Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Veterans' Entitlements Amendment Bill 2018. This bill amends the Veterans' Entitlements Act in relation to how the Department of Veterans' Affairs administers bereavement payments, correcting an inadvertent error from amendments made in 1996. This bill reinstates an element which deals with the provision of bereavement payments and recovery of overpayment of a surviving partner.

Essentially, when a veteran passes away the surviving partner is entitled to a bereavement payment, which is made up of 14 weeks of the partner's income support payment. This payment is to assist individuals with the costs following the death of a partner and provide a period of time for the surviving partner to adjust their finances. During this difficult time, it's not uncommon for there to be a delay in advising the department of the death of the veteran, resulting in an overpayment to the partner. In these circumstances, rather than send an overpayment notice, DVA instead deducts the overpayment from the bereavement payment amount. For example, if it takes four weeks to notify DVA of a veteran passing, the bereavement payment will be reduced by four weeks and the surviving partner will receive only 10 weeks of income support in the form of a bereavement payment. This only happens in circumstances where the surviving partner has access to funds through a joint account or some other mechanism.

Where the partner has not had the benefit of the additional weeks, DVA seeks the overpayment from the estate directly. This is consistent with the similar process of the Department of Social Services to minimise unnecessary interactions with DVA. Labor understands that, while DVA has the legal authority to provide the bereavement payment and the legal authority to recover the income support pension paid to the veteran after death, the amendments in this schedule will confirm this authority and streamline the administrative process.

The bereavement payment and the way in which overpayments are recovered is a compassionate process that is supported by the Alliance of Defence Service Organisations and their member organisations, the War Widows Guild and the Partners of Veterans Association in particular. We have sought assurances, as the opposition, that this continues to be supported by these organisations. These organisations have commented that it's better to deduct an overpayment from a partner's entitlement than to send an account weeks or even months after the veteran has passed away, and it is for this reason that Labor supports the bill.

That being said, while Labor support this bill and are happy for it to progress, we are deeply, deeply concerned about the government's undermining of veterans' access to health services. It's for this reason that Labor will be moving an amendment to draw the House's attention to an issue that the government has refused to acknowledge and which is rapidly reaching crisis point. Labor has long been pursuing the issue of the impact that the government's Medicare rebate freeze has on veterans. As members may be aware, the Repatriation Medical Fee Schedule that DVA pays is directly linked to the Medicare Benefits Schedule, which has been frozen by the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison government since 2014. This freeze has led to a situation where DVA rebates have been gradually eroded and they are no longer covering the costs of treatment. Because veterans can't be charged a gap payment, some medical and allied health professionals have had no choice but to turn DVA clients away. Let me say that again: clinicians, doctors and specialists are having to turn veterans away because the DVA payment does not cover costs.

This rebate gap is starkly illustrated when we consider the gap between what a clinical psychologist can charge versus what DVA covers. This is demonstrated by GO2 Health in the Productivity Commission's review into DVA. A clinical psychologist can charge private patients $251 per 60-minute session. In comparison, DVA pays only $148.95 for a 60-minute session. This is a gap of $102.05 per session. And non-clinical psychologists can charge up to $251 per session for private patients while DVA pays only $101.45. This is a gap of $149.55 per session, which means the gap for psychologists is almost 1.5 times the amount that the DVA pays them. There are dedicated and passionate professionals working in this space to assist veterans, but gaps of more than $100 per session are simply too much to overcome.

Australian doctors are telling us that there is a significant problem. The Australian Medical Association completed a survey of their members last year about the impact of the fee schedule freeze. The survey found that almost 30 per cent of specialists were no longer committed to treating veterans. In addition, only 44 per cent of specialists said that they would continue to see veterans if the freeze continues, with the remainder considering other ways to charge veterans.

Anecdotally, veterans have been telling me for some time that they've been unable to access providers due to the ongoing freeze. These are veterans like Andrew, who was seeing a psychiatrist in Sydney but then moved to Darwin and was unable to access a new psychiatrist. During his search, Andrew was told by the psychiatric provider that they were unwilling to treat him as a direct result of the gap in fees.

This issue was also raised by submitters to the Senate inquiry last year into suicide by veterans and ex-service personnel, and by submitters to the current review into compensation and rehabilitation for veterans being conducted by the Productivity Commission. Critically, submissions to the Productivity Commission review from the Prime Minister's own advisory council on veterans' mental health and from the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service National Advisory Committee raised concerns about this emerging gap. The Prime Ministerial Advisory Council on Veterans' Mental Health said in their submission:

It would appear there is a limited, but perhaps increasing, number of medical specialists turning our veterans away once they become aware they are DVA clients. The Council understands the concern regarding accepting DVA clients stems from the fact that the MBS fees have been frozen for many years.

The Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service National Advisory Committee elaborated on this, stating:

The remuneration gap between seeing veterans versus private patients from the general community or Defence members is now so significant that clinical providers are prioritising other clients over DVA referrals. In some cases, providers are refusing to accept clients with DVA white or gold cards because of the poor remuneration offered.

Over the course of these two inquiries, issues have also been raised by Occupational Therapy Australia, GO2 Health, the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, the Australian Psychological Society and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. All of these submitters have raised their concerns about the gap and its impact on service for our veterans.

Despite the evidence provided and the statements coming from the government's own advisory board, the government continue to bury their head in the sand when it comes to the impact of the medical freeze on the DVA fee schedule. DVA have stated that they believe that because they pay more than the MBS there is no problem and veterans should simply shop around. But, while DVA does, indeed, pay more than the MBS, it is clear that the DVA fee schedule is out of step with what providers are charging. The crux of the issue is that, unlike private patients, veterans cannot be charged a gap. So, unless the DVA fee schedule is reflective of broader costs of delivering services, veterans will continue to be turned away from services in favour of private patients.

