Emma Husar (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's always important to rise and stand in support of our veterans and always good to follow the member for Eden-Monaro, who is a proud veteran himself. The Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Omnibus) Bill 2017, which seeks to clarify, improve and streamline the operation of law for veterans and their entitlements, is incredibly important. Labor, obviously, supports any measures undertaken to support veterans and ensure they are no worse off with the changes to the legislation.

We all know that to be a member of the Australian Defence Force is to dedicate your life and your service to the care and defence of our country—it is incredibly important work that they do. Like everyone in this place, I'm incredibly grateful and thankful for their work. I did see this firsthand on my recent deployment to the Middle East. Our defence personnel have a rich and defining place in shaping our identity and our culture. Mateship, a fair go, courage and sacrifice are all of the hallmarks of these very, very special people. Those that have served deserve our uttermost respect and admiration, but, most importantly, they deserve our support upon their return. As they return to civilian life, we owe them and their families the best possible services and care. Young women and young men returning from conflict require the stability, security, support and opportunity to get back on their feet.

From the First World War, when 300,000 Australians departed our shores—the war where the Anzac legacy would be born on the shores of Gallipoli and where Australia's involvement in battles such as Fromelles and Pozieres and the Battle of the Somme would see the Australian spirit, our courage and our mateship shine through—nearly 17,000 of our serving personnel, sadly, did not return home. But our debt of gratitude to returning veterans was forged through these battles as they fought to keep Australia safe and for our way of life. To this day, the veterans who return have seen their mates make the ultimate sacrifice. They have stood on the front line to defend our nation. We absolutely owe it to our veterans to provide them with the best support and care, and the wellbeing of veterans and their families is absolutely paramount. Their issues must be dealt with compassionately and correctly the first time around and not be put through administrative processes, which is currently the case. There are currently just under 60,000 Australians serving in our defence forces and an estimated 329,000 living veterans. The Department of Veterans' Affairs supports approximately 291,000 people, with 203,000 being over the age of 65 and 23,000 under the age of 40, and we will certainly see that number of young veterans increase with our ongoing involvement in the Middle East region.

In my electorate, there are just under 1,000 veterans, as recorded at 17 June this year, receiving assistance through the department, and this includes any current or former serving members eligible for compensation, income support or health treatment under the main veterans' entitlement legislation. This figure excludes ex-service personnel who are ineligible for or who have not sought assistance from the department. Five hundred and seven of these veterans are receiving a disability pension and, in addition, there are 311 war widow pensioners. So the electorate of Lindsay does have a significant need to support our veterans, and I'm pleased that, by and large, my community does support our veterans.

From the representations that I receive and the discussions I have had in my community and on my visit to Afghanistan last year, those serving and veterans need support to transition back home. Some veterans find it very difficult to blend in with our communities and are often affected by physical health issues, deterioration of mental health, lack of financial support and difficulties finding meaningful employment when they return. The Department of Veterans' Affairs is aware that on any given night across Australia over 3,000 veterans are homeless, affected by their selfless service to our nation. Our veterans have been through enough. They have done everything for their country that we have asked of them and more. To give them the run-around and the third degree to have their matters processed is simply unacceptable.

The legislation seeks to modernise and improve the operations of the Veterans' Review Board, which can only be a good thing for veterans. The legislation seeks to provide a mechanism of review that is accessible, fair, just, economical, informal and quick. It is proportionate to the importance and complexity of the matter and promotes public trust and confidence in the decision-making of the board. The removal of bureaucratic barriers and red tape benefits veterans to ensure their claims are heard in a timely and low-cost manner. No veteran deserves an unfair hearing, and we need to maintain an effective mechanism for review.

But veterans are right to be concerned about privacy, given this government's less than stellar track record and blunders when dealing with IT and data security. I've seen firsthand the difficult and stressful work of defence personnel, and that's why I believe their transition to civilian life should be much, much more secure. They are well trained; they are highly skilled and well organised. They are great assets to all types of businesses and the community at large, but they struggle to find employment and to readjust to life at home, far away, thankfully, from distant war zones and constantly being on edge to protect our nation. This is why it's important to help and act when it's required. Many of these veterans with positive attributes on the table have to readjust. They have to deal with their memories and actions of serving the nation. We need to assure them that we will provide a strong and positive safety net.

I had the opportunity, as I said earlier, to spend time with troops, visiting four bases during my tour of Afghanistan as part of the ADF Parliamentary Program in July. This commendable initiative provides an opportunity to engage very, very closely with members of the ADF and experience the challenges and rewards of service life. The program also offers a chance to see firsthand the diverse capabilities of our Defence Force in action.

When I was there, above all, our troops wanted to know that their contribution is, firstly, supported and, more importantly, highly valued. Having performed in and participated in some of the drills that we put our men and women through and having performed some of the work they do, in a very, very minor capacity, I've got to say it is incredibly nerve-racking. It is intense. It drives up even some of the most dormant feelings of anxiety. A war zone is not a pleasant place to be. Being one of the most protected persons in that war zone, as I was, was comforting, but I'm not the one out there risking my life.

It is incredibly important that we support them. It is our duty to absolutely recognise them. Our serving men and women had a couple of thoughts for me to bring back, and on my return I was pleased to present those to the Minister for Defence.

