Chris Hayes (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This measure will extend the bereavement payment to the estate of single veterans or to members who are in receipt of the special rate pensions. This will be of some significance, particularly where people die in indigent circumstances—that is, where they do not have sufficient moneys to cover the funeral costs. The assistance to veterans and their widows is being extended to provide sufficient financial assistance to families to properly recognise the death of veterans in that respect. This measure, as I say, is very much directed to families in helping them defray those costs at a particularly emotional time in their lives and also ensuring that a member can be farewelled with decency. This bereavement payment will be made to the estate of the deceased veteran and will be matched by those currently paid to the partners. So it will be at the same rate and, as is provided presently, it will have the tax-free status of the payment of the 12 weeks of disability pension.

Finally, Labor will extend the automatic granting of pensions to include partners of temporary totally incapacitated and intermediate rate pensioners to provide some peace of mind to those veterans and their families. This bill will extend the automatic grant of war widows or widowers pensions to widows and widowers of veterans or to members in receipt of the total special rate or intermediate rate disability pension immediately prior to the death. Currently, if a veteran is in receipt of the totally permanently incapacitated and extreme disablement adjustment pension and dies, the partner will receive an automatic grant of the war widows pension. This clearly forms an anomaly in respect of the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986, which treats temporary totally incapacitated and intermediate rate pensioners less equitably than other, similar pension recipients. With this bill, the Rudd Labor government will extend the automatic granting of the pension to include partners of temporary totally incapacitated and intermediate rate pensioners, to provide some relief and assurances to those veterans and their families.

Under this government, the veterans community can expect that this plan for action will be delivered. This is the first step in a concentrated effort to address a range of issues around veterans entitlements, services and wellbeing and recognition of our veterans. This government will ensure that veterans do get what they deserve—that is, a fair go. The government believes that the provision of robust service and support for the ex-service community is a sincere way to show our gratitude for and recognition of the bravery and sacrifice of those Australian men and women. As the Prime Minister said on 13 August 2007:

There is perhaps no greater duty that we as a nation and as a parliament have than to honour, remember and express our gratitude to those Australians who have served in the defence of our nation in times of war, because our security and liberty have not come without a price.

The measures in this bill clearly demonstrate that this is a government that is serious about its pre-election commitments to look after those in our defence communities and our veterans communities and their families, and this bill is the first down payment. I commend the bill to the House.

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