This is particularly the case, and of particular concern, where there is lack of supply of these services. If there's lack of supply, the medical professionals will go for the highest bidder; they will take private patients over our veterans. In some parts of Australia, it is being made very clear to me, veterans do not have the luxury of shopping around. Frankly, this is unacceptable. Veterans who have access to DVA cards do so with the understanding that they will be able to access the health care they need as a result of the service and sacrifice they have made to our country. Instead, due to the unfair freeze, it is the veteran's own DVA card which is closing off options to them. Labor has been a strong supporter of the government's non-liability healthcare arrangements, and continues to advocate it to members of the ex-service community. But there is little point in having a program for veterans if providers are turning veterans away.

The government has a responsibility to address this issue, which is increasingly impacting veterans. It has been undermining Medicare since 2014. We know that it cannot be trusted with Australia's healthcare system. It is now time for the government to admit that it is impacting not only the wider community but veterans as well, who should not have to worry every day about whether they'll be able to access the health care that they need. But the reality is that they are doing so under this government.

Our veterans do deserve better, and it's for this reason that Labor, whilst not declining to give this bill a second reading, will be moving an amendment today to draw the House's attention to this important issue which is undermining veterans' access to health services. Given the significant concerns raised by providers, by peak organisations and by veterans themselves, we believe it's important to draw attention to these concerns. I call on the government to act urgently to protect veterans' access to health services. I urge the government to listen to their own advisory boards, the organisations, the specialists, the ex-service community and the veterans themselves who are raising these concerns. I ask that the government take serious action to address this issue to ensure that veterans can access the services they need as a result of their sacrifice to our country. Therefore, I move:

That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

"whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House notes with concern that the Government has undermined veterans' access to health services".

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the amendment seconded?

Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the amendment and reserve my right to speak.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The original question was that the bill be now read a second time. To this, the honourable member for Kingston has moved as an amendment that all words after 'That' be omitted with a view to substituting other words. If it suits the House, I will state the question in the form that the amendment be agreed to. The question now is that the amendment be agreed to.

Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To cut to the chase, no, I don't support the amendment. But I do support the bill that is before the House, which is on variations to veterans' entitlements, the Veterans' Entitlements Amendment Bill 2018. It is a relatively simple bill, correcting a drafting oversight that occurred back in 2005—that is an awfully long time ago in parliamentary terms. It does no more than authenticate what is current practice.

Death is a difficult time for all of us. It's no different for veterans and their partners. At that time, as it does across a wide range of issues, the government tries to be supportive of veterans and their families. As a result of the oversight back in 2005, the technicality of the legislation is that, should someone, after they've passed away, be paid an extra payment on their service pension before the department is informed, that is classed as an overpayment. What happens is the surviving spouse receives a bereavement payment which is equivalent to 98 days of the service pension. Technically, what should happen is the overpayment should be recouped and the bereavement payment should go ahead. That's pretty dopey, really. Essentially it's just not smart, and we don't need to place that kind of stress on families. What has been happening is that the overpayment, if you like, is debited against the bereavement payment, and the payment is adjusted by that amount. That is the right and proper way to do things. This legislation just tidies up that loose end from over 20 years ago. What we've been doing will continue to happen and it will apply retrospectively as well, because we don't want anyone raising any silly issues on the side and talking about recouping money from the past. That is a good outcome and it should be supported by both sides of the House. I'm pleased to hear that the Labor Party is going to support that position.

It does give me the opportunity, though, to talk about a number of other issues surrounding veterans and veterans' entitlements. In my electorate, like all of us in our electorates, I come across veterans' organisations on a regular basis. More often than not, they are the RSL clubs or the RSL sub-branches across South Australia, but we also have the Vietnam Veterans' Association down at Moonta and there are a number of others all doing great work. In fact, it's really quite encouraging to see the resurgence in RSL clubs. RSL sub-branches in South Australia are quite different to what other members in this place might experience through New South Wales where, of course, RSL clubs are large community facilities that have accumulated wealth through poker machines in the past and that provide great service to the much wider community. In South Australia, it's a much more low-key affair because that income stream was non-existent in the past. Consequently, some of the sub-branches have drifted into fairly low numbers and low support within community.

I have noticed that in the last six to eight years there has been quite a resurgence of these clubs reaching out to the wider community and encouraging new members to join. The governments have helped facilitate this through the veterans' grants and refurbishing some of these old RSL halls—putting new roofs on them, putting new kitchens in, providing toilet blocks. A recent grant that I was very pleased to see go to the Port Lincoln RSL actually provided UV screening for their windows so their quite substantial and really important and meaningful collection of artefacts can be properly preserved from the sunlight. The very enthusiastic RSL clubs are applying for all kinds of assistance across a wide range of facilities.

The fact that they survive in this more modern world, where of course the number of veterans is not the same as what postwar or post Second World War Australia experienced is a really good thing. It is a good thing that they survive. It is a good thing that they are still there protecting and commemorating the Anzac tradition and that we always remember those who have gone before and, in some cases, given their life for this country. They are the custodians of the legend, and we should support them at every available opportunity, and we do.

There are other things that the government is doing to support veterans, though. There is of course the extended family support package which has been in place since May this year. It is helping veterans and their families with expanded childcare funding, counselling support for immediate family members of veterans experiencing crisis, home help and counselling support for spouses and partners. Service in war is about much more than the physical injuries; it is also about the mental scars that people carry. Those of us who are of the generation remember well, for instance, the appalling reception that our Vietnam veterans got when they returned to Australia in the late sixties and early seventies—and no wonder some of them are mentally scarred. I'm very pleased that all sides of politics have moved past that vindictive era. It was terrible politics at the time and certainly the wrong way to address what some may have seen as an unpopular war. By all means vent your rage on the government of the day, but leave the soldiers out of it; they are the ones who put their lives on the line for the service of the nation. Of course, that has led to higher levels of mental illness with that generation and that particular conflict than we've probably ever seen before and hopefully will never see again. But that's not meaning to say that those that give service today don't deal with issue when they return home.

