Andrew Wilkie (Denison, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, Ray Williams was a peacekeeper in Beirut during the civil war. He was shot at and shelled but had no weapon, body armour or support. He suffers from PTSD. Remarkably though, Ray has been fighting for 18 years to have his service recognised as warlike. Yes, there is a review into service with the Truce Supervision Organization but it has been going for years and will likely outlive the veterans. Prime Minister, do you agree that everyone injured or wounded in the ADF, wherever they have served, should be given the same high level of support? Will you stop this bureaucratic nonsense, order the UNTSO review finalised and help veterans like Ray Williams?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question and acknowledge his service in the defence of our nation. The coalition is committed to ensuring that veterans like Mr Williams and future veterans and their families have all the support that they need.

In this year's budget the government expanded access to free mental health treatment and support for Australia's veterans to ensure that anybody who has ever served as a permanent member of the ADF has access to free mental health treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, alcohol and substance abuse without having to prove it is service related. This assistance, as the honourable member knows, can be accessed by contacting the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

The Department of Veterans' Affairs is committed to providing support to all eligible members and former members of the ADF who have medical conditions that are related to their service. In addition, medical treatment for a range of conditions can be provided irrespective of whether the condition is in fact related to service. Where a member has a very high level of service-related impairment the amount of compensation they receive will be the same, regardless of whether they were injured in operational or non-operational circumstances.

In 2014 Defence commenced a review of the nature of service classifications for ADF service with the United Nations service that you referred to earlier—1956 to 2010. This review is continuing to work through its work. The findings are continuing to be developed. It is a complex process due to the changing nature of the conflict during this extensive period of time, which makes it difficult to determine the right category to describe the service. This review will, however, be completed by the end of this year.

So, in answer to the honourable member's question: when will this review be completed? It will be completed by the end of this year. As to Mr Williams's case I will ask the Minister for Veterans' Affairs to get all of the details from you—he may have them already—and he will follow up that case.

I want to reassure the honourable member and all veterans that the Department of Veterans' Affairs will continue to look after them. That is our obligation. We take that very seriously, as I am sure all honourable members do. They deserve their own department dedicated to the special needs that come with being a returned serviceman or servicewomen. They put their lives on the line for us. They put their health at risk for us, and we have to care for them. I can assure the honourable member and all honourable members that the minister is as committed to this as anyone in this parliament and determined to do the right thing by all of our veterans and their families.