Hazardous service involves activities exposing individuals or units to a degree of hazard above and beyond that of normal peacetime duty; it could include mine avoidance and clearance, weapons inspections and destruction, Defence Force aid to civil power, Service protected or assisted evacuations and other operations requiring the application of minimum force to effect the protection of personnel or property.

'Hazardous service' is defined and applied in the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986:

68(1) ...hazardous service has the same meaning as in Subsection 120(7).

[Part IV – Pensions for Members of Defence Force or Peacekeeping Force and their Dependants]

69A(1) This Part applies to a person who has rendered or is rendering hazardous service as a member of the Defence Force

69A(2) This Part so applies whether the hazardous service is rendered before or after the terminating date.

120(7) In this section:

(b)              a reference to hazardous service shall be read as a reference to service in the Defence Force of a kind determined by the Minister for Defence, by instrument in writing, to be hazardous service for the purposes of this section.

Essentially, 'hazardous service' is service which the Minister for Defence has declared, in writing, to be hazardous. Refer to Declarations of hazardous service under the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 for a complete list of declared hazardous service.