Maralinga widows still waiting
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday February 15, 2010
One of the Rudd Government's election promises was to review the decision by the Howard government not to accept the major recommendation of the Clarke Report into veterans' entitlements.This provided that members of the Defence Force who were ordered to attend the nuclear tests at Maralinga in 1956-57 would be regarded as being on "non-warlike service" to enable them to come under the umbrella of the Veteran Affairs Act.This determination would not convey any benefits to these ex-servicemen and their war widows unless there was evidence that attendance at these tests contributed to their death.The Minister of Veterans' Affairs, Alan Griffin, has been considering this election promise for more than a year but has not yet come to a decision. Meanwhile, claims by ex-servicemen and their widows under the Veteran Affairs Act are held up pending the minister's decision.I have been helping one elderly war widow, whose husband attended these nuclear tests and subsequently died of cancer, who first applied for a war widow's pension nearly 25 years ago. The matter cannot been dealt with until the minister makes a decision.This is a national disgrace.Alan Stretton, Major-General (ret) Batemans Bay
© 2010 Sydney Morning Herald