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

Mateship, a fair go, courage and sacrifice are the hallmark traits of the members of the Australian Defence Force, who day after day dedicate their lives to service and to the care and defence of our country. I saw this firsthand in my deployment last year to the Middle East. The men and women who have stood on the front line to defend our nation have seen sacrifice and, in some cases, made the ultimate sacrifice. Like most people in this place, I'm grateful and thankful for the work they do. However, we need to do more to ensure that, as they return to their families, their communities and their homes, we deliver the best possible service and care. We owe it to our veterans to provide the best possible support.

Returning and settling back in at home, for some veterans, can be more confronting than the war itself. We know that when they return home unemployment is a serious issue, with our best estimates citing that about 30 per cent of those who leave the ADF find it difficult to get employment. This means that, of the approximately 5,500 veterans who leave each year, roughly 1,600 individuals fail to find and move into employment. Of those who do, about 19 per cent are underemployed or employed in jobs that are beneath their capabilities. On average, those who are employed experience an average drop of about 30 per cent in their income.

This bill contains several measures which seek to improve the outcomes for those who have served our country and for their loved ones. We're supportive of this bill. We always look for ways that we can improve outcomes for veterans and smooth transition processes for when they do return home.

Education and reskilling can be a vital aspect of the transition period for those who are leaving the ADF. The proposed changes ensure that those who are on incapacity payments and who are undertaking full-time study will have their payments maintained and have the ability to focus on their future without worrying about whether or not at the end of the day they will have money left over to survive on. Currently, the majority of these payments reduce to 75 per cent of their normal earnings after a period of 45 weeks. This change will provide financial security, which we all know is important, to veterans and their families while they undertake study. Education and reskilling are vital tools for anybody. However, when you're reorientating after a war or service, or an injury or illness, it can be even more important. Labor is supportive of this measure, which is anticipated to benefit approximately 150 per year and cost $10.8 million over the forward estimates.

For some, their service may have had a greater impact on them and their circumstances. We have a duty of care to ensure that they and their families receive the necessary supports they need to live full and productive lives. The National Mental Health Commission presented its findings from the review into suicide and self-harm prevention services to the inquiry undertaken by the Senate. Some respondents to the review said it was positive regarding their experience. However, the commission stated:

However, qualitatively, we also heard a broad range of poor experiences of services and general feelings of cynicism, distrust, frustration, abandonment and loss. For many, these are the realities of what being in the military brings and the sacrifice that is asked of them and their families in service of their country.

When we send men and the women into war, we don't want them coming back feeling a sense of cynicism, distrust, frustration, abandonment and loss. We owe it to all of them to do all we can to ensure that these are not their experiences.

The commission also stated:

Concerted and continued attention is needed to ensure efforts are effective in preventing suicide and self-harm amongst Australia’s current and former serving personnel and their families.

Data shows that suicide rates are lower among current serving ADF members than in the general population but higher for former serving ADF members, particularly those below 30 years of age. On this side of the House, we believe—and I think, generally, on the other side as well—that one suicide is one too many.

Currently, just under 60,000 Australians are serving in our Defence Force as at July 2015. The estimated number of living veterans is 316,000—not a huge number in comparison with the size of our country—and, currently, the Department of Veterans' Affairs supports approximately 221,000. In my electorate of Lindsay there are just under a thousand veterans receiving assistance through the department, administered by the RSL in Penrith and also in St Marys. They do a wonderful job supporting our veterans. Five hundred and two veterans are receiving a disability pension out of those 916 in my electorate, and there are 306 war widow pensioners in my community.

My community has spoken about this, and those who have served and their families. They want that support in the difficult transition period when they return. This was also my experience when I was in the Middle East last year. Our current serving members were asking me to ask the government to ensure that when they arrived back home they were supported and given the help they needed.

We're committed to supporting our current and ex-service personnel and their families. We're committed to this because we don't want to see members of the ADF who have sacrificed so much already falling through the cracks. We should be doing everything we can to support our veterans and those who are vulnerable in our communities, not giving an $80 billion tax break to big businesses. Our veterans have been through enough already and this is just a slap in the face. They have done everything that we have asked of them, and more in most cases. I have seen firsthand the difficult and stressful work of defence personnel, and that is why it is the responsibility of all of us here to develop and support infrastructure and networks that will help veterans in the difficult transition period when they arrive home.

I had the opportunity to spend a long time with the troops, visiting four bases during my trip to Afghanistan last year as part of the ADFPP. It was a time that, when I look back on it, caused me great anxiety, a little bit of stress, sleeplessness and some involuntary reactions while I was away. I can only imagine what that's like to endure through six and nine-month deployments at a time. When I was there, the men and women who were serving wanted to know that their contribution was valued and also what the support services looked like post deployment. Most of them are grateful to be there and serving their country. They are honoured. They feel it is a privilege. Across all four bases that I visited, there is a heightened sense of anxiety around the uncertainty of what it will mean for each of them when they return home. It's not a concern that any of us should take lightly. The difficulties veterans face when they return home and the scars they carry from the trauma they have experienced are not to be underestimated. We know that this trauma can lead to suicide. Veterans often suffer from mental ill-health once they return home.

