Defence medals lost or damaged in the fires across Australia could be replaced under the Department of Defence Replacement Medal Policy.
Minister for Veterans and Defence Personnel, Darren Chester said while there was a long road ahead for communities recovering from bushfires, replacing lost medals was a small step in the right direction.
“Current and ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force are entitled to one replacement set of medals,” Mr Chester said.
“We know that this is a small piece of the recovery effort, but it is important.”
He said holders of a deceased family member’s medals would also be entitled to receive one replacement set, provided the replacements had not already been issued.
“Even if you do not know exactly what medals were lost or damaged, as long as you have the original recipient’s full name and date of birth, Defence can fulfil the request,” Mr Chester said.
He said replacement medals could not be issued if any compensation for their loss or damage had already been received via insurance claims.
“To apply for replacement medals, complete the Defence Medals Online Application Form, selecting ‘Replacement Medals’ as the application type,” Mr Chester said.
More details on how to apply for medal replacements can be found at this PS News link.
