Parliament House Canberra ACT 2602
Telephone 02 6277 7820 Facsimile 02 6273 4140
The Hon Alan Griffin MP
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
VA071
Friday, 21 August 2009
KEY TARGETS MET IN VETERANS’ FAMILY STUDY
In the week of Vietnam Veterans’ Day, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Alan Griffin announced that
key target participant numbers have been achieved to commence a study into the long term
effects of war service on Vietnam veterans’ families.
“More than 13,000 randomly selected Vietnam veterans, Vietnam-era Army personnel who did
not deploy to Vietnam, and their respective children have registered to participate in an
intergenerational study to examine the long term effects of the Vietnam War and examine what
health differences can be attributed to war service,” Mr Griffin said.
“These are the key groups that were required to take part in sufficient numbers to make the
study scientifically robust.
“Additional partners, siblings, nieces, nephews and other family members of Vietnam veterans
and Vietnam-era Army personnel have also registered to provide information to the study.
“The impact of service in Vietnam, beyond veterans to the impact on their loved ones, has been
a concern for many years.
“This study will help us to better understand what those impacts are and what action should be
taken to assist those who need help. It will also help us to understand any issues resulting from
more recent deployments and the implications for the families of the veterans of today and
tomorrow.
“There are a number of components to the study. Work has already commenced on some
projects and we can now be confident the overall study can be successfully conducted.”
An independent scientific advisory committee, chaired by Professor Bryan Rodgers, will ensure
the research component of the study is undertaken in a sound scientific manner. Additionally,
an independent consultative forum consisting of representatives from ex-service organisations
will ensure the veteran community perspective is provided.
Registrations are still open to participate in the study. For more information visit
Media inquiries: Belinda Cole 0437 863 109
The VVCS – Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a
week on 1800 011 046.
To receive the Minister’s media releases automatically by email subscribe at minister.dva.gov.au/subscribe.htm
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