Like many members, I have taken part in the Defence placements that this place facilitates, the interaction between the defence forces and the parliamentarians. Unfortunately, due to time issues, I've only had the opportunity to go on one of those placements, and I chose to go to Afghanistan. I met there with many of our special forces groups, some of whom were on their fifth tour of duty. They are fine individuals and they really do fill you with a great degree of confidence that Australia is being very well served. But there must come to everyone a real adjustment pattern when they return to civilian life in Australia. We need to be acutely aware of the challenges that face those who have served in that area. Of course, that's what we're doing with the extended family support package and the counselling service. It's a good outcome.

We're also contributing across a wide range of areas with helping veterans manage their families. The Long Tan Bursary is one that's become increasingly popular. It was only in this year's budget that we extended the eligibility for Vietnam veterans' children through to Vietnam veterans' childrens' children, bearing in mind that there are some intergenerational issues that arise with people who have been through these really tough times.

Right across the board, I'm quite enthused by the amount of effort government is putting into making sure that we complete our obligation to complete the circle, if you like. We need to make sure that those people who have given so much to the nation are embraced properly by our modern society, which moves so quickly and sometimes can leave people behind. For my part, and I guess for every member in this parliament, we are always open to approaches from the veterans community who come to us with various issues—people who have slipped off the table or disappeared under the carpet and those who are sometimes in quite unfortunate circumstances. It's a great privilege in this place to be able to intervene personally and help those people by finding services for them to get the treatment they need. I encourage all members to keep doing that, and I don't think there would be one member in this place or the other place who would not do exactly that. It is a bipartisan approach to making sure we're looking after that generation and those who have served us before. I commend the bill.

Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Former US president Theodore Roosevelt said:

A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards.

Truer words have probably never been spoken. However, in contemporary times, I would like to add 'any man or woman'. It is right and just that the men and women who put their lives on the line—and their families, who also sacrifice so much—get a fair deal from the country they serve to protect. When an individual undertakes to serve his or her country, we in turn undertake a commitment to supporting them and their loved ones. If we are being honest in this place, can the Morrison government say hand on heart that they are genuinely doing good enough for our currently serving and ex-serving personnel, veterans and their families? Are the 500 ex-serving personnel and veterans who are leaving the ADF every year on average in Townsville alone better off after they leave the forces? Are veterans able to get quality employment, access to health services or access to clinical specialists? Are they receiving the support they need?

Unfortunately, when I visit homeless centres in Townsville, the evidence suggests that the government is not doing well enough. Unfortunately, when I visit ex-service organisations in Townsville, I am told that the government could do much more for veterans. And, unfortunately, when I meet the veterans and their families and hear their stories regarding their inability to access health services—in some cases, for months—it tells me that the government is not doing well enough. Access to health services for our veterans is the largest-growing concern for Townsville's defence community. This LNP government is actually at the heart of the problem. Access to clinical services is being impacted by the LNP government's indexation freeze on the DVA's Repatriation Medical Fee Schedule. The fee schedule, which is indexed in line with the Medicare rebate indexation, has remained stagnant, and this is acting as a disincentive for some medical specialists to provide treatment for veterans. The LNP government's Medicare freeze impacts those veterans who access health services that are paid by DVA, with the Repatriation Medical Fee Schedule linked to Medicare rebates. As the Repatriation Medical Fee Schedule is unable to increase while the Medicare rebates are frozen, and veterans are unable to be charged a gap, this is forcing clinicians to turn veterans away.

This is not just a Labor concern. It has also been a concern voiced by the Australian Medical Association, the Australian Psychological Association, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention. The impact on veterans was highlighted in a survey conducted by the Australian Medical Association, which found that:

… the indexation freeze is clearly having an impact on access to care for veterans and this will only get worse over time … The continuation of the indexation freeze puts a significant question mark over the future viability of the DVA funding arrangements and the continued access to quality specialist care for veterans.

The organisations and bodies that I mentioned above are not the only people concerned about this issue. The Commonwealth Ombudsman has also made submissions to the Productivity Commission inquiry into compensation and rehabilitation for veterans and has highlighted the difficulty veterans are having in accessing health services, noting that it is deeply concerned. The Ombudsman has exposed how wrong the LNP government is and demonstrates what veterans, the Australian Medical Association and Labor have been saying for some time: that the government's ongoing Medicare freeze is limiting access to medical treatment for veterans.

In addition, the report highlights the fact that multiple health checks and excessive delays have sadly become the norm for many veterans applying for assistance from DVA. It should never, ever be the norm for any of our veterans to have to wait for healthcare assistance from DVA. Furthermore, the Prime Minister's own advisory council on veterans' mental health said in their submission to the commission:

It would appear there is a limited, but perhaps increasing, number of medical specialists turning our veteran away once they become aware they are DVA clients. The Council understand the concern regarding accepting DVA clients stems from the fact that MBS fees have been frozen for many years.

That is advice from the Prime Minister's own advisory council on veterans, but what does this arrogant LNP government do? It continues to ignore calls by veterans and their families, Labor and the experts to lift the Medicare freeze.

