Australian veterans are tired of having to pay RSL club memberships that are useless when crossing the border for a beer at another club.
As Australians pay tribute to the ANZAC heroes past and present, Daily Mail Australia can reveal that many veterans will feel a little disrespected if they head to the bar today.
In what remains a little-known fact among many veterans, RSL clubs across the country will not honor club memberships acquired in other states.
Aussie veterans get stabbed for RSL club membership fees when crossing border
RSL clubs are not controlled by the national Returned Services League, which has separate membership fees and offers a range of services that don’t include cheap beer and a parma. Instead, each club has its own administration
In a classic case of the Aussie ‘grin and bear it’ mentality, it’s an issue that veterans often complain about among friends, but seldom gets picked up by management.
A disgruntled ex-digger, who went through bloody chaos in Vietnam, told Daily Mail Australia he was offended every time he had to go in his pocket to pay another dues.
“I fought for bloody Australia, not Victoria, not New South Wales,” he said.
Frank, who asked for his last name to be dropped, said he had to pay for new RSL club memberships every time he crossed the border.
“It’s a little insulting, I think, to those of us who have served,” he said. ‘We are all Australians. We fought for Australia.’
Daily Mail Australia found that many veterans were confused about the club’s membership fee, which is usually less than $10.
RSL spokesman Tony Harrison told Daily Mail Australia that membership in the RSL subdivision was separate from membership in the RSL club.
“While the RSL is a federated model, we recognize that today’s RSL members are more mobile and membership must be transferable across state lines to support this. We hope this will happen sooner rather than later,” he said.
Mr Harrison said many veterans remained confused about how the RSL branded clubs operated.
“Some support RSL programs, but they are clubs with their own administration,” he said.
Some RSL clubs have come under fire from the RSL itself for having poker machines
The RSL has long been concerned about some of those administrations, particularly at clubs where poker machines drive club profits.
“Some are effectively funded by poker machines, while the RSL has a real problem with poker machines nationally because it does not believe it is in the best interest of veterans’ welfare to lose their money to the slots,” said Mr. Harrison.
In January, RSL Tasmania chief executive John Hardy said the organization had “no choice” but to dispose of the machines in that state after examining its purpose and values.
‘RSL Tasmania is about making Tasmania a place where veterans and their families can thrive. If we’re not talking about that, then why is there an RSL?’ Mr Hardy said.
“If it’s not about commemorating, if it’s not about veterans, if it’s not about recognition of service, and if it’s not about veterans’ families, then it’s a bar.
“It’s a sports bar, or it’s a slot machine. That’s not RSL.’
While veterans walk into an RSL club feeling like they’ve earned their membership through blood, sweat and tears, the truth is anything but.
“I think it’s like any club membership. Being a member of the Hawthorn Football Club doesn’t necessarily give you the same benefits as joining the Sydney Swans’ club,’ Harrison said.
While the governance of RSL clubs across the country is largely out of the hands of the national RSL, it seeks to establish reciprocal rights within its own membership.
A Vietnam veteran said it was disrespectful to accuse former Australian soldiers of club membership when crossing the border
RSL membership provides veterans with a variety of welfare, employment and support programs, including discounted services and health benefits.
“(We) try to make sure that if you join RSL Victoria you get the same rights in RSL NSW, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you get the same rights with clubs as they are separate institutions,” Mr Harrison said.
Veterans remain equally confused as to how and why ordinary Australians who have never served a minute in the armed forces can become full members of their local RSL pub, and receive the same discounts as them.
“For some veterans that becomes a bone of contention because they have the same impression as (many Australians), and it’s fair enough that the RSL clubs are for veterans,” said Harrison.
“They go in there and most of the people there aren’t vets… A lot of vets make the same assumption.”
Mr Harrison said the RSL was aware of the confusion and was working to ensure members were better served in the future.