Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

The men and women who serve our country share experiences that are unlikely to be encountered by others in our community. It is therefore not possible for most of us to fully appreciate the difficulties that service men and women have when they return to a post-service life. This is, unfortunately, borne out in the suicide data, which demonstrates an increased risk of self-harm for ex-service men and women.

The current support and compensation mechanisms are complex and fragmented and only add to the frustrations and stress of veterans. Average processing times for compensation claims are slow, exceeding the department's own performance targets across many claim types. The poorest performances in the average number of days to process a compensation claim in the 2023-24 year were as follows: under the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act, for initial liability, 480 per cent longer than the target processing time, and, for a permanent impairment, 305 per cent longer than the target processing time; under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004, for initial liability, 408 per cent longer than the target processing time; and, under the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, for compensation payments, 520 per cent longer than the target processing time. This is simply not good enough.

The Productivity Commission proposed reforms to the compensation framework, which were appropriately considered by the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. The commissioners concluded:

In our view, it is necessary that the legislative framework for veterans' compensation and rehabilitation be reformed to simplify the system and improve consistency and fairness in approach and outcomes for veterans. This would enable efficient and focused service delivery and encourage timely support for, and compensation of, veterans and their families. The outcome for veterans and their families should be the focus.

While the bill does not implement the model proposed by the Productivity Commission, I believe the bill achieves the aims of a more simplified and harmonised framework. I sincerely hope that this proposed structure will reduce processing times and therefore alleviate the stress and anxiety associated with complex applications and waiting times.

Mayo, my electorate, has a long history with the armed services that continues today. It was in 1927 that the Woodside Barracks was established at the Woodside camp on 170 hectares of land for the training of light horse and infantry. It was expanded during World War II to accommodate four infantry battalions and is now home to the 16th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery.

As of March 2024, Mayo is home to 5,285 veterans. This is the largest number of ex-service personnel residing in any South Australian electorate and the 15th highest nationally. So this bill, of course, is very much of relevance to my community.

I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my gratitude—my thanks—to every person in Mayo who wears the uniform or has worn the uniform of our armed services. In fact, I'd like to thank every person in our nation who has worn the uniform and their families too, who have provided love and support around them. Quite simply: thank you for your service; our nation is a better place because of you.

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