Since our last Update we’ve been active in trying to advance our claim to the public particularly by gaining national media support, finalising our evidence briefs to support our own national social media and direct action campaigns to engage with certain MPs and Senators and supporting Ray Fulcher’s personal appeal to the DHAAT.
The situational reality is that the Minister and the VCDF have frozen us out of replying to our correspondence. That’s another example of denying us fair process to have our claim considered “inside the tent” (the Government) thereby forcing us to go public through the national media and other public means co-ordinated with our own national social media and direct action campaigns.
With the national media and political concentration on combatting drought, bushfires and providing vital support to the farmers/graziers and rural communities, and the media’s support for the mothers’ of suicide veterans request for a Royal Commission into Suicides, the timing for our public campaign needs to be delayed until the new year and before Parliament returns on 4th February 2020.
In this period of Christmas and the holiday season we are consolidating our preparations for a major social media campaign supported by a national media organisation.
To win the public’s support we need a national media exposure with an organisation where there is a synergy with a just cause that we can link to. The National Media’s Right to Know Coalition Campaign has provided us with that opportunity.
Like ours their campaign’s core is the protection of one’s traditional Rights: Your Right to Know truth, and your right to contest a decision. Watch this space for developments.
Despite the evidence we’ve discovered from the Government’s own documents including 130 ex-SECRET and one ex-TOP SECRET that prove the RCB deployment met the criteria for warlike service, successive Australian Governments have deceptively classified their service as unwarlike peacetime: similar to garrison duty in Australia. This classification has denied those troops and their families’ eligibility to repatriation benefits under the Veterans’ Entitlements Act and the award of the Australian Active Service Medal (AASM).
The Deception – The Basis of our Claim
The Defence Committee in 1973 presided by Sir Arthur Tange (Secretary Department of Defence) created the deception that the RCB deployment was for training purposes and despite our multiple submissions since 2006 that challenged the Government’s decision, successive governments have perpetuated that deception. In so doing they have denied us the right to challenge it through a fair and just process that would allow us to meet with the Minister and his Defence Nature of Service Departmental advisors, to allow us to challenge the evidence given by other parties at Tribunals and Petition Committees’ Hearings and to include independent third party mediation.
We agree with the National Media Campaign’s question: “When the Government keeps the truth from you what are they covering up?
Our evidence provides the answer. Our experience with the process reinforces the deception. From both the evidence and experience we believe a deliberate deception for so called Governments’ political sensitivity reasons has denied RCB’s rightful service recognition during Malaysia’s Counter Insurgency War as warlike. The deception was implemented firstly by Australian military orders and instructions to downplay the RCB’s role and secondly, a Government complaints process that did not “ …act with due regard for integrity, fairness, accountability, responsibility, and the public interest, as required by the PM’s Ministerial standards”
STATEMENT OF THE MINISTERIAL STANDARDS – EXAMINATION
Here is an extract
“The Australian people deserve a Government that will act with integrity and in the best interests of the people they serve.
Serving the Australian people as Ministers and Assistant Ministers is an honour and comes with expectations to act at all times to the highest possible standards of probity.
All Ministers and Assistant Ministers are expected to conduct themselves in line with standards established in this Statement in order to maintain the trust of the Australian people.”
The Standards identify those required of Ministers to reflect the fact that, as holders of public office, Ministers are entrusted with considerable privilege and wide discretionary power. “In recognition that public office is a public trust, therefore, the people of Australia are entitled to expect that, as a matter of principle, Ministers will act with due regard for integrity, fairness, accountability, responsibility, and the public interest, as required by these Standards”.
In the case of the RCB claim for warlike service has Minister Chester been compliant with these standards?
We note the PM’s recent speech in the Great Hall of Parliament to Ministers and the Public Service Executives on the Government’s responsibilities and accountability to Parliament and the public for the government’s policies. He called for his Ministers to set and drive the Government’s agenda and to ensure they do not become “captive of their department”
Our analysis of the evidence of the Minister and the Defence Department ‘s (NOSD) management of the RCB’s challenge to their decision and their complaints process supports our belief that the current Minister Chester and earlier Ministers have been captive of their Departmental advisors and that Chester is in breach of some of the current standards.
RCB Recognition – Ray Fulcher’s personal Appeal to DHAAT
Ray is appealing the DHAAT’s rejection of his personal claim that he was eligible for award of the AASM for his RCB service.
Ray is a legally trained person, an RCB veteran and our RCB Review Group Chairman. He is the author of this and other major submissions to the Defence Department and Defence
Ombudsman. He was one of our Team to experience the dishonourable Clayton’s meeting with Minister Chester and his Defence Advisors in Canberra 26-27thNovember 2018.
In this and other submissions he has forensically examined the government’s own documents discovered under Freedom of Information and the public release of 130 ex-SECRET and one TOP SECRET documents, as well as others obtained from other national and international sources. The submission is fully referenced with source notes. To follow this search for truth,READ ON
Ray’s detailed submission and related analyses exposes the Deception and the need for an independent of government judicial inquiry.
Australian Cold War Warriors – The Secret Aussie History of the Second Malaysian Confrontation (Counter Insurgency War)
Read Pte Sean Arthur’s personal account of his RCB service with 5 platoon B Company 1 RAR in 1977.
“It’s kind of strange to think that an important and significant part of your own personal military history is based upon a lie.
