Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Our veterans and their families have sacrificed so much for our nation. Many of them are our nurses, farmers, teachers and emergency service personnel. They come from every walk of life. They have served on our shores and abroad, and, upon returning home, many face a battle that tragically is not always won. And so we believe it is the role of government to ensure our veterans don't fight this battle alone.

In my electorate of Corangamite, there are almost 4,000 veterans who receive and deserve our support. It's this principle that's enshrined in our latest budget. Our government has allocated an additional $477 million to ensure veterans and their families get the support they need and deserve. This is a significant investment, and it's all about supporting our veterans and clearing the backlog of claims created under the former coalition government. When we came to office, DVA had around 42,000 claims—that's 42,000 claims—that were unresolved, with many more that hadn't been picked up or actioned. The fact of the matter is that the DVA was underresourced and its staff needed much more support. Our government recognised this and the important role that the Australian public service plays in delivering services for veterans. In our first budget, we invested more than $233 million to employ 500 new frontline staff at DVA. Now, we're investing a further $186 million towards the employment of an additional 141 staff to ensure backlogs don't re-emerge and to process claims faster.

In the weeks since the Treasurer handed down our third budget, we have heard those opposite complain about reckless spending and the size of the public service. However, the coalition has been very quiet when it comes to discussing the additional $6.5 billion included in our budget to pay out veterans compensation claims. What they see as a cost blowout we see as a result of our government reducing the claims backlog to zero, a feat only possible through the DVA receiving staffing and resourcing levels it hasn't seen in 30 years.

The 2024-25 budget also delivers an additional $220 million to deliver our government's simplified veterans compensation legislation. Earlier this year, Minister Keogh released an exposure draft of the legislation to ensure veterans and their families can raise their voices and contribute to the final bill. I sent copies of this draft legislation to every RSL branch across my electorate—because who better to consult than those the bill is designed to support? On top of this, all veterans in the workforce will now receive a tax cut, just like every other Australian worker. Every household that a veteran calls home will receive $300 of energy bill relief. Every veteran in an aged-care home will be cared for by workers, who are now better supported themselves, with a registered nurse onsite 24/7. This budget also boosts veterans home care and community nursing programs with an additional $48.4 million to ensure there are no gaps in service delivery.

Of course, we're also proud to be delivering veterans and families hubs right across this nation, with one now underway in my region. The hub will be easily accessible to veterans. It will have a focus on financial advice, health and wellbeing and will offer much-needed outreach to veterans, who at times miss out on the support they need.

I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge all of my local RSL sub-branches: in Torquay, Geelong, Waurn Ponds, Inverleigh, Bannockburn, Portarlington-St Leonards, Queenscliff-Point Lonsdale, Ocean Grove-Barwon Heads, Drysdale and Leopold. You have all played a significant role in this process.

In closing, I would like to thank Minister Keogh for all the work he does in this important area, where we support our veterans. Our government is making good on our commitment to better support veterans and their families across Australia, and I thank them for their service.

See this speech in context