Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. Will the minister update the House on what the government is doing to support the mental health needs of our veterans, including those who have served in the Australian Army's 3rd Brigade at RAAF Base Townsville, in my electorate of Herbert?

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Government Whip, the honourable member for Herbert, for his question. He, of course, represents 6,000 of our fighting men and women up there in Townsville, including 4,200 veterans and 1,300 dependents of veterans up in the north.

Saturday was World Mental Health Day and the start of Veterans' Health Week, which I launched in Perth at the RSL conference. It was good to see the member for Perth representing those opposite there at Government House as well. Veterans' Health Week will see 17,000 of our veterans attending 220 events around Australia. From yoga on Bondi Beach right through to golf in many members' electorates and everything in between, this will be the largest event in its history for veterans gathering for Veterans' Health Week.

To mark World Mental Health Day and the start of Veterans' Health Week, the government released two documents in Perth that set out the strategic framework for where government is going to support ex-service men and women to improve their mental and social health. The government and, I know, all members here are committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of our veteran community, including mental health. Firstly, the Social Health Strategy 2015-2023 for the Veteran and Ex-Service Community was released, which looks particularly at the health challenges that former ADF personnel face after transferring into civilian life. It is designed with five major strategic objectives: improving knowledge and awareness of good social health, building the evidence base, increasing opportunities for participation, increasing engagement in decision making, and improving healthy behaviours and supporting healthy places. Simply put, it is about initiatives keeping people connected with friends, families and communities, as this helps prevent mental illness.

The second plan the government released on the weekend was the Mental and Social Health Action Plan for the next two years, which outlines the key activities the government will be focused on to support veteran mental health. I am pleased to report to the House that many of the activities are well under way. The government has already expanded access to veterans and veterans' families counselling services. We have expanded arrangements under which DVA will pay for treatment of certain mental health conditions for many ex-service personnel whatever the cause. We have developed online mental health tools and smart phone apps to support our younger cohort of veterans, and online and training information resources to better support our professionals to provide services to our veterans. We have introduced a $10 million casemix coordination initiative to support our vets with complex needs, and we are making sure that defence personnel are better supported with information as they transition out.

These initiatives will make a real difference and I am sure the House joins me in wishing our veterans well as they deal with sometimes difficult mental health issues. I encourage all veterans and all members to get involved with Veterans' Health Week, I encourage veterans to stay connected and I encourage all of us to keep this issue top of mind.