FOR PRESS P. M. No. 127 / 66

FOR PRESS P. M. No. 126/1966

PRIME MINISTER'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE TO AUSTRALIAN FORCES

 P. M. No. 125/1966

Her Majesty the Queen has approved a new Ensign for the Royal Australian Navy. It will be flown by Australian Naval ships and establishments as soon as the necessary flags have been manufactured.

The new Ensign will replace the White Ensign, which is the present flag of the Royal Navy, and has been flown by the Royal Australian Navy since it was formed In 1910. It will be called the Australian White Ensign.

FOR PL1ESS P. M. No. 124/ 1966

ADDITIONAL AUSTRAiLIAN VOCSFOR VIETNAM

FOR PRESS:~ PM. No. 123/ 1966

THE RHODESIAN SITUATION

P. M. No. 122/ 1966  

The Minister for Repatriation, Senator McKellar, will visit Australian Forces in South-East Asia later this month.

He will see our servicemen in Viet Nam, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, and will spend Christmas Day with Australian troops in South Viet Nam. Both the Minister for Defence and the Minister for the Army have recently visited Australian troops in Viet Nam.

During his brief tour, Senator McKellar will be able to meet personally many of those for whose welfare he is responsible on their discharge.

P. M. No. 121/ 1966

The Hon. Hubert Opperman, OBE., MP., will be Australia's First High Commissioner to Malta. The formal agreement of the Government of Malta to his appointment has now been received. Malta
is an independent country and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. 

P. M. No. 120/ 1966

Her Majesty The Queen has bestowed posthumously the award of the Victoria Gross upon the late Warrant Officer Class 2 Kevin Arthur Wheatley.

Warrant Officer Wheatley, who came from Sydney, was a member of the Australian Army Training Team Viet Nam from February, 1965 until his death on 13th November, 1965. 

EMBARGO FOR PRESS NOT FOR RELEASE BY ANY MEDIA
6..-15 PM TUESDAY, 13 DECEMBER, UNTIL 1966.
P. M. No. 119/ 1966
THE MINISTRY
Statement by the Prime Minister, Mr. Harold Holt
The Ministry will be sworn tomorrow. With the authority of
His Excellency the Governor-General, I release the following details about
the new Cabinet and Ministry.
The Ministers of State Act limits the total number of Ministers to
I propose to ask Parliament when it meets to amend the Act, so as to
permit the appointment of one additional Minister. When this has been done,

FOR PRESS: P. M. No. 117/ 1966

An announcement has been made from Buckingham Palace in the following terms:

" The Duke of Edinburgh will visit Australia next year from March 2 to March 9 in connection with preliminary arrangements for his Study Conference which is to be held there in May, 1968."