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AUSTRALIAN REPATRIATION
HISTORY
This
Section includes years from 1914 to
1923.
1914
Until
16 September
1914 Prime
Minister was the Hon J
Cook (Liberal Party), the Hon A Fisher (Labor
Party) was elected Prime
Minister from
16 September
1914. There
was no ministry for
Repatriation.
4
August - Onset of World War
I;
December
- An Act for the provision of war
pensions was
passed. This was the
first
Commonwealth
provision for payment of
war pensions to
members of the
Forces and
their dependants and came into operation on
21 December
1914. A
Member of the Forces was
defined as a member
of the Commonwealth
Naval or Military Forces
enlisted or appointed for or employed on
active service outside
Australia or employed
on a ship of war;
and
The
Act provided for medical treatment of
war-caused disabilities and
for the payment of
war
pension, in the case of the death of a
member, to the widow,
children and other
dependants as defined.
In the
case of total
incapacity of a
member, a war pension was payable to the
member at
the rate specified in the Schedule,
to the
wife at 50 per cent of
the rate payable to the
member and 13 pounds per annum was payable
to
each child. In the
case of partial incapacity of a member pension
was payable at a rate
assessed by the Pensions
Board.
1915/16
Until
26 October
1915 Prime
Minister was the Hon A Fisher (Labor Party),
the Hon W M Hughes
(Labor Party/National Labor
Party as of 14
November 1916) was elected
Prime Minister from 26 October 1915. There was no ministry for
Repatriation.
1915,
commencement of the War Pensions Act
1914;
the
rates of compensation were increased;
specific
rates of pension were
introduced for loss or
loss of use of limbs and eyes under a new
Schedule;
nurses
were included as 'members of the
Forces'; home
service was included
in provisions;
and
May
1916 to June 1920, were formative years
for
the development of
Repatriation
Legislation.
1917
The
Hon W M Hughes (now Nationalist Party)
was the
Prime Minister. There
was no ministry for
Repatriation.
Repatriation
Department was
created.
the
War Pensions Act was consolidated
into
the 'Australian
Soldiers Repatriation Act
19I7' Repatriation Boards were
introduced
as honorary
bodies whose function was to represent the
Repatriation Commission.
Boards
had no function in relation to pensions which
were the
responsibility of the Treasury at
that time;
and
Minister
given general administration of the
Act.
1918
The
Hon W M Hughes (now Nationalist Party)
was the
Prime Minister. The
Minister for
Repatriation was Senator the Hon
E D Millen (NSW), Senator Millen
was the first
Minister
for Repatriation.
8
April 1918, the Repatriation Department
come
into being and began
operation;
11
November - Armistice
Day;
free
passage of wives and children to
Australia of
veterans married
overseas;
basic
pension payments were supplemented by a
living
allowance
administered by the Repatriation
Commission. These were
payable to
seriously
incapacitated married
soldiers and widows with
or without
children
who
were certified physically unfit to augment their
pension by personal earnings;
and
business
loans up to 250 pounds were introduced
for
veterans returned from
World War
I.
1919
The
Hon W M Hughes (now Nationalist Party)
was the
Prime Minister. The
Minister for
Repatriation was Senator the Hon
E D Millen
(NSW).
Sustenance
Allowance was introduced and paid at the
100
per cent General
Rate.
1920
The
Hon W M Hughes (now Nationalist Party)
was the
Prime Minister. The
Minister for
Repatriation was Senator the Hon
E D Millen
(NSW).
payment
of pensions were brought into the scope
of the
Repatriation
Commission;
Special
Rate pensions were introduced for those
who
were 'totally and
permanently' incapacitated
or 'blinded' and had previously received,
under regulation,
separate payments in excess
of the maximum
incapacity
rate;
The
dependency criteria for Orphan’s Pension
have
eased since 1920 when
the claimant must have
been dependent on the veteran at some time in
the 12 months
immediately preceding the date
of enlistment
or
appointment;
paid
Repatriation Boards were established,
one in
each State consisting
of three members, and
the duty conferred upon them of determining
claims for
pension;
provision
was made for the 'right of
appeal' to
the Repatriation
Commission in respect of
claims rejected by Repatriation
Boards;
funeral
benefit introduced;
and
provision
was made for 'occurrence' in respect of
active
service.
