Fiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Veterans in my electorate of Gilmore are very much loved and play a big part in our communities. Gilmore is home to over 7,000 serving defence members, veterans and their families. Gilmore has the highest number of defence members and veterans in New South Wales, so it's fair to say that veterans and support for veterans are very important topics in Gilmore.

One of the many things I have really cherished in my role has been building good relationships with all our local RSL clubs, Vietnam veterans associations and local veterans groups. This has taken time, but it is so important. I have got to know ESOs and have heard many of the challenges around veterans' claims. I vividly remember one RSL sub-branch meeting and hearing about the very real impacts of the high number of veterans claims that the ESO had been supporting and that had been ongoing for a very long period. Our ESOs play a vital role, but I remember thinking they needed more support. That was at a time when, under the previous government, veterans' claims processing times had blown right out, and veterans, their families and people supporting them all felt intolerable pain.

Deputy Speaker, Nowra is a proud Navy and defence town. We are home to HMAS Albatross, the Royal Australian Navy's largest base and the only naval air station in Australia. We are home to HMAS Creswell, the Royal Australian Navy's officer training college. We also have many lodger units at HMAS Albatross, including the Army's Special Operations Command ADF Parachuting School. We are truly lucky to have such diversity in defence in the Shoalhaven, including the most amazing defence industry businesses.

It is natural that, when serving defence members retire or conclude their time with defence locally, they stay in our beautiful area that has been home for their families for some time. So the question becomes: how can we better support our veterans and their families? Deputy Speaker, I was proud to advocate for and deliver one of the first veterans wellbeing hubs at Nowra, the Shoalhaven Veteran and Family Hub. I have visited often and witnessed the many different veterans groups and veterans participating in wellbeing activities and accessing support. It is a wonderful centre, funded and supported by the federal government. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, I joined Invictus South Coast and Bowls Gr8 for Brains at Worrigee Sports club to bowl with veterans and their families. This is just one of the many wellbeing activities on offer in my area from dedicated workers and volunteers supporting veterans and families.

But one thing that had always stayed with me from before we came to government was the issue of the massive backlog of veterans' DVA claims and the impact it was having on veterans and their family members. I'm pleased to say that the backlog is an issue we have been tackling, with an additional 500 DVA staff employed to work through it. I'm also pleased to say that, because of the Albanese government's work in this regard—it has taken time, and full credit to the minister and his department—DVA claims are now back to within normal processing times. However, adding to the complexity of the claims process is that under the current legislative model veterans' entitlements are determined by either one or more of three primary compensation acts: the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004, MCRA; the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, VEA; and/or the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988, DRCA.

Debate interrupted.

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