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

In continuation of my earlier remarks, where I touched on the complexity of departmental processes for veterans and the significant disdain towards them from veterans' communities. A consequence of that overarching sentiment had led to many veterans' distrust in government upon their transition back toward civilian life regardless of their politics, and to an even greater extent this mistrust deepens in reference to the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Many veterans have come to feel abandoned by the very country they have spent years of their lives in the service of. Reading through a number of the submissions and the feedback provided by veterans and ex-service organisations across the process leading up to the introduction of this bill, I absolutely understand why this is the case.

Walking through the doors of any local RSL or when conversing with any of its members, there will be a good chance you will encounter someone who will tell you a story or two—or 10—about a poor interaction that either they or someone close to them has experienced at the hands of DVA. This is especially apparent within my electorate of Spence, where the pressure of an inadequate system can make usually tough conditions worse for families in our community.

According to the most recent statistics, my electorate is home to 1,316 current serving ADF members and 284 reservists. This is in addition to a veteran population of close to 4½ thousand. Of that population, almost 3½ thousand people are receiving some form of support from DVA. This is in addition to the 600 eligible dependents receiving a number of different payments, allowances or supports issued through DVA. As such, it is an electorate which is home to one of the largest Defence and veteran populations in Australia, the highest in my state of South Australia.

The sheer size of the community in the north is in large part why I'm proud to have advocated for the Albanese Labor government to fund a veterans and families hub within my electorate of Spence. It is extremely heartening that these hubs have received further endorsement from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide as part of one of its recommendations in the final report.

It is also heartening to see a significant degree of bipartisanship during this parliament in implementing reforms to assist veterans. This degree of bipartisanship is something I am now used to from all sides of this chamber, and this is no surprise because we all have, collectively, 350,000 reasons to make sure we get this reform right, and those reasons are the 350,000 veterans and eligible dependents that receive payments, allowances or supports through the three acts which are being reformed as part of this bill. And that number of recipients is projected to rise steadily over the next decade. These people are depending on decisions made in this parliament. It's through this reform that we will fix our system in the present and ensure veterans services are adequate going forward.

Back in September we sat in this place to witness the Deputy Prime Minister table the final report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide—a report of more than 3,000 pages and weighing in at roughly 12 kilos across seven volumes. But that pales in comparison to the weight of its findings, and the weight of the task at hand in addressing the issues raised.

I became a co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Veterans along with the member for Menzies, who has himself contributed significantly to the veteran space in this parliament. I was proud to have hosted in this place the three commissioners—Nick Kaldas APM, the Hon. James Douglas KC and Dr Peggy Brown AO—in September last year to share their insights while the inquiry was being conducted. Their engagement with the Parliamentary Friends of Veterans was extremely rewarding, as was the attendance of those in the audience. These included Vice-Admiral Mark Hammond, Chief of Navy; Lieutenant General Simon Stuart AO DSC, Chief of Army; and Air Marshal Robert Chipman AO, CSC, who at the time was Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force prior to becoming Vice-Chief of the Defence Force earlier this year. They were attending alongside ESOs, departmental officials and, most importantly, our veterans.

We saw widespread engagement across the veteran space and determination to bring about a solution to the systemic issues at hand—a solution that many veterans and their families have felt that it has been a battle in and of itself to bring about. In fact, many veterans have expressed that they feel like they are fighting a losing battle against DVA to access entitlements and supports, fighting once again after they have left military service. This war is fought on a battlefield consisting of distressing phone calls and being inundated by a forest worth of complex paperwork and legal documents.

This bill aims to end that battle decisively, cutting through the confusion and delays that have plagued veterans for far too long. We owe them that, as a government. We owe them more than this convoluted system. We owe them clarity, dignity and fairness. I say this because the current system is broken. The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide confirmed that beyond any doubt, and the sheer complexity of navigating these three different acts is causing veterans untold stress and tragedy. In some instances these systems have contributed to devastating losses of life, as veterans unable to cope with these processes have committed suicide. For those veterans, who gave part of their lifetime to serve their country and keep us safe, it is absolutely unfathomable that they've lost their lives altogether soon after—lost their lives trying to transition back into civilian life and lost their lives trying to receive crucial support they were already entitled to. This is a national tragedy. Reform is needed, and this bill is an important step towards that.

This bill consolidates the main acts forming part of the legislative framework around veterans entitlements, comprising: the Veterans' Entitlements Act, the VEA; the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act, which is commonly known in the veteran space as DRCA; and the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act, or MRCA. This framework has evolved since the introduction of the War Pensions Act in 1914, the first of its kind in Australia that legislated military compensation, and has become increasingly complicated.

Between the three main acts that form this framework today—MRCA, DRCA and the VEA—there are over 2,000 pages of legislation alone. This is without factoring in any other instruments, SOPs or other documents that must be considered in conjunction with them. This state of affairs burdens veterans who might already be recovering in their physical and mental health after service even more, already dependent on government assistance to support themselves and their families. So there's an urgent need to address the unwieldy present state of this framework. This is a need the Albanese Labor government has listened to, and rightly so.

This bill has been fundamentally shaped by listening, not just to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide but also to veterans and their families, along with ex-service organisations like the RSL and Legacy, who have given broad support to these reforms.

This bill is also informed by listening to many components of the reviews and reports, from the 2017 report of the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee titled The constant battle: suicide by veterans through to the 2019 report by the Productivity Commission entitled A better way to support veterans. That wealth of expert knowledge and lived experience informs this bill, grounding it in the day-to-day lives of veterans across the country.

That process started back in October 2022, when the Albanese government started the first of what would be three phases of consultation. They commenced not long after the first recommendation of the royal commission's interim report, calling on government to simplify and harmonise the veterans legislative framework, which this bill will achieve.

There were two additional rounds of consultation after the initial stage, beginning back in February last year—the first one that was open to the public. This included a number of webinars and in-person consultation sessions in the community, which saw 246 submissions be received by the DVA. These submissions were considered in the lead-up to the final consultation phase, upon the release of the exposure draft of this bill earlier this year. This final stage of the consultation saw the DVA receive over 300 submissions on the exposure draft, many from veterans and ESOs. These submissions would lead to further amendments ahead of the bill that is before the parliament today.

This feedback was extremely important. It goes without saying that the most important and informative sources of knowledge are derived from the experience of the system itself, and those sources are the veterans who have navigated its complexities—the Australians that the government will always have a duty to support. Advocates and ex-service organisations who have fought for reform over many years also contributed significantly, and I acknowledge their important role in shaping the bill.

This is genuine reform from the ground up, with veterans at the heart of it, and rightfully so. In my role as the member for Spence, I was in constant contact with veterans across my community regarding this process of reform, and the message throughout that consultation with veterans and stakeholders organisations, both in my community and across the country, has been received loud and clear: simplify the system. That is the principle at the very heart of this bill, because, from 1 July 2026, all veterans' rehabilitation and compensation claims will be considered under a single piece of legislation, which is MRCA. This will make the system not only simpler but also fairer and more responsive to the needs of veterans. The bill also goes beyond just consolidating the legislation, as it grandfathers past claims in order to ensure a seamless transmission to the new framework.

Furthermore, the bill introduces a range of additional enhancements. This includes the introduction of the additional disablement amount, which provides a new benefit for veterans over pension age who suffer from significant service related impairments. This new measure will offer additional financial support to those most in need, ensuring that they receive the care and assistance they deserve as they age. This bill also includes a number of provisions aimed at streamlining the claims process through the new MRCA, helping to reduce the time it takes for veterans to receive their entitlements, removing the complexity of the current tri-act framework, and working to stop the delays of months, if not years, due to bureaucratic congestion, hurdles and denials before claims are even processed. This is what the veteran community wants our government to do, and that's what we are doing.

Looking forward, our government is committed to maintaining that ongoing dialogue with veterans and their families. We will continue to listen, to learn and to adapt our approach based on their feedback, with the bill opening the door to the further reforms that this engagement will underpin—reforms that will address remaining gaps and ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated. We do this because we have report after report—reports coming from committees and inquiries, from the media and from within our communities and our homes—showing clearly what the tragic consequences of inaction and inertia in the veteran space can be and have been.

We can all take some ownership, as the elected representatives of this country, of the issues this legislation is determined to fix, just as we all have a role to play in ensuring that our parliament prioritises the wellbeing of our veterans both now and in the future. I say this because taking ownership of the problem in the space is how we as a nation will arrive at a solution. I commend this bill to the House.

Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The decision to serve your country is a momentous one. Whether in peacetime or in war, our servicemen and servicewomen put the safety, security and prosperity of our nation before their own. Whether on the front lines or not, Defence service is dangerous. The wounds go far beyond the physical, and we know the significant mental toll our veterans and their families face. So, when men and women make that decision to serve, it's fair that their government in turn takes care of them. But, as a nation, we are not doing enough to deliver on our end of this bargain.

