The Tribunal is an independent statutory body established to consider defence honours and awards matters.
An individual is able to apply directly to the Tribunal for an independent review of a decision of the Department of Defence concerning eligibility for a defence honour, defence award, or foreign award.
The Government is also able to refer general eligibility issues to the Tribunal for inquiry and recommendation.
Part VIIIC of the Defence Act 1903 sets out the Tribunal’s powers.
Reviews
In reviewing eligiblity for a defence award (such as a campaign or long service award) and foreign awards the Tribunal is able to affirm a decision, revoke a decision, substitute a new decision or vary a decision.
In reviewing eligibility for defence honours (such as a gallantry or distinguished service award) the Tribunal may make recommendations to Government to affirm, revoke, substitute or vary the Department’s initial decision.
Inquiries
At the conclusion of an inquiry the Tribunal will provide a report to Government outlining its findings and any recommendations.
The Tribunal’s Code of Conduct can be found here.
The Tribunal’s 2022-23 Annual Report can be found here.
Rear Admiral du Toit was appointed to the Tribunal in May 2021. He retired from the Royal Australian Navy in 2016 after 40 years naval service. He was born in South Africa and entered the South African Navy in 1975. He joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1987. He commanded at all ranks including HMAS Tobruk during peacekeeping operations in Bougainville, the Australian Amphibious Task Group, the maritime interception force enforcing UN sanctions against Iraq, Combined Task Force 158 in the Persian Gulf, and Border Protection Command. He also served in a wide range of single-service and joint appointments ashore including Deputy Chief
of Joint Operations and Head of Navy People. His final appointment was as Australia’s Military Representative to NATO in Brussels.
Rear Admiral du Toit is currently chair of two defence industry companies. He is also a member of
the Northern Territory Government’s National Security Advisory Group. He has written and lectured on historical and contemporary defence and naval affairs both in Australia and abroad and has a doctorate from the UNSW Canberra where he is a Visiting Fellow and Adjunct Senior Lecturer. He served as President of the Australian Naval Institute from 2011 to 2013.
Ms Fryar was appointed to the Tribunal in July 2021. She [recently] retired in 2019 after 26 years as a magistrate and coroner in the Australian Capital Territory. She had also previously been a presidential member of a number of ACT tribunals including the Mental Health Tribunal and the Guardianship and Management of Property Tribunal. Prior to her appointment to the bench of the ACT Magistrates Court (as the first female judicial officer in the ACT), Ms Fryar’s early legal career covered time in private practice, the Australian Government Solicitor and the ACT Legal Aid Office.
In January 2020, Ms Fryar was appointed as the President of the Legal Aid Commission (ACT), and she currently convenes mediations in civil litigation.
Brigadier Gallasch was appointed to the Tribunal in January 2023. She retired from full time Australian Army service in 2016 after 33 years as a logistics officer. Brigadier Gallasch has commanded at all rank levels and has extensive joint and multi-national experience in personnel, training and logistics. Brigadier Gallasch’s operational postings included Deputy Commander of the Force Logistics Support Group in East Timor from 1999 to 2000, the logistics plans officer with the Multi-National Force Iraq in 2008, and as the foundational Australian Director General Transition and Redeployment in the Middle East in 2012. Her last full-time position was as the Commandant of the Royal Military College of Australia.
Since transitioning from full time service, Brigadier Gallasch’s primary role has been as an Inquiry Officer for the Australian Defence Force.
Air Commodore Grady was appointed as a Member of the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal in July 2021.
Air Commodore Grady separated from Air Force in 2015 after 35 years of service as a pilot, with experience in rotary wing and strike aircraft. He has extensive command experience, principally within Air Combat Group and has filled a range of staff positions within Air Force, Air Command and the joint force. He has completed a number of operational tours in the Middle East. Air Commodore Grady has worked in Defence Industry, and holds two Masters degrees.
Ms Hunt was appointed to the Tribunal in August 2023. She is a lawyer and holds a statutory appointment as a part-time Member of the Veterans’ Review Board. She is a member of the Law Council of Australia’s Military Justice Committee.
Prior to her appointment to the Veterans’ Review Board Ms Hunt’s legal career in private practice encompassed professional liability and discipline matters.
Ms Hunt is a serving Reserve Legal Officer in the Royal Australian Air Force. She has served for over 35 years and holds the rank of Group Captain. She performs work on behalf of the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force.
Ms Hunt holds Bachelor Degrees in Law and a Master of International Law.
