Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Earlier today, I had the privilege of having a meeting in my office with Lidia Hall, the CEO and founder of Resolute Ready, along with the member for Menzies, who is my fellow co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Veterans. I first had the pleasure of meeting Lidia earlier this year, back in April, when I represented the Assistant Minister for Veterans' Affairs at the launch of Resolute Ready in Adelaide. Lidia is a remarkable individual who tirelessly advocates for veterans, especially in the context of mental health. This involvement has ranged from supporting families of veterans throughout the process of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide to her involvement on the National Advisory Committee of Open Arms.

Resolute Ready's key initiative is their virtual hub, which is a global directory of services and organisations that cater for veterans, defence personnel, first responders and their families. Since the launch, the community's engagement with the virtual hub has been quite impressive, with engagement throughout the globe. Resolute Ready is a great initiative and an example that shows you can act local and think global at the same time. Engaging with the veteran community has been a special and rewarding part of my time as a member of parliament, and I'd encourage all members to get in touch and join the Parliamentary Friends of Veterans so that together we can engage with the veteran community better and learn more about how we, as parliamentarians, can serve those who have served us. Lastly, I close with the words of Resolute Ready: 'one stop, one call, one life'.