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide is a watershed moment in our nation's history. The stories we've heard are harrowing, and the release of the final report is a sombre moment for all Australians. The findings and recommendations of the royal commission are a powerful call to action, and we cannot let this moment go to waste. This must be the moment where we say, 'Enough is enough,' and commit, as a country and as a parliament, to do better by our veterans, their families and the wider community. That's why the bill before us is so sorely needed. It responds to the first recommendation of the royal commission's interim report—to fix a veterans' entitlement system that is comprehensively broken. The royal commission concluded that the entitlement system is so complex, so convoluted and so prone to delays that it contributes to the distress and suicidality of veterans. How can it have come to this, where the very system designed to support veterans and to help them, is contributing to their anguish, their pain and, in some cases, their death?

As one veteran in my electorate asked me, 'How hard can it be to get this right?' I agree. While it may be hard, we must find a way to make the entitlement system work better for veterans, because the stories I hear from veterans in my electorate are distressing. They're veterans who feel abandoned within the complex and confusing entitlement system. Connor is a veteran in my electorate living with total and permanent incapacitation. After months of searching, he finally secured the services of a cleaner in his small regional town to help him. But after only three visits, the cleaner said they could not continue working for him because of the department's failure to provide payment for invoices that were submitted. Connor says most contractors simply won't work with DVA clients because of protracted and ongoing payment delays. For veterans in regional and rural areas, this often means they simply don't get the care they need and the care that they're entitled to.

For service providers like Bluebell Services, a veteran owned business in my electorate, the impacts are extending to their employees. Bluebell's directors, Matt and Sarah, say that delays are impacting their contractor's credit scores and contributing to mortgage stress at a time when the cost of living is already making things so tough. They asked my office why veterans and their service providers are forced to beg for money from their government. We need this bill because stories like Connor's and Matt and Sarah's simply cannot continue. Report after report shows that one of the key reasons the Department of Veterans' Affairs is failing is because of the complex and byzantine entitlement system.

That's why I support the Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024. This bill will simplify the veterans' entitlement system by ensuring that there is only one act dealing with all veterans' entitlements not three, which is currently the case. This bill would amend the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004, MRCA, to ensure it is the only ongoing act from 2026. The bill would close the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 and the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 to new claims. Where there are currently three different systems, all overlapping and contributing to the distress of veterans, soon there will be only one.

This bill would also make several other changes that should be commended. The bill will introduce a presumptive liability mechanism for conditions known to be associated with ADF or other service. The new clause 27A will enable the minister to approve a list of injuries and diseases known to be service related. That means veterans won't be required to prove time and time again that their condition is service related; it will be automatic. While we don't know what conditions may be included on this list, it could mean that conditions such as PTSD are included. This will make it easier and quicker for veterans to receive support and care and will remove a source of distress and secondary trauma for veterans forced to prove, often on multiple occasions, that their condition is service related.

It's also encouraging that more veterans and their families currently receiving benefits under DRCA will be eligible for gold cards. For many in my community, gold cards are a crucial, indispensable source of support for things like medical treatment and counselling. I support their expansion to more veterans with high levels of impairment. However, RSL Australia raise an important concern about the hurdles veterans may have to jump to access a gold card under the new arrangements. I share their concerns that the current drafting of the legislation may result in a perverse situation where the higher the level of impairment, the more difficult it will be for veterans to access a gold card when transitioning from the DRCA to the MRCA. I hope the government will address these concerns as the bill moves through the parliament.

The bill will also streamline certain administrative processes by merging the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission into the Repatriation Commission. The bill will also make it easier for veterans to appeal adverse decisions to the Veterans' Review Board, and this will help to create the single review pathway that was recommended by the interim report of the royal commission.

The bill also harmonises entitlements such as funeral allowances and travel allowances. The introduction of an additional disability amount will ensure consistent compensation is available to all veterans who are age pension age or older with a high degree of incapacity. Changes to the way travel allowances are paid will be particularly important for veterans in my electorate of Indi and across regional, rural and remote Australia. Workforce shortages and the tyranny of distance make it so hard for veterans in my communities to access appropriate services, and ensuring travel allowances are consistently and fairly paid will reduce stress for many in my electorate.

This bill is an important step, and it will help veterans in my electorate who are being failed by the status quo. However, while this bill will improve the situation, any change will be slow. Implementation of these reforms is delayed until the second half of 2026, two years after the royal commission recommended. Veterans will still be forced to deal with a broken system for a few years yet. So, while I support this bill, it must be improved. The defining feature of this bill is the government's promise that no veterans will be worse off because of the changes. We must hold the government to account on this, and the government must listen to community concerns and amend this bill where necessary.

Having met with and listened to veterans and heard the concerns arising from the inquiry into the bill, I've identified several parts of this bill that could and should be improved. Firstly, the existing definition of a 'wholly dependent partner' needs to be revised. I share the concerns of stakeholders such as Legacy, RSL Australia and Australian War Widows that the term 'wholly dependent partner' is outdated, fails to reflect the reality of modern relationships and does not reflect the care and support dynamic that exists between a veteran and their partner.

Secondly, I support a no-detriment clause being included in the bill for claims between the passing of the bill and the start of the new single act system on 1 July 2026. While the department has recommended veterans delay their claims until 2026 where possible, this is unreasonable for so many veterans, widows or widowers. A no-detriment clause would ensure the government lives up to its commitment that no veterans will be worse off and would ensure that the more beneficial provisions apply when the old and new systems come into conflict. I hope to see these issues addressed in amendments in the Senate.

I support this bill because it will make a difference for veterans living in my electorate. I hear too often from veterans at breaking point, forced to deal with a broken system, and, while I support the intent of this bill, it alone is not enough and certainly not soon enough. This government and any future government must be prepared to respond to the final report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide with more action and more funding to help veterans. This bill is just the start.

Doing better by veterans cannot happen in two years time and not after the next election. It needs to happen now. The way we failed to support veterans in this country is to our shame. It's not good enough. If the minister is right and this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to get the system right for veterans and their families, then they should be willing to work with the community to improve this bill further.

I want to take this chance to speak directly to veterans in Indi and to those still in service. Indi has many defence connections, most notably Gaza Ridge Barracks and Wadsworth Barracks in Bandiana and Latchford Barracks in Bonegilla, on the outskirts of Wodonga. We also have defence manufacturing, which employs many people in Indi. In the 2021 census, more than 5,000 people in Indi said they had previously served or were currently serving in our defence forces.

Knowing these deep links to the Defence Force, when I became the member for Indi, I made a concerted effort to grow my knowledge of what it means to be a serving member of the Defence Force and the issues facing veterans. This includes taking part in the Defence Force Parliamentary Program, joining Operation Resolute with the Australian Border Force last year. Throughout my time as the member for Indi, I have worked closely with our veterans' organisations, including the RSL, through the Tim Fischer AC Veterans and Families Hub at Wodonga, and the Goorambat Veterans Retreat, just to name a few.

I especially want to acknowledge the partners and families of those who serve. The husbands, wives and partners face significant challenges of their own, not just in supporting their partners. The children of ADF members also deserve recognition. Many move schools and towns often as they follow their parents' work. I've attended schools taking part in the Defence School Mentor Program, which is a vital support.

Indi is home to two units of Army cadets in Wodonga and Wangaratta, and 420 Squadron of the Air Force cadets in Wangaratta, and these young people give me great optimism about the future of our nation. In just the last few months, I held an event marking 25 years since Australians served in peacekeeping forces in Timor Leste, and the stories of those veterans and their families, particularly the mother of two of the men who were sent, taught me so much. I want to acknowledge the contribution of the member for Solomon here in the House today in making this event happen. He too served in Timor Leste and he continues to advocate on behalf of veterans in the parliament, and I appreciate and applaud his service.

I also recently met with members of the Wodonga and Rutherglen RSLs to speak about the findings of the royal commission. They asked me to tell them about the findings but, as always, I feel like I learned so much more from them. It feels pertinent to give this speech as we approach Remembrance Day. It is a vital role of our RSLs to host ceremonies on Anzac Day and Remembrance Day, managing dozens of volunteers, maintaining local cenotaphs and keeping the memories alive. The work that goes into these days is so valued by our veterans and by the wider community. I thank them and I respect them.

As a nation, Australia pays respect to those who served, rightly. We pay that respect with dignity and solemnity. But truly understanding the experiences of servicemen and women is the work of many conversations, of listening deeply, and, even then, I am not sure if we do truly understand what we have not experienced ourselves. I would like to say thank you to Indi's serving and veteran community, both for your services and for the experiences and stories you have so generously shared with me from Vietnam, from Timor Leste, from Afghanistan, from Iraq, from across the world. I know sharing these stories is not easy and I want you to know that my office and I are here to help you. We will always do everything we can at our disposal to give you the support you so rightly deserve and we must give so fulsomely.