Probably the most damning statement against the LNP government and the Medicare freeze is from the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service National Advisory Committee, who stated:

The remuneration gap between seeing veterans versus private patients from the general community or Defence members is now so significant that clinical providers are prioritising other clients over DVA referrals. In some cases, providers are refusing to accept clients with DVA white or gold cards because of the poor remuneration offered. The health industry is being forced by this government to turn away from veterans who are seeking help. This is not the fault of the health industry: the blame lies squarely with this current government. In a submission to the commission GO2 Health, a privately owned, multidisciplinary medical centre which provides care and support for more than 600 active DVA clients, stated:

Under the current DVA payment scheme, the majority of the expected community health care team are poorly remunerated for their hard work supporting the veterans. As a centre that specialises in the care of veterans, GO2 Health is keenly aware of the financial hardship taken on by practitioners who choose to serve the veteran community.

Doctors should not be left with the financial hardship and, more importantly, our Defence community should not be left without medical assistance. This issue was also raised in the Senate inquiry into suicide by veterans and ex-serving personnel by submitters, including the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, the Australian Psychological Society and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. Our Defence community deserve better than an LNP government that has cut their pay and frozen their health entitlements, making it harder for our veterans to seek medical assistance; is not adequately supporting an employment scheme and matching Labor's $121 million veterans' employment scheme; and has not committed to Australia's first military covenant, as Labor has just announced.

If Labor were in government right now, we would have a military covenant that would question whether a policy or legislation has been in the best interest of our military community. A military covenant could question whether freezing the Medicare rebate and therefore also freezing the Repatriation Medical Fee Schedule is truly in the best interests of our veterans and their families. The chances are that these are not in the best interests of our ex-serving personnel, veterans and their families.

That is why the military covenant announced by Labor is so important for our Defence community. A Labor government would sign and establish Australia's first military covenant, a formal agreement that will ensure that our nation's Defence Force members are fully supported during and after their service. The covenant will recognise the significant commitment that our armed forces make in serving this great nation. But what is most important about this announcement is that Labor will also introduce legislation that will require future governments to report annually to the parliament on how they are meeting their responsibilities in supporting our serving and ex-serving personnel and their families. The inclusion of accountability in this legislation ensures that we are measuring outcomes and not just speaking hollow words.

The covenant will be similar to the United Kingdom's Armed Forces Covenant, a document of principles promising those who serve or have served in the armed forces and their families that they will be treated fairly, especially in their time of need. Labor will work with the Australian Defence Force, the Department of Veterans' Affairs and ex-service organisations to draft the relevant wording for the military covenant and associated legislation. The covenant will make sure that those in need do not simply fall through the cracks, as so often happens now.

I want to acknowledge the strong advocacy work of ex-serving organisations, particularly ADSO, and especially local Townsville advocate retired colonel Ray Martin, whose work and advocacy over the last nine years for the defence covenant must be recognised in this place.

Those who put their lives on hold to serve our country deserve to know that we acknowledge the sacrifice that they and their families have made in serving our nation and that we are committed to being there for them when they need support and assistance. When a current serving or ex-serving person, veteran or family member goes to a doctor seeking help, they should not be treated as second-class citizens and refused assistance purely because this government refuses to lift the Medicare freeze. I want to go back to the quote that I started with:

A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards.

Again I will add 'a man or woman'. Our Defence community deserve a square deal, and they certainly deserve better than what this disgraceful LNP government is doing to them. It is about time those opposite remember that.

I will always stand up for our Defence community because they have given their lives for Australia, the Australia that I know and love today. I also acknowledge that Townsville is the largest garrison city in the nation with the largest veterans population. The contribution that is made by the Defence forces in my community, both socially and economically, is absolutely significant. I pay my deep respects to them and their families and thank them for the contribution they make to the Townsville community.

Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I support the Veterans' Entitlements Amendment Bill 2018, which seeks to reinsert an inadvertently omitted provision which will allow the Department of Veterans' Affairs to offset pension overpayments from bereavement payments in one streamlined transaction. The amendment regularises the existing administrative practices and does not change current entitlements for veterans and families. The Department of Veterans' Affairs already has legal authority to provide bereavement payments and to recover overpayments of income support pensions. What this will do is to streamline these two transactions into one administrative transaction. This is a compassionate, sympathetic and unobtrusive response that avoids disturbing the family with additional interactions with the DVA while they are grieving.

By way of background, the bereavement payment is a one-off, non-taxable payment paid to a surviving spouse that is equivalent to 98 days, representing 14 weeks of service pension. It is designed to assist the widow or widower with the costs following the death of their partner and to provide a period to adjust their finances following the cessation of their deceased partner's payments. The bereavement payment is paid automatically once the family notifies the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Prior to their death, a veteran may have been receiving an income support pension under the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986. Generally, there is a small period of time after someone has died before the family notifies DVA, and this may result in an overpayment of a pension, usually between $500 to $1,000. The practice is that, where an overpayment occurs, DVA adjusts this amount from the bereavement payment. This amendment maintains the status quo and ensures that the adjustment is made in a single administrative process, rather than through the transfer of a more formal debt recovery process. The Department of Human Services also follows this practice in relation to deaths of Centrelink pensioners. Members of the Ex-Service Organisation Round Table, ESORT, have been consulted and have not expressed any concerns.

The government has brought into parliament a measure that was inadvertently removed under Labor's watch in 1995. The shadow minister, the member for Kingston, was briefed on this measure on 22 August. When the bill was introduced three weeks ago there were no concerns raised at that time, and nor have there been since.

The veteran community in my electorate of Moore is ably represented by the Joondalup City Returned and Services League sub-branch, which advocates for the needs of ex-service personnel. The sub-branch provides its welfare and advocacy services to an estimated 5,500 ex-service personnel within the city of Joondalup from the Heathridge Leisure Centre. Whilst welfare assistance is only available to RSL members, all ex-service people can access support and advice. A team of volunteers, including the Joondalup City RSL president, Rick Green, and the secretary, Ken Beven, liaise with the Department of Veterans' Affairs on behalf of all veterans, and a qualified counsellor is available who can provide support. There are also many other RSL sub-branches in the northern suburbs of Perth whose members perform commendable work and with which I'm pleased to have an association, including the Quinns Rocks RSL, the North Beach RSL and the Wanneroo RSL sub-branches.

