Australian Defence Medal

The Australian Defence Medal (ADM) has been established to recognise Australian Defence Force (ADF) Regular and Reserve personnel who have demonstrated their commitment and contribution to the nation by serving for an initial enlistment period or four years service whichever is the lesser.

Her Majesty the Queen recently approved the Regulations and Letters Patent for the medal.

It is expected that the medal will be available for presentation from mid 2006.

Eligibility

It is estimated that over one million serving and ex-serving ADF members will be eligible for the medal.

Ex-serving personnel who have served for four years (or have completed a lesser initial enlistment period) either as an ADF Regular or Reserve member since the end of World War II (3 September 1945) are eligible for the medal.

Eligibility for the medal has been extended to those personnel who:

• have died in service; or
• have been medically discharged with a compensatory impairment at the time of their discharge, thus rendering them unable to serve the required minimum qualifying period; or
• have honourably served but, due to some Defence workplace enlistment policies of the time (as determined by the Chief of the Defence Force), were unable to serve the required minimum qualifying period.

National servicemen will also be eligible for the ADM, as the completion of their National Service obligation will be considered as completion of an initial enlistment period of service.

How to apply for the ADM

Current serving full-time members will be assessed automatically in line with the new process for assessing long service awards through PMKeys.

Applications are now being invited from eligible personnel. These should be made direct to the Directorate of Honours and Awards, Department of Defence.

In addition to being available via this website, the application form for the ADM is available from the RSL and other Ex-Service Organisations.

It is important that applicants provide proof of service with their application. This can include a certified true copy (no originals please) of their Certificate of Service or Discharge Certificate or any other official documents which confirm the length of their service. Providing these documents will greatly speed up the assessment process for the medal. Ex-serving personnel who do not have certificates of service or other supporting documentation, should not contact CARO, Navy records or RAAF records . Their applications should be submitted to DHA regardless, who will then contact the service archives on behalf of applicants to conduct an assessment.

Individuals who have already applied, usually by letter or email, and whose applications have been acknowledged, do not need to reapply.

Directorate of Honours and Awards’ Contact Details

The Directorate of Honours and Awards can be contacted directly either through a toll-free number 1800 111 321, via e-mail on dpe.honoursandawards@defence.gov.au or at

Directorate of Honours and Awards
T-1-49
Department of Defence
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Each enquiry should provide as much information as possible to enable the Directorate of Honours and Awards to answer questions more effectively.

Presentations

The Application Form includes an invitation to participate in a formal presentation ceremony organised by Defence. These will occur regionally on a biannual basis. The appropriate involvement of a senior military officer and Federal parliamentarian will be sought for these events.