Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to take this opportunity to talk about veterans not just in Cowper but in the entirety of the Mid North Coast—all 11,000-plus of them, the same men and women who represented and protected our country as part of Australia's armed forces. The Mid North Coast as a region has the largest cohort of veterans in New South Wales and obviously one of the largest cohorts of veterans across Australia.

The Mid North Coast encompasses the three electorates of Lyne, Cowper and Page, and, as I've already said, the ABS data says we have over 11,000 returned service men and women. The Mid North Coast Veterans Wellbeing Network is led by passionate advocates, and to that end I'd like to acknowledge Louise Freebairn, Richard Kelloway, Shawn Bergquist, Justin Poppleton, Brian Willey, Steve Walton and many others—

And Robert Freebairn—I thank the member for New England. The reason I mention the regions is that the Mid North Coast Veterans Wellbeing Network represents the whole Mid North Coast, not just one town, or one city, but the complete footprint. For the past three years, they devised a cost-effective and proven model to better advocate for and support all veterans on the Mid North Coast. It was a hub-and-spoke model. So, rather than having one centre to attend that the veterans needed to travel to, it was four, because we know from experience that veterans in distress are less likely to travel long distances. So this model, designed by veterans and veterans advocates, saw four models, where it provided a service. It provided access to those who needed it most. Also, the hub-and-spoke model would attract volunteer advocates to support our veterans, making it easier for them to access those four areas. Why should we make it more difficult for advocates to provide the necessary help?

Prior to the election the coalition government announced $5 million for the hub-and-spoke model, for four regional hubs, as opposed to one, for $5 million. We made an announcement, and of course the veterans were very pleased that they were going to get the services that many other places around Australia would get. The announcement formed part of the 2022 budget, not the proposed 2023 budget.

Unfortunately, Labor has now announced 10 hubs in 10 Labor seats. Despite the fact we have over 11,000 veterans on the Mid North Coast, compared with the 4,000 of the Hunter and compared with around 6,000 of the Tweed or North Coast region, the Mid North Coast and the veterans of the Mid North Coast missed out.

Now, I don't want to seem cynical about these 10 centres going to 10 Labor-held seats, but, if you look at a map with Lyne, Cowper and even New England, you see a vast chasm of nothingness for our veterans. What you see sprinkled around those seats, those National Party seats, are veterans centres in Labor-held seats. I truly hope, and I call out to Minister Keogh, that our veterans are not being penalised due to the fact that they choose to live in National Party seats and choose to have National Party members represent them. I call on him to rectify this situation and provide those services for our veterans.