Providing assistance to veterans and families of veterans is a most deserving cause, and governments of all persuasions ought to prioritise measures that promote the welfare of ex-service personnel. I support the regular review of indexation of veterans' benefits to ensure that the purchasing power of payments maintains parity with the ever-increasing cost of living and is in line with the growth in average weekly earnings.

The coalition government recognises the important role that families play in supporting our serving and ex-serving personnel, and has introduced a range of measures to support Defence families. The Extended Family Support package has been operating since 1 May 2018. This support is available to eligible veterans and their families and to the spouses or partners of veterans killed in recent conflicts or who have taken their life after returning from warlike service. Extending family support for veterans and their families is one of five new measures announced by the government in October 2017 to support current and former ADF members and their families. The additional assistance provides for expanded childcare arrangements in specific circumstances, counselling support for the immediate family members of veterans experiencing crisis, and home help and counselling support for the spouses of veterans killed in recent conflict or veterans who have taken their life after returning from warlike service.

Under the Veterans' Children Education Scheme and the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act Education and Training Scheme, financial assistance, student support services, guidance and counselling are provided for eligible children to help them achieve their full potential in full-time education or career training. The schemes were established under the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 and the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004. Children of veterans, as students, may also be eligible for a number of benefits, including education allowance, special assistance, fares allowance, rent assistance, additional tuition, guidance and counselling, tertiary student start-up and relocation scholarships, the energy supplement and the income support bonus.

In addition, the Long Tan Bursary scheme provides funding to help eligible children of Australian Vietnam veterans to meet the cost of post-secondary education so they can obtain formal qualifications and skills needed to pursue their chosen career. A total of 37 bursaries of up to $12,000 paid over a three-year period of continuous study are available each year. The bursary is currently available to the children of Vietnam veterans who served in Vietnam from 31 July 1962 to 30 April 1975. As announced in this year's budget, from 1 July 2019, eligibility for the bursary will be extended to the grandchildren of Vietnam veterans.

The Veteran and Community Grants program provides funding for organisations, both veteran and non-veteran, for activities and services which sustain and enhance the health and wellbeing of the veteran community. In the 2017-18 year, $2.166 million was allocated for the grants. The program provides seed funding for projects which support a healthy quality lifestyle for members of the veteran community to assist them to remain living independently in their own homes and reduce social isolation.

The coalition government allocated $2.1 million over two years in the 2016-17 budget to the Australian Kookaburra Kids Foundation to deliver an age-appropriate pilot program for children of serving and ex-serving parents with a mental health condition. The pilot program was launched in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory in mid-2017, with programs in Queensland and the Northern Territory launched in February 2018. The program is replicating the good work already being delivered in New South Wales by Kookaburra Kids, with enhancements, where necessary, to support the unique needs of the Defence and ex-service community. Since the pilot program's implementation in mid-2017, Kookaburra Kids has held 15 activity days and four weekend camps in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. In 2018, Kookaburra Kids launched in the Northern Territory and in Queensland, so far delivering three activity days and one camp in the Northern Territory, and two activity days and one camp in Queensland. Further camps and activities are scheduled for the second half of 2018 in New South Wales, the ACT, the Northern Territory and Queensland. Feedback to date from the children attending the Kookaburra Kids activities and their parents has been very positive and supportive.

The Department of Veterans' Affairs has a framework to assist contemporary widows, widowers and dependants of Australian Defence Force members who died whilst deployed in warlike or non-warlike service. Its aim is to promote health and wellbeing; facilitate access to family, social and community supports; reduce stress and anxiety; and assist with activities of daily living, particularly where the deceased Australian Defence Force member may have ordinarily provided this support.

The bereavement support services component of the framework commenced in mid-2014 and was introduced to provide assistance in the period following the serving Australian Defence Force member's death and, if required, at later, more important junctures in life. Bereavement support services include but are not limited to: domestic assistance, transport, home and garden maintenance, formal child care, in-home respite, child minding, vocational assistance, and fitness services.

The Department of Veterans' Affairs is also continuing to work with ex-service organisations to ensure that the framework remains relevant and useful. The coalition government recognises the important role of families in recovery from military trauma. That is why, in the 2017 budget, the government made the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service even more accessible to families by extending access to the partners and children of all current and former members of the Australian Defence Force and the ex-partners of eligible Australian Defence Force members who have served for a period of five years following separation or for the duration of co-parenting responsibilities for children aged under 18.

These changes are aimed at providing simplified access to the service for more families, which will increase the level of early engagement and intervention for both members and their families. The Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service is currently running family consultation programs to ensure that the expanded eligibility is meeting families' needs. It is anticipated that this will minimise the ongoing adverse effects of family breakdown on all parties and support more effective family functioning. The coalition government recognises the important role that families play in supporting our serving and ex-serving personnel and has introduced a range of measures to support Defence families, which I have just outlined. Providing assistance to veterans and families is a most deserving cause, and governments ought to prioritise measures that promote the welfare of ex-serving personnel. I'm cognisant of the calls for the regular review and indexation of veterans' benefits to ensure that the purchasing power of payments maintains parity with the ever-increasing cost of living and is in line with the growth of average weekly earnings.

