Australia became the first and still only nation to recognise a right of selective objection to military conscription.
The cabinet agreed to allow people to claim an exemption from being called up to fight in a particular war or warlike operation as well as to war or warlike operations generally. 
The changes to conscription were made by a cabinet comprised of men and women who had joined the anti-conscription and anti-Vietnam War demonstrations of the 1960s and 1970s.
During the Vietnam War, cases of conscientious objection were heard by ordinary courts, but the cabinet agreed that a new tribunal would be set up to hear cases of conscientious objection if conscription was introduced.
Government MPs were pushing for a law to prevent future governments from introducing compulsory military service without parliamentary authority.
In   May 1991, Defence Minister Robert Ray told cabinet that people who opposed the current provisions for conscription that applied when Australia was threatened might criticise the changes.
"But the proposal would widen grounds for conscientious objection," he said. When Tasmanian senator Michael Tate became Justice Minister he drafted a bill to amend the Defence Act in relation to conscientious objection. It was referred to the Senate standing committee on legal and constitutional affairs in 1983.
The most controversial aspect of the draft bill was the proposal to recognise selective objection.