Distinguished soldier supports
veterans
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Stuart Robert today
congratulated Deputy President of the Repatriation
Commission Major General Craig Orme AM CSC on being
awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) in this
year’s Australia Day Honours.
During his 37-year military career, General Orme’s
operational experience included deployments in Malaysia,
Iran, Kuwait and US Central Command, as well as in the
Middle East and Afghanistan.
The DSC acknowledges his distinguished command
and leadership in warlike operations as Commander Joint
Task Force 633 on Operations SLIPPER and OKRA from
September 2013 to December 2014.
Upon leaving the Australian Defence Force (ADF) a
year ago, General Orme joined the Repatriation
Commission, which is part of the Department of Veterans’
Affairs (DVA) portfolio.
“General Orme’s highly impressive career is
characterised by his service,” Mr Robert said.
“As an Army officer, he defended the nation.
Now—equipped with an understanding and firsthand
experience of the issues faced by contemporary
veterans—he looks after the interests of others who have
served, and their families.”
Mr Robert said General Orme was well placed to play a
key role in DVA’s efforts to continuously improve the
way the organisation conducts business and interacts
with members of the veteran community.
“General Orme is committed to ensuring DVA continues
to help veterans and their families lead productive,
satisfying lives after they leave the ADF,” Mr Robert
said.
“In the past 12 months, General Orme has been heavily
involved in work to introduce online claims forms,
develop a single dispute resolution pathway for claims,
update IT systems and reduce claims processing times.”
The Minister said that approximately six per cent of
DVA staff are Reservists or former members of the ADF,
so they have personal experience of the needs of
clients.
Some of the support and services available through
DVA include compensation, rehabilitation, employment
assistance programs, innovative online mental health
resources, and treatment for a range of conditions.
A high resolution photograph of General Orme is
available to download from
www.flickr.com/dvaaus.
Media enquiries:
Richard Briedis (Minister Robert) 0477 391 174
Department of Veterans’ Affairs Media: 02 6289 6203