I am committed to ensuring that our service men and women are supported not only during their service but back into civilian life. Last week I also had the privilege of attending a dinner at the Royal Military College Duntroon as part of our program, where I got to engage some more with Aaron Bell, who was in my office as part of the exchange program. Certainly, I got to benefit from having his knowledge and experience with the Defence Force. With the memories of my trip to Afghanistan in mind, it has been a great opportunity to share experiences and insights into a very different world to what we imagine. During my visit to the Middle East, the troops told me of their longing for and personal attachment to their home back here and the difficulties in maintaining relationships back in this country. You can't talk to your family about what you've seen and what you've done over there, because there are insecure phone networks. The time zones are different, so you often are working at a time when your family might not be at home for you to speak to them. They might be at school when it is time for you have the opportunity to call them. There is a big gap for our serving men and women who are in the Middle East right now.

Their selfless sacrifice ensures our personal safety here in this country. Our veterans talk about the amount of money that is put into training them to build weapons, to shoot and to care for their soldiers and their personnel while they're in the battlefield. Everywhere I went, across all four bases, there was a huge and heightened sense of anxiety. The topic of discussion about veterans' affairs upon their return to Australia was absolutely the No. 1 issue. So, while they're out there serving and doing their bit for the country, making sure that we are safe and protected and that our way of life continues, our men and women in the Middle East are worried about what's going to happen on their return. I just think that is incredibly unfair. It's certainly not a concern that we should be taking lightly. I think that they've been through enough. The trauma they have experienced can lead to them having issues on return, including suicide, mental health issues and post-traumatic stress once they have returned home.

I have family members who were on the HMAS Voyager when it was struck. The things that I witnessed as a small child and a teenager that my uncle went through were quite horrendous, including him not being able to be in a room of an evening with no lights on and not being able to sleep in a dead silent, quiet space. Some noise always had to be going on because of the trauma associated with that accident that he was involved in. Potentially, the way in which that was handled upon their rescue and the way in which their contribution was seen were certainly not helpful to his recovery.

Between 2001 and 2015, 325 veterans took their own lives. It is an absolute national tragedy when anybody suicides, but in particular, when men and women through their service for this country see no other option than to take their own lives, that is an absolute national tragedy. When men and women who have served our nation, upon their return, suffer such deep mental and emotional pain that they take their own lives, we absolutely need to be doing more. We need to find ways to support them and to try to stop this from happening.

The representations from veterans that I receive in my office are about dealing with the department and accessing services and support back home. I know and support our local organisations and services in Lindsay that provide critical support and assistance to current Defence personnel, veterans and their families. I thank them for the service that they provide in our community.

I want to place on record my thanks to Legacy, which cares for around 80,000 veterans whose dependants range in age from less than 12 months to 109 years. Groups such as Legacy provide valued support to families during really difficult times. The Penrith RSL sub-Branch has 715 members. Penrith owes a great deal of gratitude to the Penrith RSL sub-Branch and its president, Mick McConnell. The sub-branch's good work includes: welfare for veterans; a drop-in centre opening in November—I'm looking forward to being part of that; a welfare officer helping veterans with their claims; and supporting over 400 war widows. The Penrith RSL sub-Branch finds more and more younger vets are seeking help who have higher rates of mental health issues. The older vets were, in many cases, treated poorly when they returned from Vietnam and other areas of conflict, so they are determined as a cohort not to let this happen to our younger returning vets.

The Penrith sub-branch is involved with the RAAF at Richmond and Glenbrook bases, and with the Orchard Hills Army and Navy cadets. The women's auxiliary, which is supported by the Penrith RSL sub-Branch, with Colleen Towle as the president, was formed in 1916 and continues now. Their job originally in World War I was to send comfort parcels to Penrith soldiers serving on the Western Front. The parcels consisted of items that we would look to send now but were probably different then—woollen socks, soap, cakes and other items that would be missed by our soldiers who were serving overseas at the time. We might have slight changes to the care packs, but they're still being sent. For many decades, the sub-branch has provided significant pension, welfare and hospital visits for members and members of other sub-branches. Now they hold annual Easter, Mother's Day and Father's Day raffles and other fundraising activities like their biannual gala auction, attending Anzac services, selling Anzac badges, attending the conference for the Central Council of RSL Women's Auxiliaries and also attending other auxiliary functions.

We also have the Penrith and Lower Blue Mountains War Widows' Guild providing a range of services to war widows, and it operates with significant volunteer input from its thousands of members. We have the Homes for Heroes program, which has built around nine rooms at Governor Phillip Manor for our homeless vets. The program offers a comprehensive rehabilitation service. For the support residents receive, they're required to give back to the program by doing voluntary work, mentoring other people and engaging in training and rehabilitation. Homes for Heroes does a wonderful job helping homeless young veterans to get back into mainstream life.

Other organisations supporting veterans in my electorate include: St Mary's RSL sub-Branch—Ron Blakely is the president and Tony Fryer is secretary; the Royal Marines Association division of Western Sydney; the Red Cross; Vietnam vets at St Mary's, which is also affectionately known as the Train; Nepean Legacy and Legacy Widows' Club Nepean; the Australian Light Horse Association; the wives of Vietnam vets with Maureen Clements; and the Nashos, of which John Taylor is the secretary and acting vice-president. I was incredibly honoured to take up my first role as patron with the Nashos.

I look forward to meeting more and more Defence Force personnel and to having the pleasure of welcoming Amanda Rishworth, the shadow minister, in November. I'm incredibly grateful to the Defence Force personnel I met on my trip to Afghanistan. We're still in regular contact—we're now friends officially on Facebook—and they often communicate with me when they're doing their jobs and going about their business. I'm very grateful for the information and advocacy that they provide to me on the issues that need to be changed.

I stand with all the veterans and service men and women of this country, and I will ensure that I will always work to achieve the best possible outcomes for them and their families.

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