Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises the service and sacrifice of those who have served in the Australian Defence Force, along with that of their families;

(2) notes:

(a) the Government's 2019 election commitment to establish a network of Veteran Wellbeing Centres in Townsville, Perth, Wodonga, Darwin, Adelaide and Nowra;

(b) that these centres, which are being developed in partnership with the ex-service community and state governments, will bring together a range of critical services relied upon by veterans and their families, including the health treatment, mental health support, employment and transition assistance and advocacy support; and

(c) that the Government committed an additional $10.7 million in the 2021-22 Budget towards expansion of the wellbeing centre network into south-east Queensland and Tasmania; and

(3) acknowledges the critical importance of such partnerships between governments and the ex-service community in supporting the health and wellbeing of Australia's veterans and their families.

First and foremost, I believe that it's bipartisan to acknowledge the service of our ADF—the men and women who put on the uniform every day—and veterans and their families. I am very humbled to be able to move this motion today because I want to highlight the work that is being done in my community of Townsville but also around the country around Veteran Wellbeing Centres.

Last time we were in here, I was speaking to the member for Braddon, Gavin Pearce, and congratulating him on being soon to be a father again—for the third time, I believe—and now I can let everyone know that he has had his child. And I'm very happy that his daughter has taken her mother's looks! I wish them the best and look forward to him coming back to this place, because he is a passionate advocate for his electorate and the veteran community.

Townsville is the largest garrison city in the nation. We have tens of thousands of defence personnel, veterans and their families. So it was only right that we were fortunate enough to be one of the first to receive a wellbeing centre. In the last budget, we got an additional $10.7 million to expand them further across the country.

As someone who deployed, and like many people on both sides of this place, I know serving and transitioning can be challenging. You can find yourself looking for the supports that should be readily available. These veteran wellbeing hubs will be that one-stop shop where we and our people can go get the support that we need. I know that, when I transitioned out, I slipped away quickly into a very dark place, and, like many people, made some horrendous life choices. I think that these Veteran Wellbeing Centres, these hubs across the country, will be that linkage from serving to making the transition out and having that soft landing where you can look for meaningful engagement, meaningful employment and purpose. Having your family—your defence family—wrapping around you, I think, is a step in the right direction to preventive measures, when that transition can sometimes be absolutely devastating.

I know that, with a lot of ADF people, like me, when you're in, you don't even have a Medicare card. So, when you're out, how are you supposed to find the services that are there to best support you? You might find them on social media. But not all ESOs link closely together. Sometimes it can be quite difficult to find what actually fits with you, whether it's going through Mates4Mates or Soldier On, or getting an assistance dog—whatever the case may be. Not all ESOs are a fit for all people. But having a one-stop shop that can be that linkage I think is very important.

That one-stop shop in Townsville is the Oasis. We opened it just a couple of weeks ago, and you'll hear it here first—and I know the member for Blair will like this: I had the Premier in Townsville, and it was good, because we could stand there and open a centre for veterans, and take the politics out of it, and put the people that we should be representing every single day at the forefront of our minds. And we did that. The three local state MPs—anyone who knows me knows that we don't always see eye to eye and that we can be challenging to each other, but they were there, and it was great, because the people were put before politics. At the Oasis centre there's a drop-in place where you can go just to get a coffee. You don't even have to be talking to anyone. That's important for being connected to our community, because not everyone wants to walk in a door and have white walls and feel as though you're in a clinic; you want to go somewhere where you feel comfortable, get a brew, sit down, link in with your colleagues who you used to serve with or just have a chat.

I note that veterans aren't just in Townsville; they're all around the country. They're in places that will be getting veterans' wellbeing centres. I had a really good chat with the Premier of Queensland, and she said that we should be looking for other places, throughout Queensland, that can get wellbeing centres. I think we should be working more closely together, because our brave men and women who put on the uniform every day deserve our support.

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