S 6 1964-1973

This Section includes years from 1964 to 1973.

1964

The Hon R G Menzies (Liberal) was the Prime Minister.  The Minister for Repatriation was the Hon R W C Swartz until 18 December when Senator the Hon G C McKellar became the Minister responsible for Repatriation

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• 14 May 1964, United Nations Force in Cyprus commenced as a Peacekeeping Force;
• six month limit on payment of service pension overseas removed;
• the number of military Advisers sent to Vietnam was doubled and a RAAF squadron was committed;
• the single rate of pension reached parity with war widows ' pension (indexeable component);
• telephone rental concessions introduced; and
• wives pensions last increased.

1965

The Hon R G Menzies (Liberal) was the Prime Minister.  The Minister for Repatriation was Senator the Hon G C McKellar.

• funeral benefits provided in respect of service pensioners (effective 7 August 1965).
• the government announced Australia's first major commitment of combat troops to Vietnam;
• introduction of 'Intermediate Rate' payable under the First Schedule to the Act to a member who, because of incapacity resulting from war caused disabilities, is capable only of engaging in part-time or intermittent employment;
• 'standard rate' of service pension paid to a married service pensioner whose wife is in receipt of service pension at the 'wife' rate; wife of a member in receipt of service pension under section 84 eligible to be paid service pension as a 'wife' only if she has one or more children providing no pension is payable under the Social Services Act;
• Additional payments made to all veterans with dependant children and the introduction of Guardian's Allowance;
• Partner Service pension granted to the wife of an ex-serviceman receiving a service  pension on the ground of age;
• wife's service pension allowed to be continued after the death of a veteran;
• service pension paid to the child of a service pensioner who receives his service pension on the grounds of age;
• supplementary assistance extended to a married service pensioner whose wife receives service pension at the wife's rate;
• provision for payment of 'Guardian's Allowance' to an unmarried service pensioner who has custody, care and control of one or more children;
• age limit for service pension for student children raised to 21 years;
• payment of special rate sustenance to out-patients who have been in receipt of sustenance allowance for a continuous period of four weeks; and
• the Native Members of the Forces Benefits Regulations were repealed and replaced extending to native members and dependants almost all the benefits available to 'members of the Forces' under the Repatriation Act and Regulations.

1966

The Hon H G Holt (Liberal) was the Prime Minister.  The Minister for Repatriation was Senator the Hon G C McKellar.

• an emergency/accident centre established in Repatriation General Hospital Concord; and
• National Service Training Scheme was formulated.

1967

The Hon H G Holt (Liberal) was the Prime Minister until 19 December 1967, when the Hon J McEwen became Prime Minister.  The Minister for Repatriation was Senator the Hon G C McKellar.

• February 1967, the navy became involved in the Vietnam conflict when the first Clearance Divers went into operation;
• extension of eligibility for clothing allowance to 'blinded' pensioners; and
• provision was made for Vocational Training and Re-establishment loans to discharged National Servicemen.

1968

The Hon J McEwen (Country Coalition) was the Prime Minister until 10 January 1968, when the Hon J Gorton (Liberal) became Prime Minister.  The Minister for Repatriation was Senator the Hon G C McKellar.

• introduction of Special Compensation Allowance payable where actual incapacity (as distinct from pensionable incapacity) from accepted disabilities (including pulmonary tuberculosis pensioned under section 37(3)) is assessed at from 75 per cent to 100 per cent;
• Re-adjustment Allowance introduced for the surviving spouse of a married service pensioner couple (now bereavement payment), for twelve weeks after death of spouse if that spouse is in receipt of Service Pension;
• payment of Service Pension at the Standard Rate extended to a member whose spouse is receiving an unemployment or sickness benefit under the Social Services Act; and
• extension of service pension under the Repatriation (Special Overseas Service) Act to those with 'special service'.

1969

The Hon J Gorton (Liberal) was the Prime Minister.  The Minister for Repatriation was Senator the Hon G C McKellar until 12 November when the Hon R M Holten became the Minister responsible for Repatriation.

• a fringe benefits means test was introduced with the 'tapered' means test permitting payment of service or AMS pension to veterans ineligible due to means in excess of the permissible maximum.  The fringe benefits limit was equivalent to the service pension limit prior to the introduction of the tapered means test.

1970

The Hon J Gorton (Liberal) was the Prime Minister.  The Minister for Repatriation was the Hon R M Holten.

• Central Office of the Department moved to Canberra from Melbourne in January;
• the lower rate of Recreation Transport Allowance extended to a veteran in receipt of war pension at the Special Rate for blindness provided he is receiving, or would but for being maintained in an institution at public expense be eligible to receive, an Attendant's Allowance;
• provision for establishment of additional Repatriation Boards;
• service pension was assessed at single rate where the veteran and spouse were permanently separated owing to infirmity;
• Where (because of ill health or infirmity to a pensioner or his/her spouse) if the "economies of living together " has been lost, married couples pension assessed as single and paid to each member of the couple at the 'single' rate; and
• the range of gift motor vehicles was extended to include larger standard models.

