Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 - Determination of Non-warlike Service - OPERATION SPITFIRE (02/11/1999)

What this does: This legal document officially classifies military service during Operation Spitfire (6–19 September 1999) as "non-warlike service" under veterans' law.

Who it affects: Australian Defence Force (ADF) members who were assigned to the operation in East Timor and surrounding Indonesian waters during this specific two-week period.

Why it matters: The Veterans' Entitlements Act treats "non-warlike service" differently from "warlike service" when calculating disability compensation, pensions and healthcare benefits. This determination establishes which category applies to this deployment—setting the baseline for what financial support and medical entitlements those veterans can claim.

Key details:

Dates covered: 6 September 1999 to 19 September 1999
Location: East Timor and the adjacent Indonesian territorial sea
Operation: Spitfire (the emergency evacuation of UN personnel and vulnerable civilians from East Timor following the violence after the independence referendum)

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Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986

Determination of Non-warlike Service

(OPERATION SPITFIRE)

I, Bruce Scott, Minister for Veterans' Affairs for and on behalf of the Minister for Defence, determine that service rendered as a member of the ADF assigned for service during any period 6 September 1999 to 19 September 1999 with OPERATION SPITFIRE in the area of operations specified below is non-warlike service for the purposes of section 5C(1) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 (the Act),

The area of operations comprises East Timor and the territorial sea of Indonesia adjacent to East Timor.

Dated 2nd November 1999

BRUCE SCOTT

Minister for Veterans' Affairs for and on

behalf of the Minister for Defence