Wednesday, 27 October 1965
Mr HAROLD HOLT (Higgins Treasurer) – by leave – Mr. Speaker, The Government has completed its review of the allowances to be paid to members of the Forces serving in Vietnam, Borneo and Ubon, Thailand.
This has followed an inspection of the areas by a joint Treasury Services team which was asked to have particular regard to the costs experienced by the personnel concerned and the nature of the expenditures they find to it necessary to make.
The Government has decided that allowances at the rate of 17s. per day for officers and 15s. 6d. per day for other ranks should be paid in all three areas.
The House will appreciate these are allowances quite distinct from the normal pay.
These rates will apply to all single personnel and to married personnel whose dependants are in Australia. Married personnel with dependants in Malaya, who are posted for service in Borneo or Ubon, will retain their Malayan allowance and receive in addition a flat rate of 12s. per day.
The interim allowances ranging from 7s. 6d. to 14s. per day paid to members of the battalion which proceeded to Vietnam in May were determined on the understanding that they would be subject to review in the light of costs and conditions in the area and that any increase subsequently approved would operate with retrospective effect.
Accordingly, the new rates of 17s. and 15s. 6d. per day in Vietnam will be applied as from 26th May 1965. These rates will extend to members of the Army Training Team and Royal Australian Air Force Caribou Flight as well as to the battalion and its supporting units.
Increases for personnel serving in Ubon will apply from 1st September 1965. Although, of course, in most instances, the effect of these general rates will be to produce increased payments, the application of the general rate in the three areas could lead, in a few instances, to a situation where a lower rate might apply now. This is in the case, in particular, of some of the officers.
So, we are making provision for non-reduction in respect of those members whose allowances otherwise would be reduced for the remainder of their tour of duty.
The Government, which has given close attention to this question of rates of allowances for Australian servicemen in these areas, believes that those now decided will be generally recognised as satisfactory and appropriate.