1921
The
Hon W M Hughes (now Nationalist Party)
was the
Prime Minister. The
Minister for
Repatriation was Senator the Hon
E D Millen
(NSW).
Aggravation:
provision was made for the payment of
pension
to the full degree of
disability in cases
where a pre-war disability had been aggravated
'to any material degree' by war service. (Previously pension was
payable only in respect to the degree of
disability actually caused
by war
service);
the
Soldiers' Children Education Scheme was
introduced for the benefit
of children of
deceased
members and of members totally and
permanently
incapacitated;
development
of the Repatriation treatment services
commenced. Institutions
established by
the
Defence Department were
transferred to the
Repatriation
Department,
the major hospitals to become Repatriation
General
Hospitals; and
1
September 1921, the end of World War I
was
fixed by proclamation
under the Termination
of the Present War (Definition Act)
1919.
1922
The
Hon W M Hughes (now Nationalist Party)
was the
Prime Minister. The
Minister for
Repatriation was Senator the Hon
E D Millen
(NSW).
allowances
became payable to limbless soldiers
under a
new Schedule 5 of the
Act in addition to
existing rates of war
pensions;
an
Attendants Allowance was provided for
certain
double amputee,
blinded and spinal
cases;
a
Special Rate pension was introduced for
soldiers who although not
totally blind had no
useful vision;
assistance
towards funeral expenses for dependants
of
deceased members was
authorised;
the
army hospital in Hobart, erected during
World
War I, became the
first Repatriation General
Hospital; and
Commission
was authorised to administer the
pensions of
unmarried members
afflicted with lunacy.
This
was the forerunner to Section 49 of the Act
introduced
in 1938.
1923
As
of 9 February 1923 the Prime Minister
was the
Hon S M Bruce
(Nationalist Country
Coalition). Sources
show that there was
no
Minister for
Repatriation named in the
Bruce-Page
ministry.
a
living allowance was granted, in
addition to
war pension, to a
member who was married, and
certified as being temporarily totally
incapacitated (TTI) for
a period in excess of
three months. This was
the forerunner to the
present TTI pension; and
an
allowance was granted to a member whose
incapacity was assessed at
not less than 65
per
cent but was of a nature to preclude him for
engaging in regular employment or from earning
a living wage. This
provision was
recognition in some degree of
'the intangible effects of war
service' which
was the
argument which led to the introduction in
1935
of service
pensions.
This
Section includes years from 1924 to
1933.
1924
The
Prime Minister was the Hon S M Bruce
(Nationalist Country
Coalition). Sources
show that there was no Minister for
Repatriation named in the
Bruce-Page
ministry.
Royal
Commission on the assessment of war
service
disabilities;
medical
treatment extended to war widows,
orphans and
widowed mothers of
deceased veterans whose
deaths were service-related or whose deaths
were not service-related
but were entitled to
Special Rate pension,
an allowance under
Schedule 5 for the loss of two or more limbs,
or
the Class B rate of pension for
Tuberculosis;
and
Attendant's
Allowances were made available to
'blinded'
veterans.
1925
The
Prime Minister was the Hon S M Bruce
(Nationalist Country
Coalition). Sources
show that there was no Minister for
Repatriation named in the
Bruce-Page
ministry.
the
Government decided that a permanent
pension of
not less than the 100
per cent General Rate,
should be paid to all members suffering from
Pulmonary Tuberculosis
on, or subsequent to, 1
July 1925, as the
result of war service or the
result of a pre-existing condition
having been
aggravated
by war service; and
an
allowance, in addition to pension, was
provided to a member in
receipt of pension
under
the Fourth Schedule in respect of loss of
vision in one eye.