In summary, this bill seeks to reinstate an inadvertently omitted provision which will allow the Department of Veterans' Affairs to offset pension overpayments from bereavement payments in one streamlined transaction. The amendment regularises the existing administrative practice and does not change the current entitlements for veterans and families. What this will do is streamline these two transactions into one administrative transaction. This is a compassionate, sympathetic and unobtrusive response which avoids disturbing the family with additional interactions with the Department of Veterans' Affairs while they are grieving. I commend the bill to the House.

Mike Kelly (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence Industry and Support) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I commend the Minister for Veterans' Affairs for bringing forward these reforms to this scheme that has been long overdue and in need of amendment and revision due to the inadvertent impacts that it had on the widows of our veterans. But I also rise in support of the amendment proposed by the shadow minister for veterans' affairs, because there's some unfinished business that's associated with the support measures for veterans. This is an area of policy that we often strive across the aisles here to achieve bipartisanship on as much and as far as possible, and I think that's been one of the great traditions of our parliament. We've been committed to supporting those who have served and sacrificed for our nation while also bearing in mind the importance of recognising families in that endeavour and the impacts on them. I'll come back to that in a minute.

I think we've realised, in recent times, with the new wave of veterans coming through, that there are a lot of things that need to be picked up and dealt with. We've recently had the Senate inquiry into veterans' mental health and suicide. Hopefully there'll be more to come from that. I've been really gratified to work in conjunction with my colleague the member for Berowra on the parliamentary group on the prevention of suicide. We've been very pleased about the progress that we've made on addressing issues of mental health and suicide, generally, through that friendship group. I want to salute the member from Berowra for his work on that group as well. But we need to see more flowing through from the results of the Senate inquiry into the mental health and suicide aspects of dealing with veterans' and ex-service people's mental conditions and mental health issues.

I'm very pleased to say that Labor has really taken this time in opposition to look at a number of issues that need to be addressed in this space as well. In particular, I was very pleased to be with the shadow minister and my colleague, who's also in the Defence portfolio, the shadow assistant minister for cybersecurity, who was with me on the day that we announced our support for veterans in getting jobs. This is a critical part of the whole mental health story as well, which is that transition piece for veterans. On that day we announced a $121 million package for a comprehensive veterans' employment policy. The idea behind this is that we want our people to get into good jobs and we need to do a lot more in boosting recognition of their skills. That's recognition for prior learning. That's part of our policy: to really aggressively lean forward on that to make sure that all of the wonderful skills, the wonderful learning that goes on in a Defence career, the particular attributes that are reinforced, the leadership skills and the communication skills all receive the appropriate recognition with states and territories and leading institutions. We intend to make that a key focus of this policy, but, more than that, we want to make sure that we're addressing this really big issue of veterans and unemployment. We're seeing that that sits at around about 30 per cent at the moment. For those who don't medically discharge, it's estimated that we're looking at an 11.2 per cent unemployment rate. This is a very critical issue. It's a very critical issue for the self-esteem and mental health of those veterans.

We were going to provide eligible businesses with a training grant of $5,000 to help veterans gain the specific skills and experience they may require in a particular Australian business, particularly in a small business which may not be able to assist with, provide or pay for that training. We would step in to that gap and enable our people to acquire the skills that they would need to fill a particular niche, within a small or medium enterprise particularly. This grant would really be designed to bridge that gap.

If we return to government, we'd be very enthusiastic about introducing this measure, which also establishes a transition service to supplement that support for employment training so that we would be very proactive in reaching out to veterans wanting career advice or seeking relevant and useful employment. Those training advisors that we would have within that transition service would receive particular training and be equipped to provide one-on-one support and advice to ADF personnel, making sure that they have the ability to reach out and take advantage of the best opportunities out there for themselves and their families, if they are in a family situation. Tailored assistance and effective support will also be rendered longer in that situation as well. We're going to extend access to that support for up to five years following a period of intensive support during the first 12 months. That support will remain there to continue to prop up our ex-service and veterans as they seek to transition. We would hope that we could implement that policy, but, certainly, I would encourage the government to look at a similar scheme that might be implemented before the next election.

I'm proud that we have also stepped forward on resolving the malarial drugs issue that has recently been a cause of great concern amongst veterans. People served in areas where malarial drugs were, effectively, being experimented with. I'm very pleased that Labor initiated the Senate inquiry that's going on into that at the present time. They're out there seeking evidence, and people should feel reassured.

I know that there were some who talked about whether there should be a royal commission or not, probably not quite properly appreciating the fact that Senate inquiries are armed with the full range of legal abilities to enable them to extract and obtain information, testimony et cetera and to take appropriate action to ensure that. The Senate inquiry process, I believe, will be a good one. We should, hopefully, get to the bottom of it—or at least begin the process of finding the key indicators and directions we need to go in to find out more or to have further investigation conducted into the effects of those malarial drugs and then, of course, ultimately to bring relief to the veterans who may be suffering from conditions associated with those malarial drugs. That would also, hopefully, bring a lot of relief to their families, who, as is often the case, are on the receiving end of the psychological effects of these situations.

I was also really pleased to see the announcement by our shadow minister recently of the establishment of a military covenant which would be underpinned by legislation. It's already something that has been done in the United Kingdom with no adverse consequences. It is a very important and clear signal to our people who are serving, but also for those who would seek to enter a career in the Australian Defence Force, that we have their backs and that that commitment will remain solid through all that they go through. I think people need to understand that that includes in training regimes, even without deployment. I've seen many times in my own career that people were severely injured or killed. Even if they don't receive an injury or lose their lives, just the sheer stresses and strain of a normal ADF career, even if they don't deploy, can be quite significant.

The military covenant process would really underpin the nation's commitment to our service personnel and their families, so I'm really gratified that that has been done. It was a commitment that began to be made a few years ago when I established a meeting between veterans' groups and the Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, at the time. It is wonderful to see that we've been able to follow through with a firm commitment on that, should we be elected to government.

