

MEDIA RELEASE

Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel

Shadow Minister for Forestry and Conservation

Federal Member for Reid

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11 January 1999

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GOVERNMENT MUST CLARIFY HEALTH OF OUR OWN ATOMIC 
PERSONNEL

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The Federal Opposition says a proper healt h and mortality study 
is needed of Australian personnel who participated in British atomic 
tests in Australia and associated clean up operations.

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Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, 
Laurie Ferguson MP, has renewed his year-long campaign for such a study 
following media reports this morning that the Government is merely considering 
a closed door examination of recent British data.

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‘It is unacceptable that we know very little about 
the true position of the 15,000 Australian defence personnel who were 
ordered by the Menzies Government to participate in the conduct of the 
British tests at Maralinga and the Monte Bellos Islands in the 1950s,’ 
Mr Ferguson said.

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‘In response to my questioning, the Government confirmed 
last year that it has not even been monitoring their death rate.’

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‘For 12 months I have been campaigning for a proper 
study of Australian personnel and their families.’

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‘Over the same period the Coalition has constantly 
suggested to the media that it was about to act. In reality it has done 
nothing.’

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‘  The Australian  of 29 December 1997 reported that Deputy Prime 
Minister Tim Fischer had promised that Australia would examine the findings 
of the Dundee University study of British nuclear veterans.’

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‘This promise was repeated in the   Courier Mail  of 30 December 1997, quoting a spokesman for then 
Defence Minister Ian McLachlan.’

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‘In March last year the Minister for Veterans’ 
Affairs, Bruce Scott wrote to the Australian Veterans and Defence Services 
Council saying that the (then) Minister for Defence Industry, Science 
and Personnel, Bronwyn Bishop, “will be co-ordinating the Government’s 
examination of the Dundee study once it is completed”.’

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‘This morning’s announcement by Mr Scott that 
he will commission an epidemiologist to analyse the Dundee findings 
merely confirms that the Government totally failed to act on these earlier 
undertakings.’

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‘While any examination of the British data is welcome, 
this will not improve our knowledge of the true situation facing Australian 
personnel.’

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Mr Ferguson noted that Fijian veterans of the 1950s 
tests on Christmas Island have recently filed a case for compensation 
against the British Government, alleging that they and their children 
had suffered serious health problems.

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For further information:

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Laurie Ferguson MPÂ  (02) 9637 4714

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