1926
The
Prime Minister was the Hon S M Bruce
(Nationalist Country
Coalition). Sources
show that there was no Minister for
Repatriation named in the
Bruce-Page
ministry.
an
allowance was introduced for widows
remarried,
again widowed and
without adequate means of
support.
1927
The
Prime Minister was the Hon S M Bruce
(Nationalist Country
Coalition). Sources
show that there was no Minister for
Repatriation named in the
Bruce-Page
ministry.
a
living allowance was provided for
children
over 16 unable to earn a
living;
Sustenance
Allowance rates were brought into line
with
pension rates;
and
Recreation
Transport Allowance was introduced by
Cabinet.
It was
provided for
'recreation under departmental
medical advice for those soldiers
permanently
incapacitated whose means of locomotion,
because of war
disability are permanently
restricted to a
wheel chair or cot'.
The
cost was limited to ten
pounds per
month.
1929
Until
22 October 1929 the Prime Minister was
the Hon
S M Bruce
(Nationalist Country
Coalition). Hon J H
Scullin (Labor
Party)
became Prime Minister on
22 October 1929, as
of this date the
Minister
for Repatriation was the Hon F
Anstey.
the
system of Appeal Tribunals was
instituted. An
Entitlement Appeal
Tribunal was appointed to
hear appeals by members of the Forces
against
rejection of
claims in respect of incapacity, and appeals by
dependants against rejections of claims in
respect of death. Two
Assessment Appeal
Tribunals were appointed to
hear appeals by members against the
current
assessment of
their pension; and
the
law was amended to the effect that an
appellant to a Tribunal be
given the 'benefit
of
doubt' and the 'onus of proof' was to lie with
the Commission. For the
appeal to fail, these presumptions had to be
conclusively
rebutted.
1930
The
Hon J H Scullin (Labor Party) was the
Prime
Minister. The Minister
for
Repatriation was the
Hon F
Anstey.
commutation
of pensions
abolished;
the
provisions regarding funeral expenses,
which
had been in existence
from inception, were
extended to include widowed mothers of
deceased
unmarried soldiers where the
soldiers' deaths
were due to war
service;
and
Recreation
Transport Allowance was extended to a
further
group by the inclusion
in the definition in
the
classes of those eligible the words 'or
disabilities affecting
both
knees'.
1931
The
Hon J H Scullin (Labor Party) was the
Prime
Minister. The Minister
for
Repatriation was the
Hon F Anstey, until 3
March 1931. The Hon J
McNeill then
became the
Minister for
Repatriation.
general
reduction of expenditure by the
introduction
of the Financial
Emergency Act. No
reductions of
expenditure were made in the
rate of pension
paid to
incapacitated soldiers
and widows and children of deceased members
whose deaths were
related to
service;
the
maximum rate of pension to children of
incapacitated members were
reduced and a wife
married or child born to an incapacitated
member
of the Forces subsequent to 1 October
1931
were excluded from
pension benefits;
and
a
22.5 per cent deduction was imposed upon
pensions and living
allowances of dependants
such as wives, mothers, fathers, sisters,
etc.
1933
The
Hon J A Lyons (UAP) was the Prime
Minister. The Minister
for
Repatriation was the
Hon C W C
Marr.
the
1933 Financial Relief Legislation
provided for
easing of 22.5 per
cent pension reduction to
10 per cent for wives;
and
children
of blinded soldiers were admitted to the
Soldiers' Children
Education
Scheme.
This
Section includes years from 1934 to
1943.