Alison Byrnes (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Veterans’ Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024 aims to simplify and harmonise the existing legislative framework governing veterans' entitlements and support. This is in response to the first recommendation from the interim report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. Currently, veterans' entitlements are determined under one or more of three primary compensation acts. These acts depend on when the veterans served, which period of service caused or contributed to the condition being claimed. Over the years it has become increasingly complex to access support through these acts with their overlapping provisions and inconsistent criteria.

This bill represents the most significant commitment towards simplifying veterans' legislation since the introduction of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 20 years ago. Imagine a veteran who has dedicated their life to serving our nation trying to access support and benefits only to be met with a confusing web our rules and regulations. This difficulty can lead to frustration, delays in receiving vital support and, in some cases, veterans not receiving the assistance they desperately need and deserve.

In handing down its report, the royal commission observed that the current system of veterans' entitlements is so complicated, it adversely affects the mental health of some veterans and their families. In the last decade, there has been a significant shift in the mental health space. Previously, mental health issues were often stigmatised, misunderstood and overlooked. Many people struggled in silence due to a lack of awareness and a fear of judgement. Traditionally, society has created this stereotype that veterans should be resilient, emotionally strong and self-reliant. This stigma has often discouraged them from expressing vulnerability or seeking help for mental health issues, as they may be perceived as weak. As a result, many service men and women have struggled with their mental health in silence, leading to untreated conditions and adverse outcomes.

However, this narrative is slowly changing, as awareness of the importance of veterans' mental health continues to grow. This is something that I spoke about with my good friend Lachlan Stevens when we walked the Kokoda Track in April this year. I'm really fortunate to have Lachlan and his parents, Kevin and Annette, up in the gallery today.

In my electorate, one charity that has been a huge advocate for veterans and mental health is the Barstool Brothers and Raising the Bar Foundation. Lachlan Stevens and Daniel Chin created the Barstool Brothers in 2019 in Wollongong's best burger bar, His Boy Elroy, which I have spoken about in this place many times before. I have watched Lachlan and Daniel build the Barstool Brothers and Raising the Bar Foundation. They have created a partnership between the Raising the Bar Foundation and RSL New South Wales to establish the Walk With Us Kokoda program. The program is funded by the RSL NSW Veteran Support Fund, receiving $70,000 every year for the next five years. This program sponsors eight veterans each year for four years from across New South Wales to complete the Kokoda Track alongside civilian members of the public. Hearing about their work and wanting to see firsthand what our diggers had to endure in order to protect our country in World War II, and after a lot of lobbying from Lachie, who was pretty convincing, I signed up to walk the Kokoda Track.

But, first, I'll tell you a little bit about Lachie. Lachlan Stevens was a member of the ADF for more than six years, where he served as a combat engineer or sapper. A sapper is one of the most hazardous roles in the ADF, often working around live explosives and improvised explosive devices. It is a vital job that protects other Australians from potentially deadly situations. Lachlan was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 and again in 2012, and, while deployed, his job was to detect IEDs. This role places extreme levels of stress, danger and uncertainty on the sapper and claimed the lives of multiple heroic Australians over the duration of the conflict. Their service shall not be forgotten, and we will remember them.

Upon leaving the Army, Lachlan realised that many veterans needed support, and he diverted his passion and savvy entrepreneurship to his mental health support group, the Barstool Brothers. This group aims to promote conversations around mental health to men in a safe environment at free, accessible events. The second aspect of this group is that it provides education initiatives for the purposes of providing a mental health training program for people within the hospitality industry. Lachlan continues to support his country as a veteran, a pioneer in mental health services and an innovative and highly motivated small-business operator.

Lachie signed me up to walk Kokoda with him and 100% Kokoda—organised by Cam James and Katrina Johnson—and our group of trekkers, who were awesome, and our amazing team of porters. I will acknowledge all of them first. Larry Aitcheson was our trek leader from 100% Kokoda, and our amazing trekkers were Lachlan Stevens, Marija Murray, Shay Macpherson, Tina Buecher and Kristy Stroop. Our team of amazing porters, all of whom were descendants of the 'fuzzy wuzzy angels' who helped our soldiers during the war, were Acko Bobogi, our trek master; Limi Boe, the lead man who started each morning with a joke and a war cry to psych us all up; my amazing porter, Eddie Pipi; as well as Caleb, Nelvin Wala, Ben Lalabe, Andy, Junior, Matthew, James Stanley, Olosi, Ben Gai, Jay Kei, Kei Yoki, David Gai, Alex Maulu, Garrison; and also Matthew John, our amazing cook, who made our favourite spam and two-minute noodle filo pastry rolls and cut up the beautiful pineapple that we bought along the track.

I have to give a special shout-out to Marija Murray, who joined me in fundraising for Lachlan's foundation during the trek. We raised $14,000. Marija raised most of this, and she is an absolute superstar. One of the best things about this trip was meeting this impressive young woman, who became a partner at Kelly+Partners chartered accountants at the young age of 30.

I'll start by saying that walking the Kokoda Track is, without a doubt, the single hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Firstly, I'm not really a happy camper, and, secondly, massive, steep, narrow, dangerous five-hour hills are definitely not my favourite thing—a fact my amazing porter, Eddie, will attest to, as he had to suffer many hours of me expressing my displeasure at yet another hill and asking how big the hill was, how hard the hill was, how long the hill would take and whether this was the last false summit. I would ask Eddie, 'Is this a big hill?' and he would often say, 'No, not for me; for you, yes.' He would often tell me that there was five minutes to go or three hours to go, and neither of these would be right. But he did keep me guessing. Thirdly, I did the track with three bulging discs and two pinched nerves in my back, and it hurt a lot—but this just proves that anyone can do it. Lastly, I wasn't entirely sure that I would make it, and I spent almost every minute of every day counting how much time I actually had to make it through, how many nights I had to camp and how many hills we had left. Marija and I had a running commentary around the map on her phone, trying to work this out. I also spent a bit of time wondering how I might explain a substantial helicopter cost to my husband if I could not make it.

It was really hard, but it was nowhere near as hard as our diggers had it back in 1942 and 1943. I still can't quite get my head around thousands of men being on that narrow, rough track—and it would have been much rougher back then. Our porters played games. They would hide in the jungle a couple of feet away, and we couldn't see them. This must have been terrifying for our diggers—not ever knowing how close the enemy were and when they might attack. The dysentery, the malaria, injuries, wounds, the mosquitoes—these are the things that our diggers had to endure during their fight to protect our nation. Before I left, I read Peter FitzSimons's book Kokoda, and he outlines in detail some of the horrific conditions that our diggers endured on the track. Everyone should read that.

When I returned, I read Reg Chard's biography, The Digger of Kokoda. The book talks about the challenges he faced on the track and his love for Betty, who later became his wife, and just how much he missed her while he was away. Reg also wrote about his dad, who fought and was gravely wounded in the 1917 Battle of Passchendaele during World War I. He came back with terrible mental health and substance abuse issues that just weren't talked about then, let alone addressed, resulting in a very tough family life for Reg, his mum and his siblings. Soldiers like Reg also didn't have the luxuries that we have today to help us with the tough conditions. Our group had the luxury of great tape for our feet and good-quality walking boots, which resulted in absolutely no blisters for me. We had strapping tape, deep heat, physio cream and Nurofen Plus for all of our aches and pains. Our diggers had none of that.

Lachy, Larry, Marija and I often spoke about the four pillars that really sum up the Kokoda Track and are enshrined in a beautiful memorial at Isurava, where we had our second dawn service towards the end of the track: courage, endurance, mateship and sacrifice. Lachy talks of how these values or attributes have guided him in his business and his charity work. As we walked the track, Lachlan talked about how our service men and women can often feel a lack of purpose when they leave our armed forces. They feel they no longer have a purpose in life. For years, their life has revolved around the service of their country, moving their homes around our nation and oceans, or being deployed overseas, away from their family and friends.

We also spoke about the difficulties that veterans face in accessing the services that they need to help them through their transition from the Army, Air Force or Navy to civilian life. For veterans with physical or mental injuries, this transition is even harder. Today, mental health is increasingly recognised as an essential component of overall wellbeing. There is a growing awareness of how common mental health conditions are, and we have made massive strides in reducing the stigma associated with seeking help.

After seeing the conditions firsthand, I had a new appreciation for all who walked the gruelling trail during World War II and for all the men and women who sign up to serve our country and to protect our democratic society and the life that we love here in Australia. My experience in Kokoda made me even more passionate about fighting for our veterans and ensuring that they receive the support that they need. Through this bill, we are ensuring that, for veterans and their families who are seeking services and support, the system will be more streamlined and easier to access.

The bill also introduces a range of enhancements to the MRCA that will help make access to entitlements easier and fairer for veterans and that have been shaped by feedback provided by the veteran community across 2023 and 2024. One significant change is the consolidation of funeral expense compensation under the MRCA. This change allows dependants and legal representatives of deceased veterans to lodge claims regardless of which act the veteran was previously covered by.

