Australian Government, Department of Veterans' Affairs
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Definition of an Australian Participant in the British Nuclear Tests for the Purposes of the Non-liability Health Care Treatment for All Malignant Cancers

Who is eligible?

Eligibility for the non-liability cancer treatment does not distinguish between military, public servants, or civilians. Eligibility for the non-liability cancer treatment will be considered if the participant was:

  1. A person is a nuclear test participant if the person:
    1. was present in a nuclear test area at any time during:
      (i)  if the area was the Monte Bello Islands Area – the period from the beginning of 3 October 1952 to the end of 19 June 1958; or
      (ii)  if the area was the Emu Field Area – the period from the beginning of 15 October 1953 to the end of 25 October 1955; or
      (iii)  if the area was the Maralinga Area – the period from the beginning of 27 September 1956 to the end of 30 April 1965; and
    2. was, at that time:
      (i)  a member of the Australian Defence Force; or
      (ii)  an employee of the Commonwealth; or
      (iii)  a person who, under a contract with the Commonwealth, provided construction, maintenance or support services relating to the conduct of nuclear tests in that nuclear test area during that period; and
    3. was, at that time, an Australian resident.
  2. A person is a nuclear test participant if the person:
    1. was involved in the transport, recovery, maintenance or cleaning of a vessel, vehicle, aircraft or equipment that was contaminated as a result of its use in a nuclear test area, being involvement that occurred at any time during:
      (i)  if the area was the Monte Bello Islands Area – the period from the beginning of 3 October 1952 to the end of 19 July 1956; or
      (ii)  if the area was the Emu Field Area – the period from the beginning of 15 October 1953 to the end of 25 November 1953; or
      (iii)  if the area was the Maralinga Area – the period from the beginning of 27 September 1956 to the end of 30 May 1963; and
    2. was, at that time:
      (i)  a member of the Australian Defence Force; or
      (ii)  an employee of the Commonwealth; or
      (iii)  a person who, under a contract with the Commonwealth, provided construction, maintenance or support services relating to the conduct of nuclear tests in that nuclear test area during that period; and
    3. was, at that time, an Australian resident.
  3. A person is a nuclear test participant if:
    1. at any time during the period from the beginning of 3 October 1952 to the end of 31 October 1957, the person flew in an aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force or the Royal Air Force; and
    2. at the time the person flew in the aircraft, the aircraft:
      (i)  was used in measuring fallout from nuclear tests conducted in a nuclear test area; and
      (ii)  was contaminated by the fallout; and
    3. at that time, the person was:
      (i)  a member of the Australian Defence Force; and
      (ii)  an Australian resident.
  4. A person is a nuclear test participant if the person:
    1. was at any time during the period from the beginning of 1 May 1965 to the end of 30 June 1988 present in the nuclear test area that was the Maralinga area; and
    2. was, at that time, either:
      (i)  a Commonwealth Police Officer under the Commonwealth Police Act 1957; or
      (ii)  a member of the Australian Federal Police under the Australian Federal Police Act 1979; and
    3. was, at that time, an Australian resident.
  5. A nuclear test area is any of the areas described in the following table:

Item

Name of nuclear test area

Description of nuclear test area

1

Monte Bello Islands Area

The area within 10 kilometres of Main Beach on Trimouille Island in the Monte Bello Archipelago.

2

Emu Field Area

The area within 25 kilometres of the Totem test sites at Emu Field.

3

Maralinga Area

The area within 40 kilometres of any of the Buffalo or Antler test sites.

 

Exclusions

This definition does not include others indirectly involved in the British Nuclear Tests who were not present at a prescribed site during the prescribed periods such as:

  • ADF personnel serving on:
    • HMAS Sydney
    • HMAS Macquarie
    • HMAS Culgoa
    • HMAS Murchison
    • HMAS Tobruk
    • HMAS Limicola
    • HMAS Reserve
    • HMAS Diamantina
    • HMAS Vengeance; and
  • RAAF personnel at locations other than Amberley after 1956 (de-contamination centre established at Amberely in 1956); and
  • Any person working or living in Woomera or Woomera village; and
  • Commonwealth Police at Maralinga after 1988; and
  • Employees contracted to Kwinana; and
  • Employees of the National Australia Bank at Maralinga.

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