Third of Australian military rations to be halal-certified under plan to foster a more inclusive environment

A third of meals provided to Australian troops will now be halal-certified following a series of new changes.

Ration packs available to servicemen and woman in the field will now need to be more diverse, including kosher, vegetarian and halal options, in an order approved by the Deputy Chief of Army Major General Rick Burr.  

Four of the 12 of the menu options will be halal-certified.

The changes have been pushed through in order “to meet ADF’s (Australian Defence Force) commitment to providing an inclusive working ­environment”, the Daily Telegraph reports.

There are less than 100 Muslims serving in the ADF and the decision to spend money on halal rations has angered some of the military’s 60,000 full time and reserve servicemen and women.

Senator Cory Bernardi said the decision is a sign the military has been “captured by minority interests and appears to have suspended the application of common sense”.

“Our military should be defending our way of life, on and off the battlefield. Decisions like this suggest it has become more an instrument of supporting minority interests rather than being focused on the national interest,” he said.

Former Army intelligence officer and Australian Liberty Alliance Senate candidate for Queensland Bernie Gaynor said Australia deserves “better”.

“Australia is not an Islamic country and our soldiers, sailors and airmen and women deserve better from the government and the politically-correct top brass,” he said.

Unregulated halal certifiers, who would receive taxpayer dollars as a result of the new arrangement, are the subject of a federal government inquiry at this time.