Between 2001 and 2015, 325 veterans took their own lives. The Senate report entitled The constant battle: suicide by veterans made 24 recommendations. The report tells the story of veteran Jesse, who had been diagnosed with PTSD and other mental health conditions. Jesse had been endeavouring to seek assistance from the Department of Veterans' Affairs for 18 months and did not receive any support from the DVA or Centrelink. This financial and emotional strain, coupled with the false hope that his voice would be heard, was described by Jesse's former partner, Connie, as absolutely crippling. Tragically, Jesse took his own life. There are so many veterans like Jesse, who return home to their families with a range of different mental illnesses and/or injuries. They return home with the hope of being supported by their government but, ultimately, they are not.

Labor have offered our support to the government to ensure that the recommendations made by the Senate committee report do not gather dust on a shelf, as we so often see with these reports. We believe in greater support for all veterans and their families, especially those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. It dismays me to know that men and women who have served our nation and who have suffered such deep mental and emotional trauma are without support from government and go on to take their own lives. We need to act know. Veterans need real and meaningful change.

Schedule 2 of this bill will create a new suicide prevention pilot, which we welcome. It will provide greater support to those who have been hospitalised after an attempted suicide, those who experience suicide ideation or those who may be at increased risk of suicide because of their mental health or other factors. This is one of three current suicide prevention trials aimed at providing targeted support for our veterans. The first trial will be based in Townsville and delivered by the North Queensland Primary Healthcare Network.. The second trial is a Coordinated Veterans' Care model, which is aimed at mental health support for veterans in rural and regional areas. The two suicide prevention trials are being coordinated by the Department of Veterans' Affairs and are a result of both the National Mental Health Commission's review of services available to veterans and members of the ADF and recommendations made during the Senate inquiry into suicide by veterans and ex-service personnel, which was completed last year. I thank all the members in the Senate who were part of that committee. Labor supported the establishment of the Senate inquiry, and we are pleased to see these recommendations being progressively implemented. We implore the government to maintain the same momentum.

The third trial will use this coordinated approach and place the GP at the hub of working with veterans and facilities. The pilot will provide coordinated support to ensure veterans are accessing treatment and social support to reduce the risk of suicide and enhance the quality of life for the participants. Labor offers its full support to the establishment of the trial and looks forward to seeing the results of this trial and the others that are currently underway.

Schedule 3 of this bill will amend the amount of time from six months to two years for wholly-dependent partners to make a decision about whether to receive their compensation as a weekly payment or convert it wholly or partly into a lump sum payment. This is a logical and compassionate change, and we offer our full support for it. Schedule 4 amends the Veterans' Entitlements Act in order to extend the eligibility of the Long Tan Bursary to grandchildren of Vietnam veterans. We are supportive of this measure, which ensures that more young people are able to access this support. Schedule 5 amends the VEA to create a deeming provision to ensure that a submariner who served on a special submarine operation between 1 January 1978 and 31 December 1992 is deemed to have operational service for any period they served on a submarine during this period. Labor is supportive of this measure which recognises the service that these individuals undertook.

The final schedule simplifies the process for veterans applying for compensation under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act, or MRCA, during a needs assessment. Currently, this requires the individual to put in a separate application. Under these changes, a verbal indication by a veteran that they are seeking compensation under the act will be considered an application. Labor is supportive of measures which make the claim process easier for veterans, as long as they don't disadvantage veterans.

In my electorate, I have a special service group dedicated to simply helping people and veterans access DVA. These are volunteers who have been through and seen war-like service themselves, volunteering to ensure that their mates get the help that they require. Better support for veterans and their families is just one small step to help ease the trauma that they experienced. The local organisations in my electorate that work hard to represent veterans and serving personnel advocate tirelessly for the support of veterans. I'd like to make mention of the National Servicemen's Association, in particular the Penrith City Nasho's, of whom I am a patron: Patron Jim Aitken, Patron Ross Sinclair, President John Taylor, and Honorary Treasurer Reverend Harry May, who is also a volunteer at many other of my community organisations. I'd like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the Nasho's for all for the work that they do in our community. In thanking that group, I'd also like to add my thanks to the City of Penrith RSL sub-Branch: President Mick McConnell; Vice-President Brian Cartwright, who is a newly elected Penrith City councillor; Honorary Treasurer Gary Scott; and Honorary Secretary Mick Visinko. I also thank the St Mary's RSL sub-Branch: President Ron Blakely and Secretary Tony Fryer.

These local organisations and services in Lindsay provide critical support and assistance to our Defence personnel, veterans and their families—both current and former. They spend a lot of time in our electorate making sure that veterans and all current and past serving members are remembered through services like Anzac Day and Remembrance Day. I stand with all veterans and servicemen and servicewomen in this country, and I am proud to stand with all of the support organisations in my community in their advocacy for our veterans, and will continue to do so every day that I hold office.

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