Another key aspect is that several benefits will be moved to the MRCA, including the Acute Support Package, household services and attendant care, the Victoria Cross allowance, ex gratia payments and recognition supplements for former prisoners of war. Additionally, a new payment called the additional disablement amount, or ADA, will be introduced. Similar to the extreme disablement adjustment, or the EDA, this payment will support veterans over pension age with significant service related impairments. Dependants of deceased ADA veterans will also have access to the gold card and other benefits in the event of a veteran's death, ensuring continued support for families.

The 2024-25 budget included $222 million in additional funding for veteran and family entitlements and supports to be made available through this new simplified legislation. This will ensure veterans and their families can better understand and access the support that they are entitled to faster. As we move forward, let us continue to listen to our veterans and work collaboratively to address their needs. Together we can build a system that reflects our nation's values of fairness, respect and compassion.

This bill is a step forward in providing the support for all of our veterans and their families. We owe it to those who have served our country to provide a strong support system that promotes healing, resilience, wellbeing and a meaningful future post service to our country that gives them a purpose in life.

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It gives me great pleasure to be able to speak on this very, very important bill, the Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024. I think it's really important that as a House and as a parliament we can come together to make sure that we're doing everything we can in an ongoing manner to be able to look after our veterans.

This bill deals with one of the trickiest issues that has been facing governments for decades now, and that is that there are three different bills that deal in three different ways with the entitlements for veterans. It seeks to harmonise those bills in a way which doesn't disadvantage veterans. This is something that I think both sides of the parliament have been looking to achieve for some time, because it has always been a source of angst in the veterans community. Following the royal commission, the fact that we are here now, working through this in a way which is showing bipartisanship, is really important. If we can't do these types of reforms together, then it always makes it very difficult to do very, very important reform.

Currently, there are three separate acts that operate to provide entitlements, compensation, rehabilitation and support to veterans. There's the Veterans' Entitlement Act 1986, or VEA, the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988, which is called the DRCA. Don't ask me why, but it's called the DRCA. Then there is the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004, which is called MRCA. The three acts are over 2,000 pages long and include more than 850 legislative instruments. As a former veterans' affairs minister, can I tell you that these three pieces of legislation are extraordinarily complex.

The act that applies to a veteran is primarily determined by the period of service which is related to the claimed injury, disease or death, as well as the nature of that service. The three acts provide different types of compensation, including pensions, lump sums and periodic compensation payments, health care and rehabilitation. In some cases, veterans can have claims under all three acts.

This bill will amend the MRCA to be a single act for veterans rehabilitation and compensation from 1 July 2026, so there will be a period of time for implementation. While we all would have preferred it if this had been done quicker, I think the most important thing is that we get it right. The DRCA and the VEA will be closed to new liability and compensation claims from 1 July 2026. The MRCA will be open to claims arising from service which would previously have been determined under either the DRCA or the VEA.

The bill does not deliver true harmonisation due to the preservation of disparities between the VEA, the DRCA and the MRCA. The bill simply harmonises entitlements for new claims from 1 July 2026. This is an important point, because it would have been incredibly complex to try and do that. In a way, what is being done is a grandfathering process to make sure that we're looking after those who are under these existing acts and, in some instances, are getting compensation under existing acts. This is quite a sophisticated way to harmonise the entitlements going forward, by making sure that those who are already on existing acts aren't disadvantaged. Veterans receiving benefits immediately prior to the commencement of the new arrangements will continue to do so under the grandfathering arrangement without any reductions in their payments, because it would have been simply intolerable for that to have occurred.

This bill also proposes a range of enhancements for various entitlements, including the introduction of a new additional disablement amount similar to the extreme disablement adjustment available under the VEA. We're seeing some of the benefits and entitlements from the various acts, especially those benefits which are working well for our veterans, being shifted over to make sure that they continue. The introduction of presumptive liability, consolidation of household and attendant care, an increase to $3,000 for funeral allowances and the availability of reimbursement for funeral expenses of up to $14,062 for all service related deaths, higher reimbursement amounts for travel when a private vehicle is used to travel for treatment, standardisation of allowances and other payments, and the introduction of an instrument enabling the Repatriation Commission to determine circumstances where a veteran must receive financial advice before receiving a lump sum payment—these are all things which, for a long period of time, veterans have sought in one form or another. It depends on which act or acts they've been getting their compensation from, but often there have been discrepancies as to why one veteran is getting a payment and another veteran is missing out. So harmonising all this and bringing it together is something which is definitely a significant step forward.

Where did this bill come from? The bill addresses recommendation 1 from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide's interim report, and the recommendation was 'simplify and harmonise veteran compensation and rehabilitation legislation'. The royal commission recommended:

The Australian Government should develop and implement legislation to simplify and harmonise the framework for veterans' compensation, rehabilitation and other entitlements.

…   …   …

(3) By no later than early 2024, the Australian Government should present to the Parliament, and seek passage of, its Bill for the proposed framework.

(4) If the legislation is passed, the Australian Government should, by no later than 1 July 2024, begin the process of implementing and transitioning to the new legislative framework.

(5) If the legislation is passed, the Australian Government should ensure that, by no later than 1 July 2025, the new legislation has fully commenced and is fully operational.

We have slipped on that timeframe, but, as I've said before, making sure we get these things right is of critical importance. While we all had hoped that this would have been done by 1 July 2024, the fact that we're here is something that I welcome.

What we also need to ensure is that we not only implement these changes but also continue to review the changes that are being made to make sure that they continue to deliver what we all want from this parliament and from this House, and that is that our veterans get the support and the care that they need once they exit the military or if, sadly, there is a fatality, that their families get the support that they need.

As a previous veterans' affairs minister, the issue in particular of veteran suicide is something that is very dear to my heart, because when I became minister it became very apparent to me that we had no idea as to the extent of veteran suicide. We put in place the first register to try and get a sense of what was occurring, and by providing the facts we were able to say, 'Yes, this is a significant issue that we do need to address.' There were measures that were taken to try and address this issue and make sure that the support and services that our veterans need was provided. There was a wide variety of changes which were made to the department.

One of the big challenges was ensuring that that support was there in a very holistic way. We started veteran-centric support and saw a significant investment of hundreds of millions of dollars into the Department of Veterans' Affairs to try and ensure that that support was there for our veterans. One of the real challenges—and this became very apparent in the royal commission—was making sure that both Defence and Veterans' Affairs were talking to each other in the right way, that there was proper exiting taking place and that proper coordination was taking place. It has taken the royal commission to bring all this together in a, largely, very coherent manner—in particular, bringing these three acts together and moving forward in a way which hasn't disadvantaged our veterans.

But this doesn't mean that we can think that the job is done. This is going to take all of us, working together, to make sure we continue to monitor and make sure that the royal commission recommendations are implemented and that every 12 months we ensure that we're checking on the progress that is made. One of the challenges that any government or any parliament faces is making sure that, once you pass legislation, once you take action, there is continual follow-up. When I was minister, we put in place changes. We put in place monitoring. We put in place yearly reviews to try and ensure that this would continue to happen. We have to make sure that continues to be the process that we follow, because we have to ensure that those who are prepared to serve on our behalf, those who are prepared to put their lives on the line so that we can live in a safe and secure country, in the best country in the world because our freedoms have been preserved because people are willing to sacrifice on our behalf, then we have to make sure as a parliament we are there for those people.

There is no more important test for any parliament than to do that on behalf of those who serve us. There are many ways we can do it. We can make sure there are very good employment pathways for our veterans when they exit. We can make sure there is consistency in the support and the payments our veterans receive once they exit. We can make sure that as a nation we support everything that those who serve on our behalf are doing on our behalf. We can have great pride in our Armed Forces and make sure we are there for them so that they know this nation has their backs and is supporting them the whole way. These are all the things we need to be doing to make sure that we are looking after those who serve us, because there is no more important job for us as a parliament than looking after our veterans.

Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Wannon for the spirit in which he gave that speech, the bipartisan nature of it was very important. And I would like to thank the member Cunningham, who has left us with a terrific speech telling us about her trip on the Kokoda Trail, likening that of course to the fact the diggers and the veterans who walked that trail would have been doing it in very different circumstances. It was a wonderful contribution from her and I would like to thank her; it was a delight to listen to. That is probably the closest I will get to the Kokoda Trail, by the way—listening to the member for Cunningham.

As it currently stands, a veteran wanting to understand their entitlements must navigate and correctly interpret the following compensation acts: The Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004, the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 and then, depending on when the veteran served and if it caused a specific condition, the Safety Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988. That's a mouthful. It's complicated. You pretty much need to be a military lawyer to understand it and that is not good enough for our veterans.

Our veterans and their advocates have been calling for the entitlement process to be streamlined for years, and I am pleased to be speaking in support of a bill that does just that. This bill is the Albanese Labor government delivering the most comprehensive and significant improvement to veteran entitlements in more than 20 years. The Productivity Commission recommended slimming compensation legislation to two acts rather than three. Well, we have gone one better and are simplifying it to just one. This legislation means all new claims for compensation and rehabilitation will be untangled and determined through a single act, the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act, MRCA, the first one I mentioned.

