I suspect the Australian government were hiding behind the statute of limitations because had they agreed to the award then they would have been inundated with more claims. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it is just the way civil servants think, "Oh dear, too much work involved, say No".
Do the Ocker socialist classes hate us so much that they would s**t on their own true heroes to make a petty point?
No, the only 'hate' for the British that I have encountered here in Australia emanates from those of Irish descent, (Keating, for example).