Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very appreciative of an additional opportunity to make a contribution in the lead-up to Remembrance Day. Having recently returned from speaking directly with veterans in the Northern Territory, I am frustrated and I am concerned that the current Minister for Veterans' Affairs continues to ignore the fact that Northern Territory veterans do not have the same representation as veterans in other jurisdictions, like Victoria, where he is from, as an example. Reflecting on the sacrifices of Vietnam veterans, I have spoken with Vietnam veterans from the Territory in the last couple of days, and they are disgusted that the veterans' affairs minister has not even had the common decency to reply to their letters asking why the Northern Territory does not have a deputy commissioner for veterans affairs. I am sure the veterans' affairs minister in this week of Remembrance Day will be out there talking to all the veterans about what wonderful things he is doing, but he has not had the decency to reply—and it is not just a slight against me, but I represent veterans in the Northern Territory who have been forgotten about by this Minister for Veterans' Affairs. It is not good enough. We are going to start ramping up the pressure on him, because he is letting those veterans down.