There are, of course, some still outstanding issues. One of them is addressed by this second reading amendment by the shadow minister. She has highlighted that it is a significant issue. The Repatriation Medical Fee Schedule, being linked to the Medicare Benefits Schedule, the MBS, has been severely affected by this ongoing Medicare freeze. I know that the minister himself is obviously doing what he can in his portfolio, but he needs help from some of his colleagues in other portfolios, in particular the Minister for Health, to resolve this issue, because the DVA fee schedule has remained stagnant since 2014 as a consequence.

As has been highlighted, we've had doctors telling us of the serious impact this has had. Thirty per cent of specialists are no longer committed to treating veterans. Only 44 per cent of specialists have said they will continue to see veterans if the freeze continues, and the remainder are considering other ways to charge veterans. And veterans are starting to suffer from this. The shadow minister highlighted some of the examples and testimony she's received from veterans in this situation.

Coming back to this mental health issue, which is so critical, we know that the Senate inquiry into suicide by veterans and ex-service personnel had submissions from the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, the Australian Psychological Society and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. Despite their repeated attempts to raise that issue, the fee schedule has continued to be out of step with what providers charge. As a result, veterans are being turned away from critical services in the mental health space that is at the heart of preventing these suicides. So this amendment is obviously critical, and I would urge the Minister for Health to support his colleague the Minister for Veterans' Affairs to deliver a solution as soon as possible in that respect.

We've also seen the veterans raising the issue of the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation in the context of the current royal commission into banks. We've seen amazing things revealed during that royal commission, and certainly there was no excuse for trying to avoid such a royal commission. It has shone a light on areas in our financial services and banking sector that really did need to be highlighted so that we can move on to reform. We've seen evidence that's related to the superannuation sector as well, but it is missing this piece of looking into the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation, and veterans are very keen for that to happen. Labor has endorsed that call. We support it. If we were in a position where the royal commission was continuing, we would certainly act to include the review of the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation as well. I call on the government, while the royal commission is still in place, to extend the royal commission, if necessary, to make sure that the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation issues are included in its work.

What was also a concern since the 2014 budget was the hits that veteran support services were taking from that period of time, which seriously threatened to undermine the bipartisanship that we have in this space. That included withdrawing veterans' area network support—the human contact that a lot of veterans would reach out to in rural and regional areas such as mine. Having that human contact is very important. I know it's often said that veterans of the new generation are computer savvy and understand how to access information. From the contact that I have had with veterans who have approached me, I can say that they're struggling. They're struggling to process the application forms and with the processes for entering the portal to get DVA support. Not having that veterans' area network system in place, with a human face and some human contact for them to engage with, is a really significant issue. I would also urge a review of the withdrawal of those services. Attempting to push veterans completely onto an online process is not very helpful.

We also saw attempts to withdraw the energy supplement. Thankfully, we've now had a reversal forced in that situation. That was going to impact on veterans as well. There were a number of other provisions in the 2014 budget that were going to affect veterans' pensions, support for widows, the legatees and the children in terms of education support. It's good that a lot of the measures of the 2014 budget were subsequently abandoned.

There are a couple of other things outstanding. We do need to take a closer look at personal equipment issues for our soldiers and airmen. A lot of our soldiers get broken by equipment that isn't properly designed or fitted for them. We do need to take a closer look at bespoking their equipment to prevent the costs of medical support later down the track. Every cent spent on that kind of personal fitting of soldiers will save a lot of money down the track.

I also had an issue with a constituent—I'll just use her first name, Thelma—who indicated other areas where we do have some holes to address. She was married to a veteran who had been a prisoner of war to the Japanese. She'd lived with him for 40 years after the Second World War, enduring a lot of stress and strain. He coped very badly with that experience, including alcohol abuse. He engaged in physical abuse of his wife through the nightmares that he was having; he would wake up in the middle of the night and he'd be strangling his wife. At some point, after enduring years of this, she had to leave him on the advice of doctors and others, who said that her life was at threat. She did it reluctantly but she had no other choice. When her husband died, she was not permitted to have access to widow support at that point. I remember we were trying to get her access to an ex gratia payment in that situation but, unfortunately, she died in hospital with a septicaemia complaint after getting a hip replacement, so we weren't able to deliver that relief for her. It is something that we also need to address in this space, in circumstances like that. I commend this amendment to the House.

Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the Veterans' Entitlements Amendment Bill 2018, which has bipartisan support. I'd like to take the opportunity to thank and acknowledge those opposite for their support of this bill. The Australian government will establish an Australian veterans' covenant that acknowledges the service and sacrifices of the veteran community. The government has been supporting veterans and their families for 100 years. As the Department of Veterans' Affairs heads into its second century, much has changed but the commitment to supporting veterans and their families remains steadfast. So many of our Defence Force men and women end their lives away from Australia, on a different shore. They, too, do a great job in providing services not just to our nation but to those who live in many different countries in the world. Their efforts are extraordinary.

The government invests more than $11 billion each year in supporting veterans and their families and continues to invest in veterans' services to ensure the system of support is amongst the best in the world. Recently, I visited the sub-branch of Sapphire, which is on the Gemfields in Central Queensland. When I asked for a show of hands on how they were being looked after, they all put up their hands and said that the Australian government is as one in looking after their services and their health. Supporting those who have served our nation is the responsibility of not just government but the whole grateful nation. Communities and businesses from across the country all have a role to play in ensuring veterans and their families are supported.

