TRANSCRIPT
The Hon. Bruce Billson, MP
Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence
Wednesday, 30 May 2007
INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS COLEMAN
MORNINGS, ABC RIVERINA
WEDNESDAY 30 MAY 2007
CHRIS COLEMAN:
The Minister for Veterans Affairs, Bruce Billson, has said that the strong tradition of
enhancing Australia's world-class repatriation system, ensuring the veteran community continues to receive
high-quality care and support is going to continue.
Bruce Billson is the Minister for Veterans Affairs, and he's on the phone with us this morning.
Good morning Minister.
MINISTER BRUCE BILLSON: G'day Chris, and best wishes to you and Riverina listeners.
CHRIS COLEMAN:
the budget?
Nice to have you onboard today. What's this, what's the current situation with regard to
MINISTER BILLSON: Well what we've seen is about another $560 million provided through the budget for
support of our veterans community. That tips the budget over a little over $11 billion per year now Chris, is
caring for those that have served our country, their widows and their dependents.
And what's included in the budget is further help with health care, particularly for those Gold and White card
holders that may be discharged from a hospital, may need to transition back to a community within the Riverina,
and need to have a continuum of care as they leave the hospital into community-based health care and
support.
There's also further assistance with the management of complex medications - you know the kind of press
packs that you see Chris, where people might have a number of different pharmaceuticals but need to have
them taken in a prescribed manner so as not to cause illness from having their medicines confused.
As well, some help with those with chronic illness that may need the help of their doctor to manage a care plan.
So they're all geared at making sure that the health care and support for our veterans community continues to
evolve and adapt to changing needs.
CHRIS COLEMAN:
So this is all part of the assistance to veterans to manage medications program?
MINISTER BILLSON: Yes, well it's a range of things. That's part of it. But also that key, that important area,
particularly for rural and regional people, where they may have a hospital episode where they then need to
actually have that care transitioned from the hospital back into their own community and back into their own
homes; just to make sure that that continuum of care is properly managed as well as their medication
requirements.
CHRIS COLEMAN:
What war veterans are we talking about here? Are we talking about World War II,
Korea, Vietnam?
MINISTER BILLSON: Yes, that's right. We've got, our veterans community Chris is about 450,000 people.
Interestingly now though, our nation provides for a greater number of dependents and widows than the veterans
themselves, as part of our special duty to those people that serve our nation and that our nation may put in
harms way.
We undertake not only to meet their health care, but where there life is shortened as a result of an illness or an
injury that's emerged from their military service, we then recognise our special duty to their widows, and any of
those that may be dependent upon them.
And that's part of our comprehensive $11 billion a year commitment.
CHRIS COLEMAN:
19 past 10.
Talking to Bruce Billson, the Minister for Veterans Affairs on ABC Riverina Mornings, at
Minister, you've also been working on the repatriation of soldiers remains from Vietnam. We've heard of a local
chap that we believe is going over this weekend to bring back his stepfather.
MINISTER BILLSON: Yes, Craig is a local Riverina resident. Craig will be accompanying me, along with
Craig's mother, who is the widow of one of those courageous soldiers that lost their life in Vietnam 42 years
ago. It is quite a moving time I must say Chris. We'll be having two Australian heroes return home after
spending 42 years in Vietnam. For Craig and his mother, it'll be a time of mixed feelings - some elation and joy
that the remains will be finally laid to rest with full military honours here in Australia; but also a revisiting of that
tragic loss of life and hardship that it's presented for those two families in particular.
CHRIS COLEMAN:
Any idea how many Australians are still, you know, are killed but missing...
MINISTER BILLSON: Yes, precise numbers in Vietnam are six Australians. Of course, Lance Corporal
Richard Parker and Private Peter Gillson have been located, and I must pay tribute; a very generous and
heartfelt tribute to Operation Aussies Home. Jim Bourke and his team - former Vietnam veterans themselves felt that their work wasn't done until they were able to bring home some of the mates that they served with in
Vietnam.
Their work has been crucial. They have set up networks with former enemy Viet Cong fighters who have added
to the picture that we've been able to establish from our own research, with army history and defence looking at
military records of the time, and piecing together a jigsaw puzzle that's been more than four decades in, in
progress.
