Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House applauds the Government for its resolute commitment to supporting the men and women of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), past and present, by:

(1) honouring its election promise to:

  (a) introduce from l January 2014, free basic health care to all eligible dependents of full-time ADF members and Reservists undertaking continuous full time service; and

  (b) provide ‘fair indexation’ for military superannuants by amending the indexation arrangements for more than 57,000 Defence Forces Retirement Benefits and Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits scheme pensioners from 1 July 2014;

(2) officially launching Project Suakin, which introduces a range of full-time, part time and casual employment categories within the ADF that will offer members increased flexibility to match their changing personal circumstances and enable the ADF to respond to current and future workforce challenges; and

(3) directing Defence Housing Australia to upgrade housing stock available to Defence personnel and reduce pressure on local community housing markets through programs such as the Top End Defence housing strategy which will deliver over 2,300 additional homes in Darwin.

Families of ADF personnel make significant sacrifices in support of their ADF personnel. In recognition of this fact the Abbott government has been supporting families with ADF personnel rendering full-time service by providing free GP and basic allied health care to registered dependants since 1 January 2014. The Abbott government's full rollout of this program fulfils one of the coalition's key defence commitments from the 2013 election. Under the policy, registered dependants of ADF members rendering full-time service are provided reimbursement for all of their out-of-pocket expenses for GP services. Additionally, each ADF dependant will be able to claim back up to $400 per year for allied health and specialist services, such as dentistry, physiotherapy, psychology and podiatry. Importantly, families are able to pool their entitlements for allied health and specialist services to support a dependant with higher needs.

Under the coalition, since 1 January 2014 all 71,000 registered ADF spouses and dependants have been eligible for the ADF Family Health Program. Between 1 January and 1 June 2014 the ADF Family Health Program supported ADF families access 7,548 GP and 30,420 specialist and allied health consultations. The coalition is proud to have delivered on its commitment and to deliver for all of the ADF families.

Labor has flip-flopped on this issue since 2007. Labor delayed the full rollout of the program on at least two occasions for a period of 18 months. Under Labor, the program never progressed beyond the trial stage and was open to only approximately one-fifth of the approximately 71,000 registered ADF dependants.

The coalition has long recognised also the unique nature of military service and has maintained a consistent position on the need to provide new indexation for DFRB and DFRDB military superannuation pensions. True to our commitment in 2010 and 2013, on 20 March 2014 the Abbott government introduced the Defence Force Retirement Benefits Legislation Amendment (Fair Indexation) Bill 2014 into the House of Representatives. The bill's successful passage through parliament during the first six months of the Abbott government is yet another clear demonstration of the coalition's commitment to those who serve in uniform in our name, past and present. As at 1 July this year, DFRB and DFRDB superannuants and their families are now better off and the new indexation arrangements will apply when their payments are indexed in March and September each year.

During their entire six years in government, Labor used every excuse in the book to deny veterans and their families the fair go that they deserve. This approach is very typical of how Labor treats defence and veterans' policy. Labor did not even have a veterans' or defence policy for the 2013 federal election.

Project Suakin is a major workforce reform. It was developed in consultation with more than 10,000 ADF members, reserve and permanent, and is an important initiative that recognises that ultimately the ADF's greatest strategic capability is its people. Suakin was launched by the Assistant Minister for Defence, the Hon. Stuart Robert, and the Vice Chief of the Defence Force, Air Marshal Mark Binskin, on 26 November 2013. It will modernise the way the ADF engages with its soldiers, sailors and airmen and will allow it to build an organisational culture that embraces its changing workforce by redesigning ADF employment to introduce a range of full-time, part-time and casual service options and introducing flexible career options.

Lastly, the motion deals with Defence Housing Australia and the Top End housing strategy. This is an initiative that strikes the balance between the need to retain key Defence land, which is critical to Australia's strategic interests, and delivering housing for Defence Force members. I commend the government on the plan over the next five years to deliver an additional 800 houses for defence members and their families and to deliver 1,500 houses for the general public in Darwin. I commend the motion to the House.

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