The National Media’s Right to Know Campaign provides us with the opportunity to take advantage of their promotions particularly our exposure of the Government’s denial to allow us the fundamental right to contest their classification of RCB service as peacetime service, similar to garrison duty in Australia. RCB service met the criteria for warlike service.
In theory that right exists but after 13 years of lived experience with the Defence Department’s complaints process we assert it as unjust and has involved breaches in the Prime Ministers Ministerial Standards and the Public Service codes of ethics and conduct.
Our detailed research has discovered evidence that challenges the Government’s RCB decision, exposes the falseness of their reliance on stated external reviews that together has revealed a deception to deny RCB service as warlike.
We conclude:
1. The RCB deployment was warlike because it met the criteria for warlike service.
2. The costs of a warlike service entitlements was a major factor in denying RCB warlike service.
3. The process was unjust by denying us proper process, transparency, personal meetings with Defence (NOSB staff) and access to third party mediation.
When Government hides the truth from you, what are they covering up?
Great work don’t know what happened to my last post lol.
Excellent work men
Just accept that you did a good job but did not serve on active service.
Your actions make your generation of infantryman an embarrassment and I really wish you would stop.
Your comment is out of line and nothing short of disgusting and insulting to those of us that served in the RCB.
I don’t know during which era you served, Vietnam, Timor or Iraq/Afghanistan, but please keep comments like yours above to yourself. If you served over the period of RCB, and pre ‘89, and especially if you actually deployed to RCB, I would suggest you didn’t take the job seriously.
It should be noted we did pretty much everything in RCB our fellow soldiers did in Timor and suffered similar stresses and danger. Yet, because of political lies and coverups by our politicians, not to mention public servants, we are denied the proper and just recognition…recognition those that in Timor received
My comment above is directed at the post by Mac on 28 Oct 2019.
Mornnn Mate , i was at RCB in 91 , was wondering if you or anyone else know the the location of training facilities , used back then , i remember near singapore there was a ronge with an airstrip and open bunker grenade range , getting old now , thought it was Ipoh or Malacca , and we used an area just outside RCB as well Thanks in Advance Tony
Hi Tony, The one near Singapore was Pulada, Malaysian Army Combat Training Centre, Jahor Bahru. RCB would send a platoon there at a time to conduct live range practices when permitted. The other range close to Butterworth was in Kedah and up until 1989 access was limited.
Your attempted comparison between Butterworth and Timor demonstrates your failure to grasp active service. It is truly disgusting that you think they were the same in anyway what so ever. Any contacts in RCB? Where did your weapons go each night in RCB? Did you usr blanks in RCB? Was the most stressful part of RCB making sure you left Hong Kong Bar in time to catch the last ferry?
As previously stated, you are embarrassing to the Regiment and not following the motto of Duty First. You are putting yourself first and in doing so attempting to belittle the brillant active service that others soldiers completed.
Why don’t you you put the money and time you are putting into attempting to get a gold card and go and enjoy your life, rather then be bitter and twisted about a fantasy. And never disrespect the fine work of our soldiers by saying that RCB was the same as their real active service.
The claim for recognition has the backing of the RAR National Council as well as the RAAF Association, the DFWA and has also a letter of support from Padre Gary Stone who is an RCB Veteran himself. The document Comparison of Operational Service Entitlements and Awards is listed in the references on this page and note that it does not list Timor. For your reference the RCB maintained a QRF with Rules of Engagement every night and that QRF carried live ammunition at all times. The RCB was deployed to defend the Australian assets and personnel at Airbase at Butterworth during the counter insurgency period of the second Malaysian Emergency 1970 to 1989 and fulfilled the requirements of warlike service in that there was a known enemy, there was perceived danger with an expectation of casualties and there was a set of Rules of Engagement with authority to engage. If you felt that your service in Timor was belittled then we apologize as there was no intent to do so but at the same time there is no need to belittle anyones service to this nation. With regards to the RCB claim it is based upon fact and is simply asking for an independent enquiry to determine an outcome. Your belittlement of the RCB service in your comments is unacceptable and shows little regard for the service of your fellow servicemen and women as well as your lack of comprehension of the documented evidence presented on this site so if anyone is embarrassing it is you. My suggestion to you is that you take the time to read the documents and develop an opinion after that. However any further belittlement of any Veterans service on this site will not be tolerated and all such comments will be deleted.