Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

As the federal member representing the largest garrison city in Australia, I'm incredibly proud to represent current serving and ex-serving veterans and peacekeepers and their families. Our veterans fought to protect our country, and I have always stood in this place to fight for their best interests and needs. When I speak with our Defence community the No. 1 issue raised with me is the need for employment assistance at the point of transition. Currently, there is minimal assistance available for Defence personnel at the point of transition. There is limited to no recognition for currently held skills acquired during time served in the Defence Force. No-one provides gap training and no-one gets transitioning Defence personnel employment ready. This identified lack of assistance provided to transitioning veterans is shocking, and I'm very concerned as to how it has been allowed to continue for so long. This gap needs to be addressed and that is why I'm incredibly proud of Labor's comprehensive veterans employment program. Labor is always the party to deliver on education, training and apprenticeships and most importantly, jobs. It is what the Australian public has grown to trust that Labor will deliver, and that's exactly what we're doing for our veterans.

Earlier this year, Labor announced a comprehensive veterans employment program, committing $121 million towards veterans employment, which pales in comparison to the Turnbull government's $8 million commitment. Our policy is designed to address the significant rates of unemployment related to veterans transitioning from the ADF. Finding meaningful employment is important for many reasons. Employment doesn't just provide financial security; it also provides a structure, a sense of purpose and belonging, all important factors for those leaving the ADF and transitioning to civilian life. Our policy will assist veterans leaving the ADF and ensure that businesses are best placed to gain the many advantages of employing a veteran. Veterans have told me about their difficulties finding employment post their time in the ADF. These are highly skilled and valuable employees who would make a welcome addition to any work place, but their skills are lost in the transition from ADF to civilian life. We must do more to ensure that veterans are able to find meaningful and purposeful employment.

The government's response to this issue is to focus on delivering the Prime Minister's employment program, including providing additional funding to industry-led programs in this year's budget. With this in mind, can the minister please advise how many businesses have joined or are participating in the programs? How many veterans have received a job as a result of this program since it was launched? What is the retention rate of veterans who have been employed through these initiatives? Is the Department of Veterans' Affairs monitoring these programs? Have there been any KPIs established to measure success? If so, what are these KPIs? If not, how can we be sure that this program is delivering actual results for veterans?

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