Now those two individuals are coming home. That leaves four. Two, tragically lost in an aviation accident, and
we're not optimistic about recovering those remains. Two other individuals, and I won't go into the, the nittygritty because it is still quite traumatic for the families involved. But one set of remains relating to a helicopter
crash. We have a team in-country working to see whether we can unearth further information and insights
about that tragedy. And one other individual who was lost during a hot extraction, when they were fired upon
whilst being recovered from a battle area. We're just seeing what further information we might be able to find
out about that individual.
I think it's part of our particular special duty to those that have served. We've got a moral obligation to, to do all
we can to make sure that those that give their lives in the service to the country are properly laid to rest.
CHRIS COLEMAN:
and his mother?
And you're heading over, it is this weekend that you're going over with Craig Hawes
MINISTER BILLSON: Yes, we're aiming to leave this weekend. Planning is still continuing. We're optimistic
that transfer of the remains can occur on Monday. I will be accompanying Craig and his mother; also Robert
Gillson, the son of Private Peter Gillson. He never saw his dad, but he's very involved. As well as some of the
team from Operation Aussies Home. They've put a life-time of work into making sure their mates can come
home and I honour and salute their work, and recognise that without them these two Australian heroes wouldn't
be coming home on the weekend.
The precise details we're still working through Chris. The Vietnamese authorities are being very helpful and
cooperative, and we're just making sure that their in-country procedures for identification and the like - similar to
what we have here in Australia - are concluded, and then we can return those two Australian heroes to their, to
their own, you know, their own land and lay them to rest properly here in Australia.
CHRIS COLEMAN:
Australia?
And what will, where will the remains be located when they are brought back to
MINISTER BILLSON: Well at this stage, we're working very closely with the families. As you can imagine, the
Australian Government and the defence family itself recognises that the immediate family are those that are
best placed to shape those, those final laying to rest arrangements, and we support that completely.
The process will see the remains returned to an official return home ceremony at Richmond Air Force Base.
We're looking at Wednesday for that, but again, the precise details we're having to work through. And then
funeral arrangements will be made and put in place.
We anticipate that, in the case of Lance Corporal Richard Parker that a resting place in the capital is what's
envisaged there. And as for Private Gillson, I believe a resting place in a Melbourne cemetery is what's
anticipated. But those details are being worked through with the families.
CHRIS COLEMAN:
And a very difficult task to confirm that the bodies are the ones that you seek?
MINISTER BILLSON: Yes, it's been; what occurred was we, we always stand ready to respond to any
identification of remains. And, you'd be aware that we're currently working on the five sets of remains in
Zonenbech* in Southern Belgium from the First World War, as well as remains from Christmas Island, thought
to be a sailor from the HMAS Sydney when that was sunk.
So our work in this area is ongoing, but once we have some evidence, then a forensic team put together by
defence looks at dental records, bones, artefacts found with them, as well as where we have viable DNA
samples that's also another avenue, and that enables us to, to lead to positive identification.
That process has been concluded in relation to these two sets of remains of Lance Corporal Richard Parker
and Private Peter Gillson, and we're sharing that information with the Vietnamese authorities so that they can
conclude their in-country procedures as well.
CHRIS COLEMAN:
Bruce, we'd like to keep track with this over the next few days, if we, if we may. Can I
put you on hold, and we just get a few more details?
MINISTER BILLSON: Certainly Chris, and thank you for your interest. And certainly for the Riverina
community, it would be a very important time to support Craig Hawes and his mother. It's a very emotionally
traumatic time - one moments of great elation and then moments of great sadness. So, a thoughtfulness for the
family is something I'd certainly encourage as well.
CHRIS COLEMAN:
Indeed. Minister, we'll put you on hold, and we'll speak again soon.
MINISTER BILLSON:
Thank you.
CHRIS COLEMAN:
That's Bruce Billson, the Minister for Veterans Affairs on ABC Riverina. And, Craig
Haws from Wagga, and his mother, heading to Vietnam this weekend, to bring home his step-father, Private
Peter Gillson, who was killed fighting in 1965 in Vietnam.
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