diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Chains.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Chains.pm
index ce26d805c..06e8d552b 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Chains.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Chains.pm
@@ -1609,7 +1609,7 @@ sub ensure_audit_chain( $;$$ ) {
 sub require_audit($$;$) {
     my ($action, $audit, $tgt ) = @_;
 
-    return $action unless supplied $audit;
+    return $action unless supplied $audit && $audit ne '-';
 
     my $target = 'A_' . $action;
 
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
index 8db5c5e63..fe835b6e7 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
@@ -1834,7 +1834,7 @@ sub default_action_params {
     for ( $i = 1; 1; $i++ ) {
 	last unless defined ( $val = shift );
 	my $curval = $actparms[$i];
-	$actparms[$i] =$val eq '-' ? '' : $val eq '--' ? '-' : $val unless supplied( $curval );
+	$actparms[$i] =$val unless supplied( $curval );
     }
 
     fatal_error "Too Many arguments to action $action" if defined $actparms[$i];
@@ -1845,7 +1845,14 @@ sub get_action_params( $ ) {
 
     fatal_error "Invalid argument to get_action_params()" unless $num =~ /^\d+$/ && $num > 0;
 
-    @actparms[1..$num];
+    my @return;
+
+    for ( my $i = 1; $i <= $num; $i++ ) {
+	my $val = $actparms[$i];
+	push @return, defined $val ? $val eq '-' ? '' : $val eq '--' ? '-' : $val : $val;
+    }
+
+    @return;
 }
 
 sub get_action_chain() {
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Rules.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Rules.pm
index b7fed27e7..4ed028077 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Rules.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Rules.pm
@@ -842,6 +842,7 @@ sub normalize_action( $$$ ) {
     $level = 'none' unless supplied $level;
     $tag   = ''     unless defined $tag;
     $param = ''     unless defined $param;
+    $param = ''     if $param eq '-';
 
     join( ':', $action, $level, $tag, $param );
 }
diff --git a/Shorewall/action.Drop b/Shorewall/action.Drop
index b887946d0..dcc91ced2 100644
--- a/Shorewall/action.Drop
+++ b/Shorewall/action.Drop
@@ -43,12 +43,12 @@ my ( $p1, $p2, $p3 , $p4, $p5 ) = get_action_params( 5 );
 
 if ( defined $p1 ) { 
     if ( $p1 eq 'audit' ) {
-	set_action_param( 2, 'A_REJECT')   unless defined( $p2 ) && $p2 ne '-';
-	set_action_param( 3, 'A_DROP')     unless defined( $p3 ) && $p3 ne '-';
-	set_action_param( 4, 'A_ACCEPT' )  unless defined( $p4 ) && $p4 ne '-';
-	set_action_param( 5, 'A_DROP' )    unless defined( $p5 ) && $p5 ne '-';
+	set_action_param( 2, 'A_REJECT')   unless supplied $p2;
+	set_action_param( 3, 'A_DROP')     unless supplied $p3;
+	set_action_param( 4, 'A_ACCEPT' )  unless supplied $p4;
+	set_action_param( 5, 'A_DROP' )    unless supplied $p5;
     } else {
-	fatal_error "Invalid value ($p1) for first Drop parameter" unless $p1 eq '-';
+	fatal_error "Invalid value ($p1) for first Drop parameter" if supplied $p1;
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/Shorewall/action.Reject b/Shorewall/action.Reject
index d142ec1d7..40b9212f9 100644
--- a/Shorewall/action.Reject
+++ b/Shorewall/action.Reject
@@ -39,12 +39,12 @@ my ( $p1, $p2, $p3 , $p4, $p5 ) = get_action_params( 5 );
 
 if ( defined $p1 ) { 
     if ( $p1 eq 'audit' ) {
-	set_action_param( 2, 'A_REJECT')  unless defined( $p2 ) && $p2 ne '-';
-	set_action_param( 3, 'A_REJECT')  unless defined( $p3 ) && $p3 ne '-';
-	set_action_param( 4, 'A_ACCEPT' ) unless defined( $p5 ) && $p4 ne '-';
-	set_action_param( 5, 'A_DROP' )   unless defined( $p5 ) && $p5 ne '-';
+	set_action_param( 2, 'A_REJECT')  unless supplied $p2;
+	set_action_param( 3, 'A_REJECT')  unless supplied $p3;
+	set_action_param( 4, 'A_ACCEPT' ) unless supplied $p4;
+	set_action_param( 5, 'A_DROP' )   unless supplied $p5;
     } else {
-	fatal_error "Invalid value ($p1) for first Reject parameter" unless $p1 eq '-';
+	fatal_error "Invalid value ($p1) for first Reject parameter" if supplied $p1;
     }
 }