Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Federal Labor promised that, if elected to government, we would provide a new wellbeing hub for veterans and defence personnel in the Surf Coast and Geelong region. As with all of our election promises, the Albanese government is now delivering. Later this month the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel, Matt Keogh, and I are holding an engagement session for local veterans to share their ideas on what they want their local hub to look like.

My electorate of Corangamite has one of the highest number of veterans in Victoria, with around 2,000 veterans and family members, and around 3,500 veterans and family members in the Greater Geelong region. I envisage this local centre will be a family-friendly place providing peer-to-peer support for veterans and their families, bringing together critical services under the one roof. Ours is one of the 10 new veterans hubs the Albanese government is rolling out across Australia. These hubs will act as one-stop shops for local veterans and could include health and mental health services, fitness, advocacy, employment and housing advice, social connection and wellbeing support. There has been an increased need for such support in our region as a result of the pandemic and long delays for services under the previous government.

I'd encourage veterans to register with my office to attend the session and engage with the minister. We want to do our best to support our veterans. Hearing what they want is crucial to providing that support.