SPECIAL TOPICS

Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal

BATTLE OF BRITAIN ‘LACE’

The Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal is an independent statutory body established under the Defence Act 1903 to consider Defence honours and awards matters.

The Tribunal provides an avenue for veterans and serving members to seek review of eligibility for:

  • an Australian defence honour (such as a gallantry or conspicuous service award);
  • an Australian defence award (such as a campaign or long service award), or
  • certain foreign awards.

The Tribunal can review matters relating to service with, or at the direction of, the Australian Defence Force and rendered after 3 September 1939 (the beginning of the Second World War).

The Tribunal can only review Defence decisions. This means that an initial application for an honour or award needs to have been made to Defence, and refused, before seeking review in the Tribunal. A person seeking review in the Tribunal must be either:

  • the person who made the original application to Defence; or
  • one of a group of people who made that application to Defence.

The Tribunal cannot review:

  • applications to amend the eligibility criteria for defence honours, defence awards, or foreign awards;
  • applications for Australian awards that are not defined as defence honours or defence awards under the Defence Regulation 2016, such as unit citations or badges, and awards administered by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, such as the National Emergency Medal and the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal;
  • applications to create a new honour or award; or
  • eligibility for repatriation benefits.

More information about the Tribunal, including how to make an application for review, can be found on its website: defence-honours-tribunal.gov.au, by contacting the Tribunal Secretariat on (02) 6266 1019, or by email to dha.tribunal@defence.gov.au.

Information current as at 6 March 2024

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