Government Response & My Response.
- agentorangechild
- May 5
- 5 min read
5th May 2025
Dear Ms,
Thank you for your correspondence of 18 March 2025 to the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
the Hon Ma Keogh MP and of 23 March 2025 to the Prime Minister the Hon
Anthony Albanese MP concerning your request for support regarding second genera on
impacts from Agent Orange exposure. The Minister has asked me to respond on his behalf.
I was very sorry to read of the health issues that you are facing and the impact of service in
Vietnam on your father. I have provided some informa on about the en tlements available
to Vietnam veterans and their families under the legisla on administered by the Department
of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) below which I hope will be of some assistance to you.
In broad terms, DVA provides treatment and compensa on for veterans of the Australian
Defence Force (ADF) for condi ons related to their military service. Compensa on and
medical treatment en tlements may also be provided to the surviving spouse and
dependent children under the age of 25 of veterans who died as a result of their service.
Under veterans’ legisla on, including Veterans’ En tlements Act 1986 which provides
en tlements for members of the ADF who rendered service in the Vietnam War, there is no
provision which would allow the payment of compensa on for medical condi ons suffered
by the children of a veteran where they believe that they have health condi ons caused by
their veteran parent’s service.
As you noted in your correspondence, the Australian Government does acknowledge the
poten al health impact of Agent Orange on veterans exposed to it in the course of their
service. A number of medical condi ons have been iden fied as poten ally being caused by
direct exposure to dioxins, although the nature and quan ty of the exposure required to be
causal may vary. Vietnam veterans are therefore able to receive treatment and
compensa on for condi ons caused by dioxin exposure in Vietnam. Vietnam veterans are
also eligible for the treatment of malignant cancers on a non-liability basis.
GPO Box 9998 Brisbane QLD 4001 Telephone 1800 838 372 Internet www.dva.gov.au
Saluting Their Service2
With regard to the effect of Agent Orange on children of Vietnam veterans, there have been
a number of inves ga ons and studies undertaken over the years in response to concerns
raised by Vietnam veterans and their families. The most significant of these studies, the
Vietnam Veterans Family Study, followed the health of veterans and their families over
a number of years. The study was completed in 2014 and involved the par cipa on of
27,000 people, including veterans, partners and their children.
The research did not find any causal link between a parent being exposed to Agent Orange
and the health of their children, although for certain rare condi ons, the sample size
precluded defini ve findings. As a result of studies into the health of children of Vietnam
veterans, the Australian Government established the Vietnam Veterans’ Sons and Daughters
Support Programme, which provides assistance towards the medical costs of certain specific
condi ons that are more common amongst the children of Vietnam veterans than in the
general popula on. The program provides treatment for five specific condi ons being
spina bifida manifesta, cle lip, cle palate, adrenal gland cancer, and acute myeloid
leukaemia.
The condi ons listed above were the only ones found to have elevated rates amongst the
children of Vietnam veterans across mul ple studies, and the treatment program was
established in recogni on of the unexplained higher incidence of these condi ons within this
cohort. If you would like to read about this in more detail the reports are available at
www.dva.gov.au/documents-and-publica ons/vietnam-veterans-family-study-2014
Children of Vietnam veterans can also receive free and confiden al counselling from Open
Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling Service (Open Arms). Open Arms can be contacted
24 hours a day on 1800 011 046.
If you would like to find out more informa1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372).
on about these supports, please contact DVA on
Thank you for taking the me to write.
Yours sincerely
AW
Assistant Secretary
My Response 5th May 2025
Dear Government Representative,
Thank you for your letter acknowledging my correspondence regarding second-generation harm from Agent Orange (TCDD) exposure. While I appreciate your response, I must express that the continued denial of responsibility for children harmed by parental exposure to dioxins is not only ethically indefensible—it is legally and scientifically outdated.
1. International Law and the Stockholm Convention
Australia is a signatory to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which clearly identifies TCDD as a Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP)—a class of chemicals that causes serious long-term health and environmental damage. Article 3 of the Convention requires measures to reduce or eliminate releases, and Article 6 obligates countries to prevent the exposure of humans to POPs and manage contaminated sites and waste to avoid further harm. There is no exemption for second-generation exposure. The government’s current policy violates its obligations under this treaty.
2. Scientific Evidence Has Evolved
The 2014 Vietnam Veterans Family Study you referenced has been widely criticized for lacking transparency, scientific independence, and updated methodology. It does not reflect the growing international consensus that TCDD causes inheritable epigenetic damage, now acknowledged in numerous peer-reviewed studies, including work supported by the WHO, CDC, and international toxicology journals. Countries like the United States and South Korea have recognized second-generation effects and offer benefits accordingly.
3. Domestic Precedent: Orica and Hypocrisy
In 2011, the Australian government fined Orica $100 million for toxic emissions of hexachlorobenzene (HCB)—a substance chemically related to TCDD but far less toxic. TCDD has been shown to be up to 50 times more toxic than HCB. The swift and punitive action against Orica highlights the double standard: corporations are penalized for releasing dangerous dioxins, yet the children of veterans exposed to far more lethal chemicals are denied even recognition.
4. Robodebt Comparison
The Robodebt Royal Commission revealed the dangers of ignoring lived experience and data in favor of bureaucratic systems. Like Robodebt victims, second-generation TCDD survivors face systemic denial, lack of recourse, and devastating health consequences. The government’s persistent reliance on outdated studies and legislative technicalities mirrors the same disregard for duty of care, ethics, and accountability.
5. Medical Community’s Duty
I am forwarding this letter to my medical team, who have confirmed that my conditions are consistent with known effects of TCDD exposure. Medical professionals are now being called upon to assist where the government has failed—to document, support, and report these cases as breaches of international human rights and environmental law.
6. I Will Escalate
If your department refuses to acknowledge and remedy these harms, I will continue escalating this matter to the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and UN treaty bodies, including the Committee on the Rights of the Child, CRPD, and CEDAW. Australia has already received multiple warnings and recommendations across six UN committees. Further delay will be interpreted as deliberate neglect.
I again request that your department:
Recognize the rights of children impacted by second-generation exposure to TCDD.
Provide a full reassessment of the Vietnam Veterans Family Study findings using independent, international scientific input.
Expand the Sons and Daughters Treatment Program in line with new research.
Respond by 30 June 2025, or I will take further international action.
My website is available for your perusal
Warm Agent Orange Burns regards,
Danielle Stevens
We will always be a child of a Vietnam Veteran.
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