Forfeiture And Restoration Of Service Awards 1041/25/26 – Documents

Written by Claude Haiku 4.5 from the extracted text on 16 May 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

This Defence FOI release contains Chapter 46 of the Defence Honours and Awards Manual (DHAM), detailing policies governing forfeiture and restoration of Australian Defence Force service awards. The document defines key terms—including decorations, medals, members, and prescribed authorities—and outlines two categories of forfeiture conditions. Mandatory forfeiture applies upon conviction for serious offences including treason, treachery, mutiny, sabotage, aiding an enemy, and desertion from operational areas. Discretionary forfeiture permits removal of awards when convicted members commit crimes deemed so disgraceful or serious that retention would be improper, though gallantry decorations are protected except under extreme circumstances. The chapter notes that forfeiture decisions consider entire service records and may target specific awards rather than all held decorations. The document also references restoration procedures for forfeited awards, though detailed restoration provisions are not included in this excerpt. There are no substantial redactions visible in the released material.