Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Herbert for his contribution this evening and also for his marvellous advocacy for and representation of particularly the 6,500 Defence Force personnel and their families in his electorate. I was in Townsville, as he recalls, in May this year with the member for Herbert to commission the first of the new fleet of CH47F Chinook helicopters that will be based at RAAF Base Townsville. We are also providing new and upgraded facilities to support the introduction and sustainment of the new Chinooks in Townsville. In 2015-16 this will include a $13.7 million investment as part of the $49.8 million redevelopment project. We will also be investing $23.9 million in 2015-16 to provide enhanced logistics facilities at Lavarack Barracks. There will be a further investment to replace dated aviation firetrucks with modern equipment.

Secondly, the honourable member asked me about the situation with drought conditions in his region. Drought has a devastating impact on many communities around Australia. As someone who grew up on a farm, I appreciate the impact that drought can have not just on the farmers and their families but on surrounding communities. I understand the position that many Queensland graziers find themselves in at the present time, particularly with limited feed to support their livestock. The member for Herbert, as he intimated, has been a strong advocate for allowing livestock to graze on Defence land. I commend him for his work to support local farming communities in this regard. I can confirm to him and to the chamber that Defence has been consulting with the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to find out exactly how Defence land may best be used for agistment in these circumstances. Defence has no objection in principle to supporting local communities and farmers who are struggling through this drought, but obviously we need to work through the various safety, legal, environmental and operational concerns that will arise.

To my knowledge Defence has not received at this stage any applications for agistment, so I suggest to the honourable member for Herbert that the best thing for Mr McHugh to do would be to write to both his office and mine with any specific requests and I will be sure that his correspondence is in the proper hands in Defence and that we can give it proper consideration as soon as possible. As I said, we would like to assist wherever we can in recognition of the devastating conditions affecting farmers in parts of Australia, including in the honourable member's electorate.

I turn to the issue of DVA clients. I note there are some 5,500 Department of Veterans' Affairs clients in the electorate of Herbert, and that is understandable given that Townsville is essentially what the Americans would call a garrison town—and a very important one for Australia.

There have been a wide range of programs and initiatives developed to support ADF personnel, including raising awareness and increasing acceptance of mental health challenges. Defence is constantly working to improve services in this area. The honourable member talked about what happens to the connection with DVA when a member leaves Defence. I can report to him that I have been having discussions with the Minister for Veterans' Affairs to try and ensure that we have a better joined-up system when a person leaves Defence, so that there is that contact and pathway to any services that they might require from DVA, rather than just leaving it to chance or leaving it to time to pass or somebody to get around to it. I think we can do a better job in that regard, and, as I said, I have been speaking with the Minister for Veterans' Affairs in that regard. DVA spends about $179 million a year on dedicated mental health services for the veterans and their families. They are currently working on a very significant longitudinal health study, the Transitional and Wellbeing Research Program, which is a $5 million project. Mental health is a real issue, particularly for former Defence personnel, and we need to do whatever we can to assist them in that regard.

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