Minister for Defence, Senator John Faulkner, says Navy's decision to revise and update campaign and battle honours awarded to Royal Australian Navy (RAN) units is an historic milestone. Campaign and battle honours are highly prized by ships, squadrons and establishments across the RAN. The large boards on which these honours are listed are proudly displayed, and by listing the operational achievements of all previous units of that name, serves as a constant reminder of the Navy's past accomplishments. The earliest Australian award, New Zealand 1860-61, dates back to the Colonial period.

A recent review of the Royal Australian Navy's list of campaigns and battles proposed several new awards to reflect recent RAN operations. The review also identified prior anomalies where some ships had not received due recognition for their activities. The full revised list was approved by the Governor General last year. "The Royal Australian Navy places a high priority on remembering those people, ships and units which have played their part in protecting the nation and I am sure that veterans and serving members will be delighted," Senator Faulkner said.

A full list of RAN units in line for changes to their campaign and battle honours can be located at www.navy.gov.au.