1971

The Hon J Gorton (Liberal) was the Prime Minister until 10 March 1971, when the Hon W McMahon (Liberal) became Prime Minister.  The Minister for Repatriation was the Hon R M Holten.

• an inquiry into the Repatriation System to be undertaken by the Hon Mr Justice Toose commissioned by the Government.

1972

The Hon W McMahon (Liberal) was the Prime Minister until 5 December 1972 when the Hon E G Whitlam (Labor) was elected as Prime Minister.  The Minister for Repatriation was the Hon R M Holten until 5 December 1972, when the Hon L H Barnard became the Minister responsible for Repatriation until 19 December when Senator the Hon R Bishop became the Minister for this portfolio.

• benefits extended to regular service from 7 December;
• grant, restoration or continuation of war pensions approved in respect of 'student' children who have attained the age of 16 years but are under the age of 21 years;
• de-facto wives and foster children became eligible for disability and service pension;
• wife's service pension rate was made equivalent to a veterans' married rate;
• Married rate provision for Partner Service pension introduced when Veteran's wife paid by the Department of Social Security;
• extension of eligibility for service pension to all wives of service pensioners provided they are not in receipt of pensions under the Social Services Act.  This, in effect, brought in those wives of SPOA members not then eligible;
• subject to means, eligibility for supplementary assistance was extended to service pensioners, except children, who were paying for rent, lodgings or board and lodgings;
• Decoration Allowance payable to all holders of qualifying gallantry awards in respect of service in the 1939-45 War following abolition of 'rank additions'; and
• provision for the gross annual rate of a 'superannuation payment' to be converted to a property value for means test purposes where it would be to a pensioner's financial advantage.

1973

The Hon E G Whitlam (Labor) was the Prime Minister.  The Minister for Repatriation was Senator the Hon R Bishop.

• 11 January 1973, concluding date for all current operational areas;
• 26 September 1973, extension of benefits to regular and National Servicemen from 7 December 1972;
• introduction of the Former Regular Service Vocational Training Scheme.  To be eligible a person must have completed at least three years continuous effective full time service as a member of the Defence Force terminating on or after 7 December 1972;
• Age pensions became taxable;
• Portability of service pensions was introduced;
• removal of the 21 years age limit barrier for student children for disability pensions, service pensions and treatment benefits;
• provision of full medical (regardless of disability) and hospital treatment and nursing home benefits for all ex-servicemen of the Boer War and 1914-18 – First World War;
• provision of medical and hospital treatment and nursing home benefits for those suffering from cancer (malignant neoplasms) to ex-servicemen or women who served in a theatre of war;
• full medical treatment extended to former prisoners-of-war;
• 25 per cent of War Pension exempt from the assessment of Service Pension, but not Supplementary Assistance;
• provision of artificial limbs to all members of the community where required, either direct from the Repatriation Artificial Limb and Appliance Centres (RALACs) or through the commercial limb makers.  Replacements and repairs made at the discretion of the Specialist (Limb Fitting) and Manager of the centres;
• abolition of means test for service pensioners and wives 75 years of age or over.  Means test continued regardless of age in determining eligibility for supplementary assistance, guardian's allowance, additional pension in respect of children and fringe benefits;
• Division 10 introduced extending most of the provisions of Divisions 1 to 4 to Regular and National Servicemen who qualify as 'members of the Forces' and to their dependants.  There were no provisions for eligibility for service pension, minimum rate for pulmonary tuberculosis, automatic acceptance of pulmonary tuberculosis or for AMS pensions;
• extension of eligibility for war pension for a de facto wife or widow under section 23 who has lived with a member on a bona fide domestic basis for a period of not less than three years immediately preceding consideration of her status and who was partially or wholly dependant on him, and for service pension under section 83 to a de facto wife or widow who has lived with a member on a bona fide domestic basis for a period of not less than three years immediately preceding consideration of her status;
• eligibility for war and service pension extended to all ex-nuptial children;
• trials commenced for determining authorities to give reasons for decisions in entitlement cases. Board No. 2 and No. 9 conducted trials during October to December, EATs Nos. 3 and 4 from 1 May, EATs Nos. 1, 2 and 5 from 1 October;
• Repatriation means test pensions payable in any overseas country;
• 25 per cent of War Pension exempt from the assessment of Service Pension, but not Supplementary Assistance;
• 25 per cent of disability pension payments disregarded for the means test applying to service pensions;
• the last remaining higher payments, based on the veterans rank, were removed from the pension levels;
• grants of Service Pension to single children ceased;
• spare bed capacity in Repatriation hospitals were made available to non entitled patients after the needs of Repatriation payments are met.  Patients covered under this decision are:

• veterans requiring treatment for non-accepted disabilities while patients in  Repatriation hospitals for treatment of accepted disabilities,
• non Repatriation patients of RALACs requiring hospitalisation for associated treatment, and
• non Repatriation patients of Repatriation specialists where Repatriation facilities have particular advantages to the patient or the hospital; and

• spare capacity in Repatriation hospitals' pathology and radiology services extended to public hospitals.