Under this change it will be easier than ever for veterans to understand and receive their entitlements. The bill does more than just slim down the process. It also builds on key areas as communicated to us by veterans when we reached out to consult with them. Under this bill, the MRCA gives greater benefits to veterans under a simpler package. All dependents and legal representatives of a deceased veteran can claim for the funeral costs under the MRCA irrespective of the act under which they formerly had coverage. Not only this but we have raised the cap for funeral costs by 50 per cent. The MRCA now regulates support packages, household services and attendant care, allowances for heroic recipients of the Victoria Cross, ex-gratia payments and supplements for former prisoners of war.

Finally, the Albanese Labor government will introduce a whole new payment scheme under the MRCA. The additional disablement amount, or ADA, payment builds on pensions received by veterans if they received some kind of impairment during the service. It recognises the sorts of difficulty specific to an injured veteran in their old age and provides much-needed relief. Further, any dependant of a recipient of the ADA will have automatic access to a gold card and benefits when the veteran dies. The ADA provides assurance to our veterans that their loved ones will continue to be supported after they're gone, and that's a really big consideration and a matter of security for our veterans.

It's important to note that not a single veteran is worse off under this bill. There are no losers. No-one has any benefit reduced. All changes are positive. The intentions of this bill to simplify claims and reporting are an acknowledgement of the royal commission's findings that the labyrinthine entitlement process is a significant contributor to poor mental health among veterans. It is both astonishing and unacceptable that a male veteran is 42 per cent more likely to commit suicide than a male who did not serve. If a male veteran was discharged on medical grounds, it becomes almost three times as likely. If you're a woman who served, you are twice as likely to commit suicide. A female veteran discharged on medical grounds is more than five times as likely to take their own life. Between 1997 and 2021, Australia recorded 1,677 suicides of people who had served this nation in uniform. Wearing a uniform in defence of this country and having the commitment to serve and the willingness to take up arms and put your life on the line for your fellow Australians and in defence of the values of Australia should not result in damage to your mental health so profound that it is potentially lethal.

In 2019, I spoke up in this place in support of the Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Partner Service Pension and Other Measures) Bill, which was put to the parliament by the former government and again had bipartisan support. I talked about Eric, a Vietnam veteran living in Bridgewater in my electorate. Eric had complained about the way politicians are very happy to shake veterans' hands on commemorative days and on the campaign trail but we seem to soon forget about them once the cameras are off. I know that we in this place all have a genuine commitment to our veterans, but I try to look at it through his eyes. Through his eyes, he was seeing that we were there for the pomp and the ceremony but, when it came to dealing with the department and trying to cut through and navigate all those issues, we weren't there in the same way. That was an important point to me. He was angry about how difficult it was to access basic entitlements like medical care, services and benefits and how hard it was to deal with the department. I ended that speech by saying:

… we need to do better … Our veterans need the ongoing support of government and their community.

Those words remain just as true today, five years later, under a new government. That's what the bill aims to do—make it easier for veterans to access their entitlements. It shouldn't be hard.

That's not all this government is doing, I'm proud to say. The Albanese government has allocated more than $290,000, through the Veteran Wellbeing Grants One-Off Program, for Vietnam veterans in Tasmania. This funding fitted out a multipurpose education and training centre in Lake Sorell in my electorate to support 4,000 veterans, I was proud to be invited to open the Veteran Multipurpose Education and Training Facility recently, representing the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel. I'd like to thank Terry Roe, the Tasmanian branch president of the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia, for the association's advocacy and hard work in making this facility a reality. It's part of a terrific complex that will provide terrific healing and respite for veterans and their families. If you know the Lake Sorell area at all, you know it's quite isolated. It is a beautiful part of the bush in the Central Highlands. It's just a really nice place to get away and collect your thoughts.

Earlier this year, the minister also approved a third round of grants for the Saluting Their Service program. This grant means veterans groups in every corner of Lyons get the chance to commemorate service and sacrifice. Saluting Their Service is already funding flagpoles for Molesworth Primary School, murals in Sheffield, plaques in Melton Mowbray and an entirely new cenotaph in the Meander Valley. The RSLs of Sheffield and the Northern Midlands will see existing commemorative structures rejuvenated and ready to serve as focal points of remembrance in the future.

In June, in this place, I spoke about the Swansea RSL and the flag in their possession. The flag had been kept hidden by Tasmanian Fred Pegg during his captivity in the notorious Changi Prison during World War II. That flag bears the signatures of 89 British and Australian servicemen who had been imprisoned there. It bears bullet holes and what looks to be dried human blood. Its very existence in that camp was an act of defiance in the face of extreme adversity, and it has now been gifted by the Pegg family to the RSL. Funding from the Saluting Their Service program will preserve this flag and associated memorabilia in custom-made housing at the Swansea RSL, where it will take pride of place.

It's difficult for me to express how moved I was when visiting the RSL and seeing that flag in front of me. As I mentioned in my speech in June, I remember the feeling of seeing this artefact that had been in Changi and written on by men in all sorts of conditions of emaciation and suffering. They'd put their names on this flag—an act of defiance and resilience that said, 'I'm here, and I matter.' It was really incredible. I felt like I wanted to touch this flag and, though I'm not a religious person, I felt reverence. I knew this was a national treasure. I believe it had been offered to the War Memorial, and they turned it down, but I thought, 'This is a magnificent piece of history.'

It will now take pride of place in the Swansea RSL, on the east coast of my electorate. It will be behind a mounted frame, in deoxygenated air; it's quite a set-up. I'm sure that, for the families and descendants of the many men who served and were imprisoned in Changi, this will become part of their journey. I recommend that every member go and have a look once it's up. I think it goes up sometime later this year,.

The bill before the House offers the biggest improvement, as I said, to veterans' entitlements in 20 years. I'm very proud to represent a government that continuously demonstrates its commitment to veterans. I acknowledge that this is a bipartisan issue, but the simple fact is that, when we came into government three years ago, we inherited 42,000 claims from veterans that had not yet been assessed.

We got to work quickly. In the 2022-23 October budget, the Albanese government invested $233.9 million in order to hire 500 frontline staff to deal with the backlog. In February this year, Minister Keogh confirmed that the number of unassessed claims had plummeted from 42,000 to around 1,700 and that the timeframe from submission to claim assessment was down to two weeks. I'm sure every member will be pleased to hear that.

But we didn't stop there. We've unlocked $186 million towards hiring an additional 141 staff to keep the applications flowing and to keep that backlog down. In our most recent budget, we have boosted veterans' home-care and community nursing programs with $48 million. It's important to note that, of course, increasing housing for veterans is part of our overall housing package.

We know there's still plenty to be done, and we're getting on with the job. There'll always be more to do to improve this area. But, as Eric told me in Bridgewater five years ago, veterans deserve so much more than a handshake and a platitude. This government is demonstrating, by the actions it's taking and the practical improvements it's implementing, that Australia's veterans can count on this Albanese Labor government to make the meaningful decisions that will make a difference. Lest we forget.

James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Waste Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As all speakers have commenced their remarks by doing, can I begin by saying that we all inherently come to debates regarding supporting our veterans hoping to have unanimity and complete bipartisanship in always looking for ways to better provide the support that those who have served our nation are so very much entitled to. They should expect of their government the highest of standards to look after them, not only specific to any issues that come from their service but also more generally.

I acknowledge members of this chamber who have served our nation. The member for Spence and the member for Solomon are here with us at the moment, and obviously there are other members who are not in the chamber. Thank you for your service and thank you for serving in this parliament. Having veterans in this parliament from all sides makes sure we are fulfilling what we're meant to as representatives, which is bringing together so many different perspectives from the community to develop solutions to the challenges facing this country. By having veterans who have been elected to this chamber, and to the other place, that holds us in good stead to ensure we're always taking every opportunity to reform and to do better by people who deserve such great support from their government in acknowledgement of their service to our nation.

I also note that we are but days away from 11 November, a time that we pause as a nation, as so many nations do around the world, at 11 am in whatever time zone you're in. It commenced as an acknowledgement of the Armistice, when the guns fell silent on the Western Front at 11 am on 11 November in 1918. It's something that led to the peace of 1919 and the end of such a dark and terrible chapter for so many young men of this nation and young men of many other nations. It was one of the most awful and horrendous periods of complete butchery. It's something that was called the Great War and was hopefully going to be the last-ever conflict of that scale. Regrettably, it was a mere two decades later that the Second World War commenced.

Nonetheless, the lessons of history are there for us to continue to learn to this day. On 11 November we will pause—happily, the parliament's not sitting, although at times we do, on 11 November. No offence to the importance of this chamber meeting as regularly as possible, but it's so important to be in our communities on days like 11 November, particularly to be with those who have served who are coming to the various ceremonies at the various RSLs. It's a particularly emotional day for people who have served this nation, and we all look forward to the important commemoration that will occur at 11 am on 11 November.

