Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Well, that's something we've got to question later on; there might be an inquiry! Jokes aside, I say that because the member for Herbert is a mate. I know we share a lot of values on this stuff, and one of the things is the way we work together on it.

Doing this sort of thing is not about bolstering our workforce. It's supporting our veterans, and it means that we've got people getting more and more opportunity to fit into society and to do more. We know even from the Jobs and Skills Summit last week that we need more trained up and ready to work, and it's initiatives like this that will support getting people into work. We all know as well that programs like this not only support veterans financially but result in the most important bit: positive mental health impacts. These things are so important. They should be sacrosanct to make sure that we do that. We ensure that our veterans can continue their education as they transition from service, ultimately increasing their capacity and opportunity for success.

However, we are acting on this where the previous government sadly didn't. I think if we continue to work together on these things, we're going to see far greater outcomes. And I do appreciate the opposition's support for this bill. I don't think there would be anyone in this place who doesn't support our veterans and I don't think there's anyone in this place who can't see the results of the actions that previous governments have taken for our veterans. I'm not just having a crack at those opposite. I'm talking over years and years, from our Vietnam vets all the way through. But we have an opportunity to fix this with all of us working together, and I think that's what's going to happen.

I look forward to the minister bringing more life-changing legislation into this place, supporting our veterans and supporting our families. I commend this bill to the House, and, again, I say thank you to the opposition for supporting us in this way.

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