1934
The
Hon J A Lyons (UAP-Country Coalition)
was the
Prime Minister. The
Minister for
Repatriation was the Hon C W C
Marr until 12 October 1934, when the
Hon W M
Hughes became
the Minister for
Repatriation.
re-grants
where pension had been
commuted;
in
the case of death of a member due to war
service, the widow would be
eligible for
widow's
pension even though she was married after the
time limit imposed in 1931 which was 1 October
1931;
the
principle that soldiers suffering from
Pulmonary Tuberculosis should
receive pension
at not
less than full general rate was embodied in
the Act;
by
repeal of section 40, and thereby of the
time
limit of seven years
in respect of dependants
of deceased soldiers, the compensation paid
to
such dependants by
way of living allowance was converted to war
pension on an equal basis with dependants not
affected by the time
limit;
the
allowance for a soldier suffering loss
of
vision in one eye was
exempted from the
Financial Emergency Act deductions and
incorporated in the Act
as an item of the
Fifth
Schedule;
the
allowance payable under regulation as an
attendant's allowance for a
blinded soldier
was also
incorporated into the Act (Schedule 2), and
the provisions for the same allowance for
members suffering from
spinal disease were
broadened to include disabilities causing
incapacity similar in
effect and severity to
spinal
disease;
Section
45X of the Act was amended bringing
about
uniformity in the power of
Appeal Tribunals to
grant arrears of pension, thus an Assessment
Appeal Tribunal was
given the power to grant
up to three months'
arrears in certain cases
and more in cases where the appeal followed
an
acceptance by an EAT;
and
the
Commission was empowered to grant up to
three
months arrears in the
case of reinstatement of
a pension that had been cancelled or
relinquished.
1935
The
Hon J A Lyons (UAP-Country Coalition)
was the
Prime Minister. The
Minister for
Repatriation was the Hon W M
Hughes until 8 November 1935, when the
Hon J A
Lyons became the
Minister for
Repatriation.
approval
was given for the treatment of venereal
disease contracted on
service;
the
system of Service Pensions was
introduced
primarily for those with
'theatre of war'
service.
The Service Pension was subject to a
'means test' taking into
account income
received
and property held, by the member or member
and
wife;
treatment
and pension for non-war caused Pulmonary
Tuberculosis was introduced
(effective 1
January
1936);
dependants
of Special Rate pensioners became
eligible for
benefits even though
death of the member was
not service related;
Commission
required to give appellant ' the benefit
of
any reasonable doubt';
and
eligibility
for Recreation Transport Allowance was
widened
to provide a
'2-level' allowance.
The
higher rate is payable to a veteran, both of
whose legs
have been amputated above the knee,
and to a
Special Rate pensioner
whose powers of
locomotion are negligible.
The
lower rate is payable to
a veteran
who is blinded or who has two limbs amputated
(if both
legs, one must be above the knee) or
a like
incapacity.
1936
The
Hon J A Lyons (UAP-Country Coalition)
was the
Prime Minister. The
Minister for
Repatriation was the Hon W M
Hughes until 6 February1935, when the
Hon W M
Hughes became
the Minister for
Repatriation.
Allowance
for dependent children was payable to a
permanently incapacitated
veteran;
Extension
of eligibility for War Widows pension to
widows of Totally and
Permanently
Incapacitated (TPI)
Veterans;
Service
Pension first paid under the Australian
Soldiers’ Repatriation Act
1935 by the
Commonwealth
Government, this Act was enacted 1 January
1936; and
Service
pension on the grounds of blindness was
paid.
1937
The
Hon J A Lyons (UAP-Country Coalition)
was the
Prime Minister. The
Minister for
Repatriation was the Hon W M
Hughes until 29 November 1937, when
Senator
the Hon H S Foll
became the Minister for
Repatriation.
time
limit in respect of eligibility of wives
and
children of
incapacitated members advanced so
that a wife married or child born
before 30
June 1938
rather than before 1 October 1931 became
eligible for benefits.
1938
The
Hon J A Lyons (UAP-Country Coalition)
was the
Prime Minister. The
Minister for
Repatriation was the Senator the
Hon H S Foll.
provision
was made for Commission to administer
pensions
payable in respect of
unmarried members
afflicted with lunacy;
and
the
Government approved that assistance be
paid
for the burial expenses
of South African
(Boer)
War veterans who die in indigent
circumstances and
entrusted the administration
of this grant to
the
Repatriation
Commission.