Jonathan is a barrister with over 30 years’ experience currently practising at the NSW Bar from New Chambers. He specialises in public and administrative law and is retained by a range of commonwealth and state government agencies and statutory authorities, including ASIC and the AFP. He has considerable expertise in royal commissions, commissions of inquiry, coronial inquests, and administrative inquiries for both government and non-government bodies.
He represented Cricket Australia, Queensland Cricket, and Tennis Australia at the Royal Commission held into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and more recently appeared in the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. Jonathan was counsel assisting the Australian Commissioner for Law Enforcement Integrity for a period of two years and is co-author of “Anti-Money Laundering and Financial Crime in Australia” (Lexis Nexis). He is a former Judge Advocate and Defence Force magistrate and past president of the NSW RSL Discipline and Conduct Tribunal. Jonathan has operational service in Iraq. He is a part-time Deputy President on the NSW Mental Health Review Tribunal a body that reviews persons charged with criminal acts but found not criminally responsible due to mental illness and conducts reviews to determine fitness to stand trial.
Major General Kelly was appointed to the Tribunal in July 2021. He retired from the Army in June 2010 after 36 years as an Infantry officer. His senior command appointments include: Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment; Commander 3rd Brigade; Commander 1st Division; Land Commander Australia; and Commander Joint Task Force 633. His operational service includes: Zimbabwe/Rhodesia in 1979/1980; East Timor with INTERFET in 1999/2000; in the Middle East Area of Operations including Iraq, the Horn of Africa and Afghanistan in 2003/2004 and 2009/2010. He also served as the Repatriation Commissioner at the Department of Veteran Affairs from July 2010 until June 2019.
Commodore McConachie was appointed to the Tribunal in January 2023. She served in the permanent Navy from 1984 to 2012 undertaking senior roles in both legal and non-legal capacities, including operational service in Iraq, being Head of Navy People and Reputation, Director General Navy People, and Director General ADF Legal Services. From 2012 until 2020, Commodore McConachie was Chief General Counsel to a Commonwealth government entity and, while undertaking that role, she was a non-executive director for Defence Housing Australia from 2013 to 2019.
Commodore McConachie holds Bachelor degrees in Arts (History) and Law and a Masters degree in Law.
Major Mychael was appointed to the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal in January 2023.
Major Mychael enlisted into the Australian Regular Army in April 1979, after several Senior Leadership Group Regimental Sergeant Major appointments he commissioned to the rank of Major in January 2016 before transferring to the Active Reserve in September 2020. He has served in 3rd Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment, Parachute Training School, Soldier Career Management Agency, Headquarters 5th Brigade, Headquarters 2nd Division, Headquarters Forces Command, Headquarters Career Management Army and Australian Defence Force Parachuting School.
His Operational and Representational deployments include Malaysia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, the United States of America, Jordan, Afghanistan, and Middle East Area of Operations as Regimental Sergeant Major Joint Task Force 633, and on Operations Slipper, Accordion and Manitou.
BMBS, MPH, MA, Dip AvMed, FRACMA, FACAsM, FAsMA, FCDSS, FACHSM (Hon)
Air Vice-Marshal Smart was appointed to the Tribunal in 2021. She is a medical doctor, health leader, aerospace medicine specialist and retired Royal Australian Air Force senior officer. Her 35-year Air Force career included many overseas deployments and culminated in the role of Surgeon General of the Australian Defence Force.
Air Vice-Marshal Smart is currently Professor, Military and Aerospace Medicine at the Australian National University, a Mission Specialist in Space Medicine at the University’s Institute for Space and was the University’s COVID-19 Public Health Lead from August 2020 to March 2022.
In addition to her ANU and DHAAT roles, she is a non-Executive Director on the Boards of Goodwin Aged Care Services and the Australasian College of Aerospace Medicine, and a consultant advisor to JFJ Aviation and Defence GmBH. She is also a member of various advisory and steering groups including the Australian Football League’s Mental Health Steering Group, the Divisional Advisory Panel of Health Security Systems Australia, the Australian War Memorial Development Project Veterans’ Advisory Group (as co-Chair), and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Veteran’s Advisory Group. She is a regular keynote speaker in the areas of leadership, mental health, public health, cultural change, and diversity.
Air Vice-Marshal Smart holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, a Masters of Public Health, a Master of Arts (Strategic Studies), and a Diploma of Aviation Medicine. She is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Medical Administrators, the Australasian College of Aerospace Medicine, the Aerospace Medicine Association (US), and the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies; and an Honorary Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Management.
