EX GRATIA PAYMENT FOR AUSTRALIA’S EUROPEAN PRISONERS OF WAR
The Member for Berowra, Philip Ruddock MP said today that the Australian Government will make an ex gratia payment of $25,000 to Australians held as Prisoners of War in Europe during World War II.
The 2007-08 Federal Budget provided funding for the payment to be made to some 2200 eligible Australian veterans or their widows.
“This is a $57.2 million Budget initiative that shows the extent to which this Government has listened to the concerns of veterans and war widows,” Mr Ruddock said.
“Former PoWs who receive a payment from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs will not need to apply for the payment. It will automatically be paid into their bank account as soon as possible.
“Other eligible veterans, war widows and civilian internees will need to apply for the payment when applications are called in the near future.
“There is significant evidence that the treatment of PoWs in Europe during their captivity was extremely harsh,” Philip Ruddock said.
“They experienced brutality, starvation and some of the same diseases as prisoners of the Japanese. Most PoW quarters were overcrowded, with bedding and replacement clothing limited.”
“Accounts of the privations by some by our former Prisoners of War evoke deep feelings and this measure recognises the extreme hardships experienced by Australian prisoners in Europe while serving their country.
“This payment follows ex-gratia payments of $25,000 to Japanese PoWs or their widows in June, 2001 and to North Korean PoWs or their widows in June 2003 and these payments are in addition to the special level of benefits PoWs and their widows already receive, including automatic eligibility for a Gold Card and eligibility to receive a war widow’s pension,” Mr Ruddock said.