What DVA Now Admits
Updated: Aug 27
12/8/2026
The Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA), through its official Anzac Portal, now presents a detailed history of Agent Orange and other chemical exposure during the Vietnam War.
Official DVA source:
The page is titled “Agent Orange and other chemicals in the Vietnam War”and is currently identified by DVA as last updated 13 June 2026.
Australian, US and New Zealand soldiers exposed
DVA expressly states:
“Australian, US and New Zealand soldiers were exposed to chemical agents during the war.”
Significantly, DVA also records the concern regarding the veterans’ children:
“They also believed their exposure risked birth defects in their children.”
Australian troops used herbicides and insecticides
DVA does not describe Australian personnel merely as being present in areas where US spraying occurred.
It states:
“Australian troops were involved in the use of herbicides and insecticides.”
DVA explains that chemicals were sprayed from trucks and on foot and records widespread insecticide spraying in Phuoc Tuy Province, particularly around Nui Dat, the base of the Australian 1st Australian Task Force.
A separate DVA page concerning Nui Dat is available here:
Dioxin described as toxic and carcinogenic
DVA describes dioxin as:
“a long-lasting toxic chemical found in Agent Orange.”
It further states:
“It is a known carcinogen, linked with causing cancer in humans.”
The page also discusses the health consequences attributed to herbicide exposure among the Vietnamese population, including cancers, heart conditions, infertility and miscarriages, liver disease and neurological conditions.
Australian Government denial and subsequent retraction
The historical account is particularly significant.
DVA records that the Whitlam and Fraser governments denied that Australian troops had been exposed to chemical defoliants.
DVA then states:
“Subsequent governments later retracted that position in the face of contrary evidence.”
The same Australian Government history also records that a 1998 Australian Government study found higher rates of birth defects among Vietnam veterans’ children.
Royal Commission – Australian Government and Monsanto funded the defence
DVA’s account of the Australian Royal Commission is also important.
It states:
“The Australian Government and Monsanto helped fund a legal defence against the VVAA’s case.”
DVA records that by 1985 the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia had run out of money for legal advice.
It also records veteran advocate Phill Thompson describing the “great imbalance” between the resources available to the veterans and those available to the parties opposing their case.
This is particularly striking because it is now the Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs itself recording both the institutional history of denial and the resource imbalance surrounding the veterans’ attempt to establish the consequences of chemical exposure.
Agent Orange Awareness Day
10 August is recognised as Agent Orange Awareness Day, associated with the anniversary of the beginning of the US herbicide spraying program in Vietnam.
I initially believed the DVA page had been amended on 10 August 2026. However, the current official DVA page identifies its last update as 13 June 2026, so I do not want to represent an August amendment as established without archived evidence confirming it.
What can be established from the current Australian Government record is substantial:
Australian, US and New Zealand soldiers were exposed to chemical agents
→ Australian troops themselves used herbicides and insecticides
→ spraying occurred in Australian operational areas including Phuoc Tuy and Nui Dat
→ dioxin is acknowledged as a long-lasting toxic chemical and known carcinogen
→ veterans raised the risk of birth defects in their children
→ an Australian Government study subsequently found higher rates of birth defects in veterans’ children
→ Australian governments initially denied exposure and subsequently retracted that position in the face of contrary evidence
→ the Australian Government and Monsanto helped fund the legal defence against the veterans’ case
→ the veterans ultimately ran out of money for legal representation.
This is the next trail to follow through ⬇️
WHO scientists on the Monsanto payroll ⬇️
18/8/26 Prime Minister of Australia’s Statement
I will add more information as it’s officially released
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