In my own electorate, I reflect on the many RSL clubs that we all engage with in our own electorates. I'd like to acknowledge Mr Don Looker, who I believe is the oldest veteran who lives in my electorate of Sturt. He was in the RAF Bomber Command. He's Australian; he's one of that small cohort that joined up and was sent to the United Kingdom to be part of the RAF efforts in the Battle of Britain. He continued to serve in the air force through the Second World War. Don also happens to be a friend of my family. I've known him for my entire life. We're very lucky that he's still with us. It's times like 11 November and Anzac Day that we reflect on people like Don—we all have people like Don in our electorates—and we think about the great service they gave to our nation.

The Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024 gives us the opportunity to harmonise and improve the way in which we serve our veterans like Don Looker and our newer and emerging generations of veterans who have served this nation and who deserve the highest standards of support from our government. Regrettably, the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide laid bare that for a long time we haven't been treating our veterans to the standard they should expect. The worst manifestation of that is suicide, and the horrendous reality that was borne out through the royal commission process was that more service personnel of our nation have died from suicide than have died in combat.

It's just awful to reflect on the fact that people have returned from serving their nation and that support hasn't been there at times. That was definitely brought out in the findings of the royal commission. There are examples of the welfare issues, which come from the lack of appropriate support, that stop short of suicide. In the worst-case examples—and they are all so terrible—manifestation of the lack of appropriate support to veterans is suicide.

The royal commission looked at the bracket of time between 1997 and 2021 and identified nearly 2,000 deaths that they believed could be very clearly attributed to veterans taking their own lives, but probably that figure is more towards 3,000. That's absolutely heartbreaking.

I was in the last parliament when we had a debate about how we could best address the issue of service personnel suicide and veteran suicide. As I said in my opening remarks, it's great to have people that have served our nation in the parliament. I remember the member for Herbert, in particular, was very significantly engaged in that debate, working with then Prime Minister Morrison. Despite the fact that the then government had a model that was talking about more of a permanent commission structure, we landed on the change of heart that saw the royal commission engaged. The first recommendation of the royal commission is to pass this bill and harmonise the way in which supports to veterans are provided.

Other speakers have reflected on the fact that we could have moved a little quicker to bring this bill into the parliament, but I don't cast that as a criticism against the government whatsoever. I'm sure everyone would agree that the most important thing, whenever we look at changes to the way in which we support our veterans, is that we get it right. As members of parliament—I'm sure everyone has similar experiences to me—the sorts of matters that we deal with tend to be about getting it wrong, when the bureaucracy isn't servicing our veterans to the standards that our veterans deserve and should expect. A lot of that is driven by the complexity around the applications process and the very complex set of supports that are in place. At times I find it quite heartbreaking, what we put some people through—unnecessarily, I think—to access the support that they're absolutely entitled to. They should not have so many challenging issues with the labyrinthine way in which we construct access to that support.

All the previous speakers have highlighted that the purpose of this legislation is to bring about that harmonisation, to bring about that very important first recommendation from the royal commission to streamline and simplify the process for accessing support. We need to spend as much money as needs to be spent to support veterans and to give them the entitlements that they absolutely deserve in exchange for the unbelievably significant service that they have given to our nation. This is a demand driven scheme and we should always look for opportunities to improve and enhance access to those that are entitled to the supports that they deserve for the service that they have given to our nation. So we approach this with a great deal of bipartisanship and a great deal of goodwill towards working with the government and supporting the government to do everything that we can, not just to pass this legislation and implement this particular recommendation. Of course, there are lots of other things that still need to be addressed from the royal commission. This is something that we stand very ready to work with the government on. We will support the government to do whatever can be done to implement those recommendations and, in an ongoing way, look for more opportunities wherever we find them to support our veterans in any way, shape or form.

I thank the government for getting this bill into this chamber. I'm assuming that it's the intention to pass it pretty rapidly and to certainly get it through this House this week. With Remembrance Day next week, it's quite timely for us to be doing something that is improving and enhancing the way in which we service those who have given such spectacular service to our nation. With those words, I commend the bill to the House.

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

I want to thank speakers before me for the genuinely bipartisan way in which this has been approached. I think Australians want to see that from us on this issue of looking after those who have served our nation. Australians generally understand the service and sacrifice of the men and women of our armed forces over the history of our nation.

I'm a fourth-generation veteran and I have the honour of having been appointed by the Prime Minister as the Special Envoy for Veterans' Affairs. That means working with the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, who I met with today, and people like my good friend the member for Spence, who, with the member for Menzies, co-chairs the Parliamentary Friends of Veterans. They are doing a great job for veterans in that role and making sure that veterans have different points of contact within the parliament.

I want to pay great tribute to our Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, the member for Grayndler, who responded to the concerns of the veterans community—including, obviously, their families—and fought for a royal commission to be announced. I also lobbied hard for that Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, and I want to thank the Prime Minister for his support of me. Every day I talk with veterans, as many members in this place do, to share in their achievements; to celebrate, recognise and commemorate them and their families; and to assist them with any issues and difficulties they have along the way. I note that the final report of this very powerful and much-needed inquiry was handed to the government on 9 September. We'll respond to the full report by the end of the year.

For too long, the veterans entitlement claim systems have caused unnecessary hardship and worry for veterans and their families. One only has to view the powerful winning entry by Kat Rae in the Napier Waller Art Prize for veteran art, named Deathmin, to understand that in stark relief. It is on display in this building, and I encourage members to check it out. It is a stack of post-death admin the artist inherited after her veteran husband, Andrew, suicided in 2017. As Ms Rae said in her artist statement:

… Deathmin embodies the burden placed on veterans and their families. It asks bureaucratic institutions to care for the people they say they will.

The Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024 is the Albanese government's response to the first recommendation from the interim report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, which was released a couple of years ago, in 2022. As it says in the title, the aim is to simplify and harmonise veteran compensation and rehabilitation legislation. The royal commission said the current system 'is so complicated that it adversely affects the mental health of some veterans' and their families. Veterans and their families have been calling for change to the system for years. This bill is the most significant commitment from any government toward simplifying veterans legislation since the introduction of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation act 20 years ago—full one score years ago.

Currently, veterans' entitlements are determined under one or more of three primary compensation acts: the MRCA, the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004; the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, or the VEA; and/or the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-Related Claims) Act 1988, or the DRCA. This has been further complicated by the extra layer of when the veteran served and the period of service that caused or contributed to the condition being claimed. To say the system is overly complex and difficult is an understatement. It has also been a frustration of mine when I've tried to assist veterans—in fact, former soldiers of mine—who served under multiple acts of this place.

In 2019, the Productivity Commission recommended that these three acts, the MRCA the DRCA and the VEA, be streamlined into two. But our government has taken this a step further. The bill before us streamlines the number from three acts into one. The bill would result in a single ongoing act from 1 July 2026. This will considerably simplify claims processing and give veterans and their families the support that they need faster. All new compensation claims would be dealt with under a single compensation act, the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004, or MRCA, regardless of when the veteran served or when they were injured or became ill.

Honourable members in this place, if you have had any veterans come to you with frustrations you will know how this simplification is going to greatly assist particularly older veterans where they have served under several acts. But it's important to note that there'll be no reductions in entitlements determined under pre-existing arrangements—that is, under the Veterans' Entitlements Act or the DRCA. Under revised arrangements, the VEA and the DRCA will continue in a grandparented form but will be closed to new claims for compensation and rehabilitation from 1 July 2026, as mentioned.

This bill also introduces a range of enhancements to the MRCA that will make access to entitlements easier and fairer for veterans. Many of the enhancements have been shaped by feedback provided from the veteran community across two separate consultation periods in 2023 and 2024. These enhancements include compensation for funeral expenses. They will be consolidated into the MRCA. Legal and personal representatives of deceased veterans will be able to lodge a claim under the MRCA irrespective of the act that the member previously had coverage from. The cap on funeral compensation formerly under the VEA will be moved to the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act and will be increased from $2,000 to $3,000. All those who have worked through funeral expenses for loved ones, friends and family, know that that will be a welcome increase.

The legislative basis for benefits like the acute support package, household services and attendant care, the Victoria Cross allowance, ex gratia payments and recognition supplements for former prisoners of war will all move to the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act.

Some aspects of veteran treatment arrangements will move from the VEA to the MRCA, including the legislative basis for non-liability health care and the commission's powers to determine specific treatment programs and classes of eligible persons. These moves will result in no changes to coverage.

A legislative basis for the Repatriation Commission to accept liability based on a presumption that the person's defence service caused their injury or disease will operate by providing the commission with an instrument-making power to specify the relevant injuries or diseases.