The
grant was restricted to those
veterans who
enlisted in
Australia and
embarked for service in South
Africa.
1939
Until
7 April 1939 the Prime Minister was the
Hon J
A Lyons (UAP - Country
Coalition). The Hon E C
G Page (Country – UAP Coalition) became Prime
Minister on 7 April
1939
until 26 April 1939
when the Hon R G Menzies
became Prime
Minister. Senator the
Hon H S Foll remained the Minister for
Repatriation, until 26 April
1939 when the Hon
E J
Harrison became the Minister for
Repatriation.
3
September 1939, World War II commenced;
and
Interdepartmental
Committee to investigate provisions to
be made
for members of the
Defence
Force.
1940
The
Hon R G Menzies (UAP-Country Coalition)
was
the Prime Minister. The
Minister for
Repatriation was the Hon E J
Harrison until 14 March 1940, when the
Hon G A
Street became
the Minister for Repatriation.
Senator the Hon P A M
McBride became
the minister responsible for
Repatriation from
14
August 1940 until 28
October 1940. As of 28
October 1940,
Senator
the Hon G McLeay was the
Minister responsible
for
Repatriation.
the
first provisions in respect of members,
1939
War, including members
of the Army Nursing
Service were enacted.
They
provided that the
Commonwealth
would be liable in respect of any member whose
incapacity or death was directly attributable
to his employment as a
member of the Forces,
and if the member was employed on active
service outside
Australia and the Territories,
the
Commonwealth
would be liable where
incapacity or death resulted from any
'occurrence' happening
during the full period
of
service;
provision
was made for Commission to administer
pensions
payable to unmarried
members afflicted with
lunacy; and
the
Seamen's War Pensions and Allowances
Act was introduced
providing for pensions
for mariners and dependants broadly along the
lines of war pensions
under the
Repatriation Act including
detention
allowances in
respect of mariners detained by the
enemy.
1941
Until
29 August 1941 the Prime Minister was
the Hon
R G Menzies
(UAP-Country Coalition).
The
Hon A W Fadden (Country – UAP Coalition)
became Prime
Minister on 29 August 1941, until
7 October
1941 when the Hon J
Curtin (Labor Party)
became Prime Minister.
Senator the Hon G McLeay was
the
Minister for
Repatriation, until 26 June 1941, when Senator H B
Collett became the Minister responsible for
Repatriation. Senator
Collett was the
Minister
for Repatriation
until 7 October, when the Hon
C W Frost
became
the
Mister for Repatriation.
an
Interim Training Scheme introduced by
Cabinet;
the
first measures for rehabilitation
appeared for
members enlisted for
service outside
Australia.
These
were benefits of employment,
sustenance while
awaiting
employment, tools of
trade, supplementation of wages of apprentices
and grants of up to five pounds for immediate
assistance in
necessitous circumstances;
regulation
90A was inserted in the regulations
establishing the principle of
compensation
where a
member was incapacitated or killed as a result
of an accident while travelling on leave to or
from his place of
employment. It applied
to a member who enlisted for service outside
Australia where the
accident occurred before
the member proceeded (or could have
proceeded)
outside
Australia;
children
of blinded, deceased or Totally and
Permanently Incapacitated
(T&PI) members
became eligible under the Soldiers' Children
Education Scheme after
attaining the age of 18
years;
Boer
War veterans eligible to receive service
pensions and treatment for
tuberculosis;
and
7
December 1941, Japan enters the War by
attacking Pearl Harbour.
The
war in the Pacific
proceeds. Theatre of
war in New Britain, Papua and New Guinea
commences.
1942
The
Hon J Curtin (Labor) was the Prime
Minister. The Minister
for
Repatriation was the
Hon C W
Frost.
