Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal
The Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal is an award in the Australian honours system. The award is presented to those who perform humanitarian service in a foreign country, in particular those working in dangerous environments or conditions or during a humanitarian crisis. The award was introduced by letters patent on 16 April 1999, following a review of the Australian honours and awards system beginning in 1995.
Potential recipients have to prove they worked for a minimum of 30 days in the location depicted by the clasp, during a period of time set in the award criteria. In addition, potential recipients have to be working for an aid organisation recognised by the criteria or with a United Nations taskforce during that timeframe. In 2005, special criteria were established for people working during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake or the 2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake, with a maximum time period of 7 or 14 days depending on the time frame.
The medal was originally intended as a civilian award, in parallel with the Australian Service Medal and the Police Overseas Service Medal, and until 2005 the Australian Defence Force had never been declared an eligible organisation. This is because, in most cases, the Australian Service Medal is already available to military personnel serving alongside humanitarian relief operations. However, defence personnel on leave of absence and serving an eligible organisation could qualify for the medal. The declaration of eligible organisations for the Indian Ocean clasp was the first time the Australian Defence Force was declared an eligible organisation, as Operation Sumatra Assist was purely a disaster relief operation and did not attract any military operational service award. The Australian Defence Force was again declared an eligible organisation for the participation of its personnel in Operation Pakistan Assist, part of the Australian humanitarian response to 8 October 2005 Pakistan earthquake.
However, the medal has not been awarded to Defence personnel assigned to Operation Tsunami Assist who both lived through both Tsunami's and were forced assisgned in Penang Malaysia. Elements include 324 Combat Support Squadron and Rifle Company Butterworth. All attempts by ADF members to be recognised for their service in Operation Tsunami Assist whilst serving in Malaysia have been rejected by Prime Minister and Cabinet for the HOSM and by the Department of Defence for the Australian Service Medal.
Description
- The Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal is a circular medal. The obverse features a stylised eucalyptus tree in the centre, with its branches reaching to the edge of the medal. A pattern of gumnuts rings the eucalyptus.
- The reverse has the same pattern of gumnuts around the rim, with the name of the recipient engraved.
- The ribbon is eucalyptus green, divided vertically by a gold stripe. These colours are associative with the green and gold, the national colours of Australia, while continuing with the eucalyptus theming; symbolising hope and regeneration after the disaster.
Clasps
Nineteen clasps have been declared for the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal as of May 2010, to indicate what region the recipient worked in. These are detailed below:AfghanistanBalkansBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia IICambodiaChristchurchEast TimorGreat LakesHaitiIndian OceanIraqJapanMozambiqueNepalNorthern IraqPakistanPakistan IIPhilippinesSamoaSomaliaSouth SudanSouth VietnamUkraineVanuatu- '''West Africa'''
Recipients
The year is listed as such in the table due to the award numbers being made public based on the financial year in the Governor Generals Annual Report.| Year | Number awarded | Notes |
| 1999-2014 | 3,075 | List the number of awards issued between 16 April 1999 to 30 June 2014. This annual report period includes the establishment of nineteen clasps |
| 2014-15 | 371 | This annual report includes the establishment of the clasp Ukraine. |
| 2015-16 | 201 | |
| 2016-17 | 14 | |
| 2017-18 | 6 | |
| 2018-19 | 77 | This annual report includes the establishment of the clasps Vanuatu, West Africa, Philippines and Nepal. |
| 2019-20 | 843 | This annual report includes the establishment of the clasp British Colombia II. |
| 2020-21 | 154 | |
| 2021-22 | 49 | |
| 2022-23 | 167 | |
| 2023-24 | 7 | |
| 2024-25 | 3 |