy the people carrying out the humanitarian work, whether they were soldiers or civilian people, were not being fired upon.
KENNEDY:
So prior to now has this been a civilian medal only or also a military medal?
PRIME MINISTER:
Prior to now it's been a medal that's been awarded exclusively to civilian people. From now on of course it can be awarded to both civilians and military people, although technically it could have been awarded to military people in the past, but normally the military people would get some campaign medal associated with the military operation that also involved the humanitarian work.
KENNEDY:
And how many people do you think this medal will be awarded to?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I'm not in a position to say. Obviously quite a lot of people have carried out humanitarian work, both civilians and also military people. The valuable thing about this extension is that it does not involve the creation of a new military medal, the existing military system remains intact and if any changes are made to that well they will be made after full consultation with the military and with the RSL. But what this does sensibly do is recognise two things - it recognises that you often have humanitarian operations where the work is carried out in a non-violent atmosphere and secondly, and very importantly, increasingly now and in the future military people will be carrying out humanitarian work not accompanied by military activity. In the past it's tended to be a military operation plus humanitarian work, here you just have the humanitarian work without the military operation.
KENNEDY:
Will the nine victims of the Sea King crash be eligible?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well they'll certainly be eligible, yes, and the medal can be awarded posthumously.
KENNEDY:
Did you feel concerned when the bodies of the nine returned home to Australia that day at Sydney Airport when the President of Indonesia was able to lay a medal of honour on their coffins, did you feel concerned about that and is that why you've moved to make these changes?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, I always saw quite a difference between the procedure for awarding in special circumstances a medal to the citizens of another country, that could theoretically happen in reverse where we were honouring the dead of another country, the various medals in the Order of Australia are in the automatic gift of the Government in a way that medals under the Order of Australia for Australian citizens are not. I didn't feel concerned about that, I understood that some Australians were but I saw quite a difference, it was a special one-off thing done by the President of Indonesia to recognise the gratitude of his country to these wonderful people, that's not the reason.
KENNEDY:
Did it demonstrate though that the Australian Government needed to find some way of awarding, particularly those nine, some sort of medal in recognition of their sacrifice?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think the whole you know sad events have exposed a shortcoming in our medal system for humanitarian work. I didn't realise until last week that the humanitarian medal could not be awarded to anybody unless the work was actually carried out in an environment where shooting was taking place or there was immediate danger to the people carrying out the work. And plainly that was a deficiency and that deficiency has been identified and is going to be rectified and that will be important, not only in potential recognition of the nine service people who have lost their lives but also many other people, both civilians and service people who have carried out their work.
KENNEDY:
At the time the RSL did say that just because someone dies that doesn't mean they're entitled to a medal, do you think this step that you've taken will resolve that problem?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don't want to comment on that, I mean I feel like all Australians, and I know the RSL does, are very upset about the deaths of those nine young Australians. I think this is a sensible and proper extension for both military people and civilians who carry out humanitarian work in tsunami type or indeed other situations and the new regulations will now cover the field and it will be appropriate to recognise the humanitarian work of both military people and civilians in these situations.
[ends]