Repatriation Medical Authority opens inquiry into pelvic organ prolapse claims

The Repatriation Medical Authority has given notice that it intends to carry out an investigation to find out whether Statements of Principles may be determined in respect of pelvic organ prolapse. The notice, issued under section 370CJ of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004, was published in the Government Notices of the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 27 October 2026 as document C2026G00698. Written submissions must be received by the Authority by 19 January 2027.

The investigation is opened pursuant to section 370CD of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (the MRCA), the statute that governs rehabilitation and compensation for current and former members of the Australian Defence Force. Statements of Principles are the instruments that set out the factors that must exist, and which must be related to service, before a medical condition — or death from that condition — can be accepted as service-related for compensation purposes.

The notice was signed on 23 October 2026 by Dr Anthony Lynham AO, Chairperson of the Repatriation Medical Authority, and registered in the gazette four days later. It appears alongside a separate notice in the same edition, C2026G00697, in which the Authority announced a focused investigation into intimate partner violence as a factor in posttraumatic stress disorder, conducted in relation to Statements of Principles Instrument Nos. 97 & 98 of 2022.

Who may lodge a submission

The Authority has invited written submissions about the investigation from the following persons and organisations:

• a person eligible to make a claim for compensation under section 319 of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004;
• an organisation representing veterans, Australian mariners or members of the Forces, all within the meaning of the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986;
• an organisation representing members or their dependants;
• the Commission; and
• a person having expertise in a field relevant to the investigation.

What the Authority must determine

Under the MRCA, the Authority must determine whether new information is available about how pelvic organ prolapse may be suffered or contracted, or how death from pelvic organ prolapse may occur. It must also consider the extent to which the condition, or death from it, may be war-caused, defence-caused, a service injury, a service disease or a service death.

The Authority will hold its first meeting for the purposes of this investigation on 16 February 2027, roughly four weeks after the closing date for submissions.

How and when to make a submission

Submissions and supporting information may be lodged electronically through the Repatriation Medical Authority website at http://www.rma.gov.au/investigations/, emailed to info@rma.gov.au, or posted to the Authority. The RMA Submission Guidelines are available online.

• Deadline: all submissions must be in writing and received by the Authority by 19 January 2027.
• Postal address: Repatriation Medical Authority, GPO Box 1014, Brisbane, Qld 4001.
• Telephone: (07) 2149 7499.
• Email: info@rma.gov.au, for the RMA Secretariat.

The closing date falls before the Authority’s first meeting, meaning the evidentiary record on which the investigation opens will rest on material submitted by claimants, ex-service organisations and medical experts by mid-January 2027. Any Statement of Principles ultimately determined for pelvic organ prolapse would give the condition a formal evidentiary pathway in claims brought under the MRCA, which covers service on or after 1 July 2004.

Source: Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No. C2026G00698, 27 October 2026, Government Notices (official reference: C2026G00698).