Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Services) Share this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Adelaide, who contributed to the debate on this bill and I acknowledge the continued support for the veteran community demonstrated by everyone in this parliament.

The Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Supporting the Wellbeing of Veterans and Their Families) Bill 2020 addresses three key issues. It fully implements the government's commitment to create a Veteran Family Advocate, it provides changes to better support for the transition from ADF services to civilian employment and it ensures that all recipients of the gold card are treated equally in terms of their benefits.

We recognise that in many ways, the service of Defence families on the home front is just as important as service on the front line. That is why the government has made engagement with veterans' families a priority over successive terms, establishing the female veterans and veteran families policy forum and the Council for Women and Families United by Defence Service. We have listened to what is working and what needs improvement. This bill will take our commitment further by establishing a Veteran Family Advocate.

I'd like to congratulate Ms Gwen Cherne, who has been appointed as the inaugural Veteran Family Advocate and as a commissioner on the Repatriation Commission. This bill extends that appointments, so Gwen will also be appointed as a commissioner on the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission. These commissions are responsible for the administration of veterans legislation and for providing advice to the minister and government in relation to these acts.

Since being appointed Gwen has wasted no time, working with veterans' families to build our understanding of risks and predictive factors of ADF personnel, veterans and their families, particularly as they transition to civilian life. Gwen has spent her first several weeks learning more about the department to understand recent progress and the challenges which still face it. She has met with the Female Veterans and Families Forum and the Council for Women and their Families United by Defence Service, and has sought briefings with Open Arms, including with peer support workers and the Veterans Review Board. Gwen has met with Defence, Defence Families Australia, the staff establishing the Joint Transition Authority, the Australian War Memorial, the ACT veterans ministerial advisory committee and many other national bodies.

Based on this, Gwen is drafting a strategy to address the obligations under this new role, focusing on policy and system changes to support the government's commitment to enhance the health and wellbeing of the veteran community. Gwen will also work with the National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention so that recommendations can be rapidly translated into removing risk factors. Ms Cherne has an impressive resume in roles relating to defence personnel and veterans' families nationally and internationally. But, more than that, she brings a range of lived experience. Gwen is the granddaughter of a World War II veteran and the daughter of a Vietnam veteran who had PTSD. She spent time in Afghanistan as a development worker working on military bases and coordinating stabilisation reconstruction efforts with the international response. She was a defence spouse, a carer after her husband suffered a stroke while deployed in Iraq, and she experienced and survived family and domestic violence. Gwen is a war widow to suicide and the mother of a current serving Australian Defence Force member.

Gwen will ensure veterans' families have a voice. The government cannot solve the complex problems faced by veterans without the assistance of their families. Families understand how a veteran feels at a particular moment, the nature of their challenges and what needs to be done to best support them, and I understand that from families of veterans in my own electorate who've contacted me. By working together, we can achieve better results for our veterans and their families that support them. I wish Gwen all the best in the role.

The second part of this bill facilitates flexibility in the way programs can be designed to assist the transition from the ADF to the civilian workforce. This government has made significant improvements in transition and employment support. This was clearly demonstrated in the budget with an additional $23.7 million provided for the Joint Transition Authority and employment support. This bill will further support employment by allowing for the establishment of new programs, such as the support for employment program through the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Regulations 2020. The regulations will contain the details of the employment assistance or benefits as well as who they will be provided to and in what circumstances they can be provided.

I thank the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills for their work and note their comments in relation to the transition to civilian employment measure. In response, an addendum to the explanatory memorandum has been prepared, which I now table, to address concerns by the Senate committee as to why it is most appropriate that details of the support for the employment program be placed in the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Regulations 2020. Once established through the regulations, this program will provide eligible veterans with both pre- and post-employment assistance. This will ensure similar employment support is available to the veterans for up to five years, as is currently available for transitioning ADF members, including career advice, coaching, assistance with skills translation, resume and interview preparation, and coaching to adapt to the structure and communication of civilian employment.

The final part of this bill fixes an unintended omission that has meant the energy supplement has not been payable to some gold card holders because they are covered under different legislation. This government acknowledges the importance of the gold card to the veteran community. After extensive consultation and as part of the interim response to the Productivity Commission's report, we have ruled out any changes to the gold card. This provides certainty to our veterans and their families. This measure builds on our acknowledgement and extends the provision of the energy supplement to Australian participants in the British nuclear tests, British Commonwealth Occupation Force and Australian residents who worked as part of the Australian surgical and medical teams in Vietnam, ensuring all gold card holders are treated consistently.

Our veterans were prepared to make great sacrifices when we needed them and, as the Australian Defence Force Veterans' Covenant states, 'For what they have done, this we will do.' This bill supports the wellbeing of veterans, their families and the wider veteran community.

Finally, I note the second reading amendment to this bill moved by the opposition regarding veteran suicide and a royal commission into veteran suicide. The suicide of any former or serving ADF member is tragic, and the government is committed to taking action to prevent these deaths. Suicide prevention is a complex issue and it deserves an enduring focus. Like a royal commissioner, the National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention will have powers to undertake full inquiries into suicides and suspected suicides, including the ability to compel production of evidence, summon witnesses, conduct public and private hearings, and make recommendations to the government about actions to prevent future suicides. Unlike a royal commission, this will be a permanent and ongoing function. I note that the Attorney-General has introduced two bills to enable the establishment of this important role: the National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention Bill 2020 and the National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2020. I thank the Attorney-General and his department for leading this important work, which will create enduring change for ADF personnel, veterans and their families. I commend this bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.

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