Milton Dick (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's an honour to speak on the motion today, and I thank the member for Herbert for raising this important topic. She is known as a fierce advocate for veterans not just in the north of Queensland but also right around Australia. It is because of the immeasurable commitment and sacrifices that our Australian Defence Force members make to serve our nation that I rise to place on record my support for their service. I'm proud to have spoken on this topic many times before in the parliament, and today I again place on record my unwavering support and gratitude to the brave men and women who currently serve our nation and also to the veterans for their service and contribution to the Australian way of life.

Knowing this, and growing up with a father who served in the Navy during the Second World War as a signalman onboard the HMAS Ararat, I understand what it was like for those serving in the war. Enlisting at the age of only 20, he served in the Second Australian Imperial Force until allied victory in the Pacific. The HMAS Ararat was an Australian warship positioned in the newly captured allied territory of Cape Gloucester, New Britain. Whilst he was not one to tell many stories from the time he served, we know that life onboard the HMAS Ararat was not easy. This is reflective from the experience that I hear from men, women and veterans today. They give up and sacrifice so much so that we can enjoy the freedom we have today.

In my electorate of Oxley, there are currently almost 2,000 veterans who now call our community home, along with a further 1,000 residents who are current serving members of the Defence Force. I'm proud to know many of them personally and enjoy working alongside our local RSL branches to help improve services for their members. But there is much, much more to be done. That's why just last month the Leader of the Opposition, alongside Labor's shadow minister for veterans' affairs, the Hon. Amanda Rishworth, announced that, under a future Shorten Labor government—if we are privileged to be elected—we would develop and sign Australia's first military covenant. This would put in place a formal agreement to ensure the nation's armed forces are fully supported during and after their service and will legislate regular reporting to parliament on how Australia is supporting military personnel. We will work with the Australian Defence Force, the Department of Veterans' Affairs and ex-service organisations to draft the relevant wording of a military covenant and associated legislation to make sure that we get this right. They deserve nothing less.

Signing a covenant will build on Labor's previous commitments to the current and ex-serving Defence community, including our $121 million veterans' employment policy and our family engagement and support strategy. Labor's commitment to those who serve and have served is rock solid. This includes Labor's announcement of a family engagement and support strategy for Defence personnel and veterans, to provide greater support to our military families. Developing a family engagement and support strategy will enable us to identify where we can provide greater support to military families, to those who matter most to our ADF personnel and veterans—their wives, husbands, sons and daughters. This also acknowledges the important role of families in the rehabilitation of ADF members and veterans from both physical and mental injury and illness.

You can read about the experiences and you can hear about the experiences, but, by viewing and being part of the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program, you get to see firsthand the dangers, the sacrifices and the sheer hard work that our men and women go through every single day. It puts a brand new perspective on things. I'm really pleased that I've been able to participate in two programs as part of this really worthwhile program.

I know that our troops are the best in the world and are incredibly dedicated to serving our country. But I also know that, in my own local community, there are many ADF families that are separated from their loved ones. I cannot imagine the trauma, difficulties and fears that those family members go through from day to day not knowing, due to operational issues, where their family members are and whether they are safe. As the member for Herbert stated earlier, Australian Defence Force families play a pivotal role in supporting our current serving ADF men, women, ex-serving personnel and veterans. We thank them for the sacrifices they make.

From my own experience on the ground, from working with our veterans groups, I understand how critical and important it is to streamline medical and treatment processes for veterans. As I said in my earlier remarks, I've hosted round tables with the shadow minister and will continue to work in partnership with our wonderful RSL sub-branches. This includes programs like Paws for Hope and Understanding by the Forest Lake RSL, which is led by sub-branch president Mr Bob Richards. This initiative is one of its kind in Australia. I know that we'll continue to keep working alongside the members of the RSL to make sure that we help them to transition from high-stress, combative environments to general society.

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