Terms of reference

(1) That the following matters be referred to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee for inquiry and report:

(a) the adequacy of current arrangements within the Department of Defence for the health preparation for the deployment of the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) overseas;

(b) the adequacy of record keeping of individual health and treatment episodes of those deployed, and access to those records by the individual;

(c) the adequacy of information provided to individual ADF members, pre-deployment, of the likely health risks and anticipated remedial activity required;

(d) the adequacy of current arrangements for the administration of preventive vaccinations, standards applied to drug selection, quality control, record keeping and the regard given to accepted international and national regulation and practice;

(e) the engagement in this process of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Repatriation Medical Authority for the purposes of administering and assessing compensation claims; and

(f) the adequacy of the current research effort focussing on outstanding issues of contention from the ex-service community with respect to health outcomes from past deployments, and the means by which it might be improved.

(2) That, in undertaking the inquiry, the committee consider recommendations for an improved system within the Defence and Veterans administrations which will give greater assurance to the individual that their health risks are minimised, and fully recorded for the purposes of future compensation where justified.