A new payment, called the additional disablement amount, or ADA, will also be introduced into the MRCA. Like the extreme disablement adjustment, or EDA, this new payment will benefit veterans over the pension age with significant service related impairments. Knowing a few of those who are affected by that, I can say that is again very welcome. Like with the EDA, dependants of deceased ADA veterans will also have access to the gold card and other benefits in the event of the veteran's death. Importantly no individual veteran will suffer a reduction to their existing payments. As such, compensation previously awarded under the DRCA or VEA will not be disrupted. Again they will be grandparented.

Funding for the enhancements delivered through these changes was included in the May budget this year. A commencement date of 1 July 2026 ensures the veteran community is well informed on what these important changes mean for them and provides enough time for individuals to consider their circumstances. This date also allows for adequate training for advocates and DVA staff ahead of commencement. With that mention of advocates, I just want to give a shout-out to all the advocates in my electorate and in fact across the Territory and across the country. As veterans they do such awesome work to help their fellow veterans. I had a coffee catch-up with George Koulakis up in Darwin last week. He really cares. He's one of those many advocates around the country who give up heaps of their own time to help their fellow veterans. We owe them a great debt.

The 2024-25 budget included $222 million of additional funding for veteran and family entitlements and supports to be made available through this new simplified legislation, ensuring veterans and their families can better understand and access the support they are entitled to but faster. Again faster is the imperative word. It is worth noting another part of the response to the royal commission that complements this bill. Our government has delivered additional staff to process the claims backlog. DVA is processing claims at record levels because of the significant additional funding provided to DVA by the government and the dedication of the DVA staff. I give those staff a huge shout-out. It is important that you do your work briskly, professionally and with empathy.

The backlog of initial liability, incapacity and permanent impairment unallocated claims identified by the royal commission has been cleared, and DVA is now managing 'business as usual' levels of these types of claims. It's business as usual but the new usual where we move with a sense of purpose to look after those who have served our nation. DVA aims to allocate all new claims within two weeks for processing by an officer. As at 30 June this year, 93.9 per cent of the claims backlog of almost 42,000 noted in the interim report of 2022 had been finalised, and the remainder were being processed. The 2024-25 budget provides additional funding and staffing to ensure DVA can continue to meet the needs of veterans and their families for high-quality services and faster. Again, the onus is on getting through the backlog. The only way you can do that is if you've got more resources, and this harmonisation will lead to quicker processing in the future.

A range of measures and initiatives continue to be implemented to improve the claims process to support the veteran community. MyService enhancements are making it easier, for example, for veterans to submit claims. The compensation medical form review project has now been completed and has resulted in a reduction of 210 medical forms to 84. That is a significant decrease in the amount of paperwork, which was reflected on by Ms Rae in that powerful work. This has also realised a reduction in the amount that needs to be read and filled out, down from 658 pages to 183. A common complaint of veterans is that it is just too much—too much to comprehend, too much to work through. This simplification is definitely going to help. DVA has also updated its claims processing webpage to make it easier for veterans to know how to make a claim and view key data.

Our government welcomes the findings from the final report of the royal commission, tabled on 9 September, and will respond to the new recommendations by the end of the year. I want to recognise all those who have served our nation, including those in the chamber, as well as those members on both sides of parliament who've worked in a bipartisan way to do what the Australian Defence Veterans' Covenant says that we will do, and that is to honour those who have served our great nation.

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

I'm pleased to speak on the Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024, and I would first like to acknowledge all our veterans. Thank you for your service and for the freedoms we enjoy today. To the member for Braddon, who is at the table next to me, and the member for Solomon: thank you both for your service to our country and for your contribution to this debate.

These types of bills should be above politics. Across the board, the submissions and contributions that have been made have been very bipartisan, and so they should be. My electorate of Cowper has 9,000 veterans, and, if you want to add their families, you could easily triple the number of people that would require support. We know that not all veterans, when they come back, are in need of support. Some transition very well into civilian lifestyle; many don't. This is much like what happens in the police force or any other paramilitary type organisation. I've seen many of my friends who didn't transition well from the police, so I understand how difficult it can be for some veterans to find their feet and their place in the world.

In Cowper, we have 9,000 veterans, and one thing that really hurt after the last election was that I and a number of advocates—a dozen or so of us—had fought for funding for a hub-and-spoke model. The funding for a veterans' hub was $5 million for one hub, but we put forward a proposition for a hub-and-spoke model so that there would be four centres, from just north of Coffs Harbour down to Taree. That money was put aside, we made the announcement and there was pure joy from these veterans and advocates that there were now going to be places for veterans to go to without having to travel north for three hours or down to Newcastle. Sadly, that $5 million, despite the announcement, was reallocated to a seat further north that had half the number of veterans. I'm not going to say what the colour of the seat was, but the numbers didn't make sense. My veterans and my advocates were absolutely shattered, to the point of tears, because they'd thought they were going to have those support networks that they were promised by our government and by our people when they went off to serve.

Since that time, $1 million has been allocated to veterans' advocates down in Taree. If you know Cowper, you'd know that, if you're a veteran in Coffs Harbour, you are three hours away from Taree. If you're a veteran in Port Macquarie, you're an hour away. Some of these veterans can't get out the front door. They're not going to travel for three hours. A million dollars was allocated to the advocate Geoff Harrison—thank you for your work, Geoff. Geoff went and found a partner, and that was One Life Church. One Life Church said: 'Here's our building. Let's transform it into a veterans' hub.' It works, but the locals, the builders and some of the veterans had to put their own money into that build. That is not right; that is not a support service. We have to be above politics. It has to work on the numbers, and the treatment and the support have to be equal for our veterans regardless of what seat they live in.

Having said that, I do support this bill. It is the No. 1 recommendation from the royal commission. On the royal commission, I know there were three commissioners, but Commissioner Nick Kaldas is a personal friend of mine. If you're wondering out there as to whether these commissioners did not give their all, I can tell you he gave everything. His petrol tank was empty when he handed down the findings not long ago. So I personally would like to thank not only Nick but the other two commissioners as well. You listened to our veterans and you listened to the veterans' families and that is what they wanted. You have made those recommendations, this is the first one to roll out and it makes complete sense.

As to the nature of the bill, the current system and the complexity of the provision of entitlements for veterans are almost impossible. There are three acts covering 2,000 pages—so a phone book—and 850 legislative instruments and it could be described as nothing but dysfunctional, which is why we had to transform it. There is so much miscommunication, frustration. I have spoken to veterans and advocates about the difficulties and the confusion. Some fall under more than one act, so it is made almost completely impossible, which is why the implementation of this bill is not only important but absolutely necessary.

The enhancements that have been proposed under this bill to a number of entitlements will be greatly appreciated and are desperately needed. I completely agree that each is very valuable. Firstly, there is the introduction of a new additional disablement amount similar to the extreme disablement adjustment available under the EA. There will be an introduction of presumptive liability, a consolidation of household and attendant care, an increase to $3,000 for funeral allowance and the availability of reimbursement of funeral expenses up to $14,000 for all service related deaths, higher reimbursement for travel when a private vehicle is used for treatment—as I said, the nearest veterans' hub for my veterans is in Coffs Harbour, three hours away, so that will be well received—standardisation of allowances and other payments, and the introduction of an instrument enabling the Repatriation Commission to determine circumstances where a veteran must receive financial advice before receiving a lump sum payment.

An interim report was handed down in 2022 and this was flagged. While it is good that it is finally in this House today, there was no reason this could not have been done over the last two years. So while we might be patting ourselves on the back that this bill is coming through today, it should have been done earlier. That was the point of the royal commission—that government and the department have dragged their heels for too long. We need to make that change. This bill should go through this week and it will have the support of the coalition.

But I do wish to make a comment about the findings of the royal commission. In the recommendations there are only two that use the words 'partner support'. There are some wonderful veterans in Kempsey, and I spoke to two of them over the weekend. Carly Batty, who served, is the carer for her husband, who did tours of Afghanistan as well as other areas. I also spoke to another lady who was a nurse in the Army. They both said to me, 'Pat, the reason why we had the royal commission was that it was being pushed by not only veterans but also families and partners.' Whilst the ADF might say, 'Thank you so much for your service,' they then turn to the carers or the partners and say, 'They're yours; they are now yours.' Both of these ladies were saying, 'There's no support for us.' It's been recognised, but one of the recommendations is that we collect data. How much more data do we need? We've had the people give the evidence. What we need to do, together, is put the money where our mouths are and provide the funding for those support networks.

I'll loop all the way back around to where I started. Those support networks are those hubs, and we should be prioritising them. Five million dollars is a drop in the budget. We shouldn't be fighting over where they go. We should be saying, 'If you have veterans in your electorate, here's the money and here are the support networks; here's help for you, your family and your partner.'

Many of these veterans don't want to go outside and talk to professionals. It's an old-school thing. In the cops, a debrief was going for a drink. People don't want to go and talk to professionals. But they take it out on their partners. When I say 'take it out', that could be unloading; it could be something else. That partner needs someone they are able to talk to—somebody who will listen and somebody who can say, 'This is where you need to go; this is what you need to do; this is the help that we will provide for you.'