It’s not my personal lie, its way bigger than anything I could come up with myself. This lie encompasses 50 years and involves every single government that Australia has had in that time. Even more astounding is the fact that the lie was openly discussed in government and military circles at the very beginning and that the real information is pretty much available for anyone to read today. The lie is part of Australia’s strategic and political history and the only ones directly affected by it today are the nine thousand Australian servicemen who participated in the Second Malayan Emergency against communist insurgents from 1972 to 1989.” READ MOREPlease follow Sean’s lead and send us your own personal account of your RCB service that we could post on our web site here and facebook site here If you prefer not to have it posted publicly then we can hold it for use at an independent inquiry.
With all the above “irons in the fire” and the present “quiet period for campaigning” we will consolidate and prepare for our 2020 direct action campaign on national public media (using all sources Print, Radio, TV, public petitions, etc), national social media and personal engagement with certain Ministers, Shadow Ministers and local Federal MPs and Senators at their electorate office.
Our National Social Media Campaign will centre on a podcast, RCB Service – The Anatomy of a Deception in which we will serialise the whole matter with text, images, audios, videos and interviews involving key persons.
How to Assist Us?
As we enter the end game we thank our supporters for their contribution to the cause and ask those not yet committed to help us here by:
- Registering your support here to receive our Newsletters, Updates, Briefing Notes and other direct mail items
- Joining our “boots on the ground” Action Team Groups,
- Encouraging your family and friends to do the same, and
- Following us on social media.
Our “boots on the ground” Action Team support network has Action Co-ordinators in many federal electorates. They will organise our Action Team Groups and manage our campaign engagements at the grass roots level. We’d welcome you as a volunteer to join them. Join here. We will personally contact you to determine the assistance you are willing to provide.In all engagements we will go as a team with you.
Thanks for your support, suggestions, comments and donations: they are greatly appreciated. Keep them coming. Your commitment to correcting this injustice reinforces our dedication and resolve to succeed with our righteous claim.
Yours Sincerely,
Ray Fulcher
RCB Service 1979
Chairman RCB Review Group
Date: 18 December 2019
We a govement hides the truth from its people , and risks the lives of those who served, only to turn their back on them. Maybe its time they righted their wrongs. Owned up to their mistake and righted the wrongs.
Thank you for continuing to fight the good fight
Sean Arthur
Sean Thanks for your article which we have published. It helps show others what it was really like, and set in the context of the accurate ‘big picture’. As an ex-company commander, and on the RCB Review Group myself, I intend to write a similar short paper from an officer’s perspective so that ex-
Other Ranks can also now be aware of things they might not have understood or known of when we all shared the same overall task while deployed to Butterworth. The real evidence we now have is unequivocal re being on warlike service, despite the spin put out by those who seek to deny our claim. Hand in there men, we denied the CTs then, we will win this one too. You all deserve your rights.
A RAAF’ies comment and view! My RAAF service was from 1965-1987. In Feb 1969 I was posted to Butterworth for service remaining there until 1971. For the powers to be, to call your RCB service as a “peace-like” and “training” period is just plain rubbish. (Stronger language could have been used)!
There was nothing “peace-like” about the briefings we were given just after arrival in Butterworth about staying to the main road going to and from Penang for fear of attack, and about the dusk to dawn curfews that existed in Penang and Butterworth surrounds with armed military and/or police patrols and hearing weapons being used during the curfews, in Penang at least, or the fact that we, RAAF aircraft technicians, for a period of time being handed SLR’s, loaded onto vehicles and deposited at dusk, around the perimeter of the airfield at intervals of 100m or so with instructions to “report” intrusions or attempted intrusions of the airfield. There was a roving vehicle that was radio equipped. I have no idea what RAAF ROE that would come under if any.
What we were to do if there had of been an incursion up to the time the “command” vehicle “visited our position, was never clearly laid out. We couldn’t have fired a warning shot as we were never issued any ammo. Rifle yes, ammo no. Our (RAAF Tech’s) training to that date was basic weapon operation instruction and target practice. I personally, had only fired something like 300-400 rounds to date in my service career. I dare say that, that little fact was never made public knowledge back in Australia at the time. Neither, if so, could it have been described and passed as “training”.
I firmly believe that the RAAF command at that point in time did not know what was going to happen in Butterworth with the events that were taking place in the rest of Malaysia.
I know that this info has little impact on your fight for recognition but for one, I was glad to see you guys there. I hope you win the fight, keep strong for I know what the establishment can put up to deter your efforts.
Good luck
Fellow vet.
As you said, there were Malaysian personnel, also posted in guard boxes, every 100mts, to the south of the airfield. This was done during day light hours. We would finish QRF at 0800h and they were already posted.
Mind you, this did not happen for the full three months. Another fact was that, whenever convoys were heading north they would stay for short periods at ABB. Surprise Surprise, a very short distance from the RCB, barracks. We would go over and talk to them. I ask this WO, “how many battalions have you got” he said 36, up on the border. Sounds hard to believe! Anyway, the most they stayed was two days and you would see about twenty vehicles, at a time. I’m sure there are some very good shots in the RAAF, but ammo would, help! When my father was doing his, rookies, he said how some females, would aim and fire, while the blokes were holding it, up. Don’t worry it happens, in the Army too.