Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (2015 Budget Measures) Bill 2015. This bill implements a modest improvement to entitlements of and services for our veterans. Labor will always support our veterans and we strongly support this bill. Veterans are an incredibly important part of Australian society. Some people probably only think of our veterans once a year on Anzac Day, or perhaps they remember them on Remembrance Day. The last Anzac Day was especially memorable, being the 100th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli, and Australia turned out, mingling with our RSLs and acknowledging those who gave their lives and served 100 years ago. At the Anzac ceremonies I attended in Moreton, at Yeronga, Sunnybank, Oxley, Tarragindi and a few other venues, it appeared that there were at least double the normal crowds—people paying their respects to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for this country and to all of those who are serving or who have served and returned.

Although some may only turn their minds to our veterans on one day of the year, good government obviously continually reassesses the entitlements and services that we provide to ensure our veterans are properly looked after. That is the least we can do for our brave ex-service men and women.

Our returned services leagues do a wonderful job of supporting both current and ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force and their families, as do other support organisations. There are five RSL clubs in my electorate of Moreton: Sherwood-Indooroopilly, Salisbury, Stephens, Sunnybank and Yeronga-Dutton Park, and two of these have services clubs. I have spent quite a bit of time with these clubs and worked closely with them on their ceremonies for the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings and on planning some capital works and other ventures. The Returned and Services League has a very proud tradition. It is one of our oldest national organisations and has been well loved since it was founded back in 1916. As well as supporting and serving our ex-servicemen, the RSL promotes a secure, stable and progressive Australia—respectful of the past, mindful of the future, yet focused on helping today all those who wear our uniform.

This bill makes some improvements to the services and entitlements available to veterans, so it will help my RSL clubs do their job. There are three areas that this bill addresses. Schedule 1 of this bill makes some changes of and around the Veterans' Vocational Rehabilitation Scheme. This scheme assists eligible persons under the Veterans' Entitlements Act to find suitable employment or continue in appropriate employment. The services available to veterans will be expanded to include the provision of medical management and psychosocial services. The medical management services will include monitoring of treatment measures with a view to restoring or maximising a person's physical or psychological function. The psychosocial services will provide individually tailored rehabilitation interventions and can include pain management, adjustment to disability counselling and family education. The threshold of paid work allowed before that work affects the rate of a disability pension will be adjusted up to less than 20 hours per week of allowed paid work for intermediate-rate disability pension recipients who are also participants of VVRS so that those participants will not receive less disability pension than an intermediate-rate recipient who did not participate in the VVRS. Special-rate disability pension recipients will have their maximum reduction adjusted to the equivalent of the intermediate rate of disability pension. This will result in a special-rate disability pension recipient who participates in the VVRS and undertakes less than 20 hours of paid work not receiving less pension than an intermediate-rate recipient who has not participated in the VVRS.

The president of one of my local RSLs, Hugh Polson from the Sunnybank RSL, said in relation to these amendments:

It is important in rehabilitation of veterans, whether it be addressing physical or psychiatric disabilities, that they be encouraged to work towards regaining the ability and the confidence to re-join the workforce …

Remuneration is a very important aspect of the 'confidence' factor. It provides an added incentive …

These folk find themselves out of the workforce at a relatively young age—they risk spending the majority of their life unemployed or unemployable!

Thank you to Hugh Polson for sending in those comments to my office. They are intelligent observations from someone who does know, because prior to retirement Hugh was the Manager of Pensions, Advocacy and Welfare Services for RSL Queensland. The President of the Sherwood-Indooroopilly RSL Sub-branch, Kevin Alcock, also supports this amendment, saying:

Anything that enhanced the vocational rehabilitation of veterans is to be much applauded.

Schedule 2 of the bill concerns itself with the appeals process available for reviews of 'original determinations'. The current review arrangements create two separate pathways. As Hugh Polson says:

The current review processes are not only confusing for veterans, but younger veterans often find themselves falling into the trap of a 'No Win-No Fee' predator.

I will not make a comment on lawyers, Hugh—I know you have such a fine regard for legal officers and lawyers generally—but I do thank Hugh for sending in those comments. The changes to be made to the review process under this bill will streamline the process into a single pathway, and that is a good thing. This part of the amendment has the full support of the ex-service organisations.

