Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024. We owe a great deal to our current serving men and women and the some 496,000 veterans. Just as they have had our collective national back, both in peacetime operations and in combat, we need to demonstrate through our actions that we have theirs. This starts with the government showing that the care and support that they were promised can be accessed with a minimum of difficulty. Certainly the service men and women and veterans alike that I meet in Hasluck expect government to take action. I have active RSL sub-branches in Bellevue, Chidlow, Ellenbrook, Kalamunda, Mundaring and, after the redistribution, Eastern Regional in Bassendean. These sub-branches advocate strongly for the interests of their members and expect to see action. I spoke about it in my first speech, and I'm happy and pleased to be speaking about it today because our government has acted.

The Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel has undertaken many measures over the past two years, but I have to say that this legislation is the most important change in veteran affairs in a generation. Australians, of course, all have rights, and knowing what these rights are and being able to access them without the stress or strain of difficulty is fundamental to our citizenship. Our veterans have made their commitment to Australia clear, and we need to make our commitment to them clear.

Finding out what you're entitled to receive and what you need to get should not be tedious or complicated. It shouldn't be couched in language that is unclear except to the people who wrote it. It shouldn't produce so much as a sigh or a mutter. When a system of explaining entitlements, treatment and support is so complex that it's having an adverse effect on the mental health of veterans and their families, something is seriously wrong. Indeed, too many veterans have paid a heavy price for the failures on the part of government. Explaining entitlements and the availability of treatment and support must not present a test of any sort to the reader. It should be providing comfort and relief.

Certainly it's a relief to me as a citizen and as a former member of the Army Reserve that we now have a bill before us that will streamline the number of acts currently administered by the Department of Veterans' Affairs from three to one. Simplifying claims processing is always a good idea. People need to know precisely what they have to do so that they can make their claim quickly, have it processed in a timely manner and receive the support that they and their family need and are entitled to receive. We acknowledge the unique nature of military service and the special nature of the commitment to defend Australia. We promise that we will embrace and support all military veterans as respected and valued members of our community. This bill is a part of the fulfilment of that promise. I'm proud to belong to a government that takes its promises seriously.

In October 2022, in our first year of government, Minister Keogh called for consultations and public submissions. He invited the Australian people to a discussion with the launch of the veterans legislation reform consultation pathway. Then, between 28 February and 28 April this year, the government conducted the national consultation on the draft of the bill that came as a consequence of the first round of consultations. These consultations were held in every capital city and in Townsville, and, over the course of the two months of this year, hundreds of pieces of feedback were received.

This bill is a result of all that consultation and discussion. It's not here to save money; it's here to do the right thing and, in some cases, to right wrongs. It's here to harmonise and consolidate processes, funeral allowances, education payments, attendant and household services and vehicle assistance. It's here to make them fit together smoothly, rather than being scattered in confusing bits and pieces all over the place. There will be a single review pathway and timelines that give people the real prospect of hope and resolution. Interim compensation will have to be finalised after two years. There's also practical reassurance—no individual veteran will suffer a reduction to their existing payments. Nobody will be worse off. Nobody will receive lower benefits.

Funding for the enhancements to be delivered was included in the May 2024 budget, so when will all this begin? The commencement date of 1 July 2026 has been chosen to ensure that the people affected are well informed on precisely what the changes will mean to them. It will also give time for their advocates and Department of Veterans' Affairs staff to be properly informed and ready to assist with the smooth running of the new arrangements. We are confident that advocates will find it easier to assist veterans and families and that the DVA staff will be able to process veteran and family claims more simply and quickly.

There will be a new payment, the additional disablement allowance, or ADA, and a higher travel reimbursement when a private vehicle is used to travel for treatment. All this means there will need to be amendments to legislation in other portfolios, like Social Services, Treasury and Health, and the bill covers that too. A major review of medical assessment forms has been made to make them easier to understand and quicker to be completed by medical professionals. Any project that can reduce form filling to the necessary minimum is very welcome for everybody.

Tackling the problems of homeless veterans is also a priority for the Albanese government. Veterans are three times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population. That is a shocking reality ignored by our predecessors. The Albanese government has launched a $30 million Veterans' Acute Housing Program to help veterans and their families who have lost their home or are at risk of losing it to get back on their feet. Our veterans and families hub program provides health and wellness support, with general practitioners on site and mobile outreach clinics for veterans living in regional areas.

We listened, and we have acted. We were listening and paying attention as the transition was made from the royal commission interim report to the final report. People who wish to serve should be able to do so with confidence that their rights will be protected while they are in service and that issues or problems which arise as a result of their service will be responded to with respect and compassion.

As in so many other portfolio areas, in the field of veterans' affairs the Albanese government had to deal with almost a decade of appalling Liberal and National Party neglect and mismanagement, resulting in a royal commission no less. Successive Liberal and National Party governments were uninterested in solving the issues of the day and complacent in approaching the challenges of Australia's future.

By contrast, we are absolutely committed to addressing the backlog of problems that were ignored or brushed aside in every area of our national life. The primary reassurance is this: the Albanese government believes in action, not sitting around hoping that things sort themselves out eventually. Where processes need to be simplified, we simplify them. Where services need to be provided, we provide them. Where training is needed, we offer it. When problems are identified, we work the problem. We work the problem in consultation with the Australian people and, with them, we find the solutions. I commend the bill to the House.

See this speech in context