External

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.