Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Defence community has long played a very important role in my electorate of Macquarie, in the Blue Mountains and the Hawkesbury, with both communities part of the RAAF family. RAAF Base Glenbrook is home to Air Command, whose mission is to raise, train and sustain the Air Force's air and space power. RAAF Base Richmond, the first to be established in New South Wales, is best known for being home to our C-130 Hercs, the medium transport aircraft. As such, the Australian Air Force cadets also play a major role in my community, providing many local young people aged between 13 and 18 with the opportunity to develop their self-confidence and leadership skills, as well as explore a future career within the Australian Defence Force. The attendance of the AAFC 336 and 323 squadrons at things like Anzac Day, Vietnam Veterans Day and Remembrance Day, often in blazing heat or freezing cold, is very much appreciated by the veteran, defence and wider community. I think the pride in their duties seems to outweigh the weather conditions, which says something for how much they love being cadets.

For many years now they've had the honour of attending cadet services and marching-out parades. But COVID has obviously meant changes to operations in recent times. Remembrance Day 2020, for instance, saw commemorations spread over two services for 323 Squadron at Glenbrook to allow all the unit's cadets to attend safely. Scheyville, near Windsor, has also functioned as the location of big parades, and the sight of the cadets marching through the disused parade ground is really quite spectacular. Even more than that, I love watching the pride of the parents and the grandparents at these events. Some are new to defence and others are continuing a family tradition. It's a privilege as well to hear the Air Force cadet 3 Wing band when they perform.

The experience of these young cadets can lead them to move into careers with the Defence Force. I spoke to William in just the last week, who is certainly seeing it as a pointer to what life after school might be like. When this happens, this parliament and our nation have a huge obligation to these young people and to their families to support them both when they serve and when they finish serving. As a nation, we are obliged to do everything we can to ensure that supports are there for our service men and women, as well as our veterans should problems arise. While in the cadets we've challenged them and pushed them physically and mentally, and we've given them the opportunity for amazing experiences, our duty of care just doesn't end there. When anyone enters the ADF, we know that we're going to ask a lot of them: to go into crisis environments, to possibly confront distressing and dangerous situations and to often put the needs of the country ahead of their own needs. We have a responsibility to ensure that these men and women learn resilience to deal with what is asked of them.

When they leave the ADF, they need to know that the Department of Veterans' Affairs will be there to treat them with respect, not to go slow on their claims. That means that the DVA has to have enough staff to do that. Right now we know claims are blowing out to 12 to 18 months. The latest announcement of a review of the system by consultants McKinsey is a clear admission by the government that they failed to fix the problems in the department in spite of the 2019 Productivity Commission report, which hasn't been responded to fully let alone implemented. The people who pay the price for the incompetence in sorting out the department and its approach are the veterans themselves, and I think we all experience that. The ability of the Department of Veterans' Affairs to process a pension is a long way from the thoughts of a 17-year-old relishing their cadet role, but it shouldn't be far from our thoughts.

When I look at the young people in the Army and Air Force cadets and think of the bright future that they could have in the Defence Force, I'm also aware of the price that they could pay. If they do take that next step, we need to ensure that we are there for them, that they're supported during their years in defence and that when they leave they're given opportunities to use the extraordinary skills and experience that they will have enjoyed as a serving member, and prepare them for the next stage of their career. That's what I think about what I see these young people brimming with enthusiasm at what a career in defence could be. I think cadets is one of the really important stepping stones to that. I'm so proud to have wonderful people supporting our cadets in my electorate. I think we all know that we have the responsibility to maintain that support all the way through.

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