19
February 1942, Darwin
bombed;
14
March 1942, operational service in
Torres
Strait Islands
began.
members
of the Permanent Military or Air Forces
who
were previously excluded
from the definition
of
'member of the Forces' for the purposes of
war pension and who were
deemed to be
employees within the meaning
of the
Superannuation
Act were brought within the scope of
the
Repatriation
Act;
members
of the Women's Auxiliary Services became
eligible for war pension
and medical treatment
[Regulation 5(2)];
members
of the Royal Naval Nursing Service and
Royal
Australian Air Force
Nursing Service became
eligible for war pension and general benefits
[Regulation 5(3)];
members
enlisted for service only in Australia
eligible for war pension in
respect of
'aggravation'
of a pre-war service condition [Regulation
5(4)];
extension
to members enlisted for service only in
Australia of the provision
relating to war
pension
in respect of incapacity or death resulting
from an accident to a member while travelling
on leave to or from
his
place of employment
(Regulation
6);
power
to grant up to three months' arrears in
claims
for war pension by or
in respect of members
engaged in the 1939-45 War (Regulation 7);
maximum
rate of service pension to a member came
in
line with the maximum
rate of pension under
the Invalid and Old Age Pensions Act
(Regulation 8);
full
medical treatment (for all disabilities)
extended to blinded
veterans;
Commission
given the power to authorise
transportation to
Australia of a wife
and children of a member
who marries during the period of overseas
service (Regulation 9);
Parliamentary
Joint Committee examined established
Repatriation
legislation;
first
of a number of War Cabinet minutes
issued
providing benefits, as an
'Act of Grace', to
people engaged in war work but not members of
the
Forces, such as members of philanthropic
organisations, war
correspondents and others;
and
Eligibility
provisions were extended to include
World War
2
veterans;
1943
The
Hon J Curtin (Labor) was the Prime
Minister. The Minister
for
Repatriation was the
Hon C W
Frost.
the
constitution of the Commission was
widened to
permit up to five
members (but not less than
three members), and provision was made
for the
appointment of
one or more Assistant Commissioners;
Act
of Grace pensions introduced;
Temporary
Total Incapacitated pensions introduced;
all
determining authorities were to give
'benefit
of doubt' with 'onus
of proof' resting with
them;
further
extension of eligibility to provide
disability
pension for Pulmonary
Tuberculosis not due to
service for those who served in a 'theatre
of
war';
Section
48 introduced providing the terms in
which a
medical practitioner
shall report on a claim
for pension in respect of the incapacity or
death of a
veteran;
war
pension and service pension provisions
extended to all
members of the
Permanent
Forces and to members of the Citizen Forces
called up for continuous service. The general ground of
liability to pay pension rather than being
incapacity or death
directly attributable to
employment as a member was altered to read:
"incapacity or
death which has arisen
out of or is
attributable to service as a
member".
(Division 6 of Part
III of the
Act);
further
benefits for direct re-establishment of
members of the 1939-45 War:
– loans
of up to 250 pounds for
businesses;
– gifts
of 75 pounds for furniture to members
blinded
or totally and
permanently incapacitated or
widows with dependent
children;
– fares
for member (and
family);
– freight
charges for removal of household
belongings
where a member is
proceeding to employment;
and
– pending
establishment of a complete scheme, a
tentative vocational training
scheme.
introduction
of the provision of free medical or
hospital
treatment for all
disabilities for members in
receipt of 100 per cent or higher war
pension;
ex-service
preference in employment; the time limit for
recognition of wives as dependants was set at
15 years for World War
2
members;
provision
introduced for payment of service
pension to
inmates of hospitals
other than mental and
benevolent asylums;
children
of members suffering from Tuberculosis,
where
the member was and had
been continuously for a
period of three years in receipt of the
maximum special rate
pension, became eligible
for SCES
benefits;
18
June 1943, end of theatre of war for service in the Torres
Strait Islands;
12
November 1943, last bombing raid in the
Northern Territory;
and
Wife’s
pension elig