Lastly, schedule 3 of the bill will expand the war graves regulation-making power under the Defence Act 1903. Currently, regulation 31 of the Defence Force Regulations 1952 provides for the repatriation of the remains of a member of the Defence Force who has died while on service. This amendment will allow regulation 31 to be amended to include the repatriation of the remains of service dependents.

It is timely that I speak on this amendment during this week in the chamber. It was only two days ago that we marked Vietnam Veterans Day, which is held on 18 August each year. Five hundred and twenty-one Australian servicemen were killed in the Vietnam War, and 496 were repatriated to Australia with full military honours. Of the remaining 25 Australian soldiers, 24 are buried at Terendak, which is in Malaysia, and one is buried at the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore.

The Terendak Military Cemetery is located on the west coast of the Federation of Malaysia. It is 13 miles north of Malacca, a beautiful city, but the cemetery lies within an operational Malaysian Armed Forces base. The base is currently home to the Malaysian Army's 3rd Division and 10th Parachute Brigade. There are stringent security requirements for access to the cemetery, which can be a hindrance for family members wishing to acknowledge their loved ones. So permission is required from Malaysian authorities and documents are required to be submitted well in advance of any proposed visit. For this reason it would be difficult for families to visit their loved ones' final resting place, even if they made the long journey to Malacca in Malaysia.

The Kranji War Cemetery was part of a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp after the fall of Singapore. The small cemetery, which was started by the prisoners, was expanded by the Army grave service after the reoccupation of Singapore. The cemetery is located 22 kilometres north of the city of Singapore, and overlooks the Straits of Johor. Visiting this cemetery in Singapore is not as problematic as at Terendak. Kranji memorial—as it is known locally—is open to visitors every day between 7 am and 6.30 pm. The Office of Australian War Graves currently maintains the graves at Terendak and Kranji, and will continue to maintain any graves remaining after repatriation has occurred.

The 25 Australian soldiers buried at these two ceremonies are the only soldiers killed during the Vietnam War who have not been returned. Labor continues to support the government's undertaking that the cost of any repatriation of Australian servicemen who perished in the Vietnam War will be at the expense of the Commonwealth, if requested by the families.

As well as those 25 Australian soldiers, there are eight service dependents who accompanied the veterans then serving in Malaysia who are also buried in the Terendak Military Cemetery. The government has also offered to repatriate the remains of these eight dependents if requested. This amendment will allow the government to make good that offer of repatriation.

Kevin Alcock, who is the President of the Sherwood-Indooroopilly RSL Sub-Branch, applauds this amendment and said, 'At least six of my own former comrades are buried there, so I have a personal interest.' It is an important mark of respect for these soldiers and the families of service personnel, in the light of these soldiers making the ultimate sacrifice for our country, that their bodies should be returned home if their families so wish. It follows that the dependents of these brave soldiers should be shown the same respect.

Next year on 18 August we will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan. On 18 August 1966 the men of D Company of the 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, based at Nui Dat in the heart of South Vietnam's Phuoc Tuy Province, marched out of their task force base in search of the Vietcong troops who had fired on their base the night before. The men could hear the sweet voice of Little Pattie singing—she was there entertaining the remaining troops with a concert—as they marched out to track down the Vietcong.

Approaching a rubber plantation in the afternoon, the soldiers had fleeting glimpses of the Vietcong, who disappeared as soon as they were seen. A tropical storm was approaching. The D Company of the 6th Battalion was attacked in force by the Vietcong as the torrential downpour began. They were surrounded and short of ammunition. They called for RAAF helicopters to drop more ammunition. Despite terrible weather and heavy fire, the ammunition was dispatched by RAAF helicopters. Companies B and A were sent in as reinforcement. The Vietcong eventually retreated, after a horrible firefight. The Vietcong suffered terrible losses. The Australians counted 245 enemy dead on the battlefield. Some say Company D had faced around 2,500 Vietcong. Eighteen of our brave soldiers perished in the battle of Long Tan, and 24 were wounded. All but one of the dead were from Company D. We owe an enormous debt to these men and others like them. Lest we forget. I commend this bill to the House.

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