The Veterans' Entitlement Amendment Bill 2018 was introduced on 22 August 2018 to reinsert inadvertently removed provisions to offset pension overpayments from bereavement payments in one streamlined transaction. This is a compassionate, sympathetic and unobtrusive response which avoids disturbing the families with the additional interaction with DVA while they are grieving. These amendments regularise DVA practice and do not change current entitlements for veterans or their families. Everything will remain the same. It only means that it will be streamlined. DVA already has the legal authority to provide bereavement payments and to recover overpayments of income support pensions. This will streamline these two transactions into one transaction.

In my electorate of Flynn, there have been three recent announcements. The first was in relation to $27,500 to the Armistice Centenary Grants, which was allocated to the Taroom RSL to install a new war memorial at the Ludwig Leichhardt centre in Taroom. The second was for Saluting their Service—a government's grant of $4,000 to upgrade the Emerald State High School's centenary memorial. The third was at Agnes Water/1770 RSL Sub-Branch—a grant of $7,725 under the Veteran and Community Grants program to undertake bus trips to reduce social isolation and purchase first aid training.

There are 1,550 veterans in my electorate. The average age is 65. Around one-third of those 1,550 are receiving service pensions. There is a streamlining, unobtrusive process continuing, with bereavement payments being made. In 2015, we re-enacted a troop train movement from Winton to Brisbane, and that went very well. We had 250 people on that train. It highlighted the fact that 550 First World War troops came from the small town of Winton, north of Longreach. It took a hell of a toll on that town in the First World War, with most young men of the right age committing themselves to that war. Many of them, of course, did not return.

In light of the time and to give someone else a chance to speak, I'd like to close. Before I do that, I'd like to pay my respects to Con Sciacca. Paul Neville, the former member for Hinkler, often told me what a great man Con Sciacca was and how he worked so hard for the DVA. Con was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for his services to ex-personnel. Paul said he was just a dream to work with. Paul was a good National from Bundaberg and Con was a Labor man from Brisbane, but together they worked so hard for the betterment of the lives of those who were left—those who fought so hard for our country.

Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support the Veterans' Entitlement Amendment Bill 2018, but I really want to address my remarks to the amendment that has been moved, because right now some veterans are missing out on mental health services as a direct result of the government's ongoing Medicare freeze. This isn't an issue that's come out of the blue. It's been raised by multiple inquiries and it's been raised anecdotally with us and, no doubt, with the other side. The underlying situation comes about because the DVA fee schedule is linked to the Medicare Benefits Schedule and the MBS rebates. As a consequence of the government's continuing Medicare freeze, the DVA fee schedule has remained stagnant since 2014—so we're talking four years. It really means the DVA schedule is out of step with the real world. The situation that has been described to me is a gap in payments of anywhere between $102 to about $150 for psychiatrists and psychologists. Of course, it comes about because people can't pay the DVA gap. We have a real inequity here and we have a responsibility to act on this.

In conversations with serving personnel and those who recently transitioned to civilian life or are about to transition, including those who've been discharged on medical grounds because of mental health problems, it's pretty obvious that looking after veterans' mental health has to be a key priority for this place. There is a strong commitment on both sides, but we are letting them down here. It's been raised by the Australian Medical Association. Their survey last year about the impact of the fee schedule freeze found that almost 30 per cent of specialists were no longer committed to treating veterans and only 44 per cent said they'll continue to see veterans if the freeze continues, with the remainder considering other ways to charge veterans. That's coming from doctors themselves.

As part of the Productivity Commission's current inquiry into compensation and rehabilitation for veterans, the Prime Ministerial Advisory Council on Veterans' Mental Health said in their submission:

It would appear there is a limited, but perhaps increasing, number of medical specialists turning our veterans away once they become aware they are DVA clients. The Council understands the concern regarding accepting DVA clients stems from the fact that MBS fees have been frozen for many years.

This is clearly already on the record. In addition, the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service National Advisory Committee stated:

The remuneration gap between seeing veterans versus private patients from the general community or Defence members is now so significant that clinical providers are prioritising other clients over DVA referrals. In some cases, providers are refusing to accept clients with DVA white or gold cards because of the poor remuneration offered.

I've had conversations with people about occupational health. This is affecting allied health therapists as well. There is a change in make up of the people they're seeing simply because of this problem with the benefits that are being paid.

I don't think that we as a parliament can expect people to go and serve this country and then not look after them when they come back. Their families deserve that, and they deserve that. I'm very pleased to see that Labor has announced our military covenant, which would ensure that we all have at heart the best interests of Defence Force personnel and veterans—those who've served and those who've retired for whatever reason. That is what everybody should expect from this place.

It's particularly concerning that we were aware of this issue because it came up in a Senate inquiry into suicide by veterans and ex-service personnel. As I say, it's not a new issue; it's not something that we can pretend we didn't know about. It was raised by the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, the Australian Psychological Society and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. We have been told and we should be listening to the things people are saying.

When we expect men and women to selflessly serve their country, they rightly expect that, when they come home, they're given appropriate access to health care, and that means that it is appropriately funded. The paperwork is, to say the least, daunting. One young man recently shared with me the hoops he has to jump through—pages and pages of documents to work through. It's hard enough if you're well, but if you're suffering from PTSD, depression or another mental illness then it's like climbing Everest to get that paperwork done. Having done all of that, be deemed eligible and then be turned away from medical professionals because the rebate is so far below the going rate is really devastating for our veterans and for their families. Remember, this is not about one person; this is about all the people around them. So we really do have to step in and take action on this matter, and I would urge the government to consider acting on this very swiftly. We've talked about the impact of the Medicare freeze on the wider community. Here is yet another group being profoundly impacted. If we can change it to make it a better outcome for even a small number of veterans who are suffering, then we're doing the right thing in this place. I commend the amendment to the House.

Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It being 1.30 pm, the debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 43. The debate may be resumed at a later hour.