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

Which act determines a veteran's entitlements depends on when the veteran served and which periods of service caused or contributed to the condition being claimed. When the interim report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide recommended that the legislative regime supporting veteran entitlements be simplified and harmonised, guided by recommendations of the 2019 Productivity Commission report A better way to support veterans, that's what the Albanese government set out to do, and that is what it is doing with this legislation. In handing down its report, the royal commission observed that the current system of veterans' entitlements is so complicated as to adversely affect the mental health of some veterans and their families. Calls to address this complexity have been longstanding, and the Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024 represents the most significant commitment from government to simplifying veterans legislation since the introduction of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 20 years ago. The system is overly complex and difficult to understand.

In 2019, the Productivity Commission recommended that the current three acts be streamlined into two. The Albanese government has taken that a step further. The bill streamlines the number of acts the Department of Veterans' Affairs currently administers from three to one, which will greatly simplify claims processing and give veterans and families the support they need faster. The new regime will mean it is easier for veterans and families to understand what they are entitled to and make it easier for veteran advocates to assist veterans and families with their DVA claims and simpler and quicker for DVA to process veteran and family claims so veterans and families receive the benefits and supports they need and deserve more quickly.

It is important to note the consultation with stakeholders that has occurred with regard to the development of this bill. I note that RSL Australia have welcomed the government's proposed legislation to simplify veteran entitlements legislation. The DVA ESO Roundtable, the main dialogue forum between the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the leadership of ESOs and Defence communities has also supported the proposed legislation.

It's important to note from the outset that no veteran will be worse off under this legislation and nobody will receive lower benefits than they are already receiving. Under revised arrangements, the VEA and the DRCA will continue in a limited form, grandparented to support the single-act model, but will be closed to new claims for compensation and rehabilitation from 1 July 2026. The bill also introduces a range of enhancements to the MRCA that will make access to entitlements easier and fairer for veterans. Many of the enhancements have been shaped by feedback provided from the community across two separate consultation periods in 2023 and 2024.

To conclude, we all come to this place in a position to do good for people that we represent in our communities. For me, that always means trying to understand my constituents as best as I can. I have taken very seriously understanding my local bases at HMAS Albatross and HMAS Creswell and, importantly, the fine Defence members and veterans that support our bases' capability and community. I have emersed myself at every opportunity to understand our local defence environment and that of our nation, from parachuting with the ADF Parachuting School at Nowra to flying in a Romeo helicopter simulator and doing damage control exercises off our south coast in the Collins class submarine HMAS Rankin. I am listening and I will always continue to listen to defence members and veterans. I hope this legislation goes some way to supporting veterans and their families, those same defence members and veterans that have put their lives on the line to protect us all. I commend the bill to the House.

See this speech in context