I look forward to the implementation of all 121 recommendations. I thank those people who gave evidence at the royal commission. I thank the parliament for getting this in here today and, no doubt, pushing it through. Once again, finally, I thank all of our veterans for the service that they gave and the freedom that we enjoy today.

Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In 1914 Laurence Binyon penned his famous poem 'For the Fallen'. The poem is familiar to us all, even if we don't know all seven verses. The fourth stanza of the poem is recited around the world, especially in Australia and New Zealand, at every remembrance ceremony, on every Anzac Day and also at every RSL and service club at 7 pm. It reads:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

They are powerful words. Indeed, I don't think there's ever been a better elegy written. The final words of verse 4 are a powerful instruction and, indeed, a command for future generations. We will remember them and can never forget their sacrifice.

In remembering those who've fallen, we are also charged with ensuring that those who did come home are cared for. According to the 2021 census, there are around 85,000 currently serving ADF personnel and over 496,000 ex-serving personnel. Each deserves the very highest level of support from a grateful nation.

The welfare of veterans is a very real issue in the electorate of Werriwa. My electorate is home to the now decommissioned Ingleburn Army base, while, on my other boundary, there is the former Moorebank Army base and the currently-in-use Holsworthy Barracks. The presence of these facilities means the welfare of veterans, past and present, and their families feature large in my community and in my community engagement. Hence, I'm delighted to speak on the bill before us today, the Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024.

In August 2022, the interim report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide was released. It was difficult reading and highlighted way too many shortcomings in the way our nation delivers services to its veteran community. The report noted, sadly, that the current system of veterans entitlement was too complex, which tragically adversely impacts on the mental health of some veterans and their families. This bill seeks to address this matter, which was the first recommendation of the commission's report.

Under the current model, veterans entitlements are determined under one or more of three primary compensation acts. This has created an overly cumbersome and complex system that can be extremely difficult to navigate. The bill addresses this situation by streamlining the number of acts the department administers from three to one. The end result will be a hugely simplified claims processing system for veterans and their families.

To support the single-act model, two of the current acts, the Veterans' Entitlements Act and the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act, will continue in a limited form until 1 July 2026. At that time, the new provisions of this bill will commence. This timeframe ensures that the veteran community will be well informed about the changes and what they mean for them.

The bill also introduces a range of enhancements to the veterans entitlement, which means that no veteran—not one—will be worse off under this legislation. These enhancements include: increasing a cap on the funeral expenses from $2,000 to $3,000; introducing a new payment called the additional disablement amount, which will benefit veterans who are over pension age with significant service related impairments; forming a legislative base for the Repatriation Commission to accept liability based on the presumption that the person's defence service caused their injury and that will operate by providing the commission with an instrument-making power to specify the relevant injuries or diseases; and providing a higher travel reimbursement amount, regardless of the kilometres, when a private vehicle is being used for treatment. The funding for these and other enhancements were included in the May 2024 budget.

The royal commission in September delivered its final report. The government welcomes the report and will respond to the new recommendations as appropriate. In the meantime, we need to do all we can to support those who have done so much for our country.

Every day, at 4.30 pm, the Australian War Memorial holds a last post ceremony. The national anthem is played, followed by the piper's lament, and then wreaths are laid. This is then followed by the sharing of the story of one of the names on the Roll of Honour. The ode is recited, and then, finally, the ceremony ends with the sounding of the last post. It's a beautiful ceremony—solemn and poignant. It reminds us all, young and old, that the freedoms we enjoy come at a great cost. The ceremony also reminds us of our obligation to care for those who returned, to care for those who continue to serve and to care for their families.

An anonymous writer once noted, 'Anzac Day is not just a remembrance of the past; it is a call to action to uphold the values and principles that the Anzacs fought for.' A grateful nation owes our veteran community nothing less than the very best support we can offer. Further, it needs to heed the call to action by ensuring those who have served and do serve now know that the government has their back every step of the way. This bill does that and starts an important step in the journey of addressing the royal commission's recommendations.

I commend the bill to the House.

Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health, Aged Care and Indigenous Health Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's an honour today to speak in relation to the Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024. In doing so, I want to outline some of the scope of the bill, but I also want to detail some of the other issues and some of the other implications that I see that we could possibly include as we approach our service to our veterans. The objective of the VETS Bill is to simplify and to harmonise the legislation governing the rehabilitation and compensation for veterans. Currently, there are three separate acts for this. They all operate to provide entitlements, compensation and rehabilitation support to our veterans.

I enlisted in the Australian Army in 1985, and I discharged at the end of 2004. I am covered by all three of these acts. Let me tell you that it's confusing at best. Currently, as I said, there are three separate acts. Let's go through them in more detail. Firstly, we have the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, the VEA. Secondly, we have the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988, the DRCA. Finally, we have the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004, MRCA. These three acts are over 2,000 pages. They are complex and they include more than 850 legislative instruments. They are confusing at best.

I take my hat off to all our advocates, out there in veterans' worlds today, all across the country doing great work with our veterans, not only supporting them and guiding them through this legislation but also providing that helping hand and providing that mateship that takes that veteran through that process. I want to acknowledge that, and I want to thank them today on behalf of a grateful nation. Our advocates do a great job. This bill that we're dealing with today applies all of these three to try and simplify the process to make it simpler for our veterans.

I'm not going into the detail; I think it's already been detailed enough. Instead, I want to run through some of the issues that I see that could have been included. They are possibly missed opportunities or future opportunities, if you like, that we could consider. I consider the bill, even in its revised state, to be dealing with illness rather than wellness. I think that if we are to deal with and tackle the issue of getting our veterans to make the transition from the big family that is the military into a new family which is civilian life and maybe a job or another worthwhile vocation, then we need to have that wellness focus.

Secondly, the military, whether it be in Navy, the Army or the Air Force, is a big family. I don't have the words to explain the bond that we have in the service of arms. That mateship that everyone talks about—I can tell you now that it's a real thing. Many ask me what I miss from my 20 years of service in the Army. I don't miss the Army, and I don't think the Army misses me, but I do miss the certain look that a digger gives you. What I mean by that is that there's a look of absolute trust. It can't be replicated. It can't be forged. It's a very genuine look, when you know damn well that they've placed their life in your hands. They get that look when you put them in danger, and the stronger the danger the more acute that is and the stronger this look is. It's that look that I miss. It's that trust that I miss. It's that bond that I miss.

I was a senior soldier in my unit, as a warrant officer. My job was to make sure that they did the right thing. I was the enforcer of the military discipline system. If they did the wrong thing, I kicked them in the backside—I really did. I was hard on them. I made sure that they followed their mission. I made sure that they cleaned their rifle, that they followed their SAPs and all the rest of it. But I was also the bloke that stood in front of them when someone was picking on and when someone was trying to take advantage of them. I stood in front of them and I protected them. That's what diggers do. Honestly, in this place, I can pride myself today in saying that I always stuck up for my diggers. I will continue to stick up for them for the rest of my life. I mean that very sincerely.

When it comes to the delineation and the difference between an illness and wellness, I think no better example could be given than a project that we've got up in the north-west coast of Tasmania. It's called the north-west Veterans' and Families' Centre. It encompasses all those words, and it really underpins the very viability of this organisation. It's headed up by a bloke I served with—a guy who's a former major, ammunition technician, bomb expert, called Andrew Clarke. When he exited from Defence, they said, 'What do you want to do, Major Clarke, as you exit and go into civilian life?' He said: 'I want to be a GP. I want to continue to help people but in a different vein.' He's now one of the best general practitioners that we have on the north-west coast. He heads up that north-west Veterans' and Families' Centre. He and a lady called Jo Lovell, who's a former Navy officer, are doing a fantastic job.

The focus at the north-west Veterans' and Families' Centre isn't on illness. Yes; he's a doctor. He treats that. He supports that. He guides the veteran through that. But, more so, it's on wellness. It's on prevention. At the centre of this is family. I talked earlier, if you recall, about the Defence Force being a big family and the bond that exists. I gave you an example of that. When a veteran is discharged from the Defence Force, be it of their own fruition or, like in my case, through medical discharge, then you feel as if, in your heart and soul, that you are excluded from that tribe—from that family. You have no tribe, and some wander aimlessly. Some wander for the rest of their lives if they don't find a new tribe. Our job, Defence's job, parliament's job, Australia's job is to reconnect them to a new family. The only way that we can do that—the best and the most effective way that we can do that—is through their family, their immediate family. We can bang on about veterans all we like; I get that. But if we don't include the family, then that's all they've got.

To that end—and I'll give you an example of this—there's also another doctor that helps me out. He's a clinical psychiatrist in Hobart. His name is Dr Jon Lane. He is, as far as I'm concerned—I'm pretty sure I'm right when I say this—the only clinical psychiatrist in Australia that has served in combat as a doctor in Afghanistan. He knows what he's talking about. He's been through the ringer. He's been shot at, and he's helping others. We are developing a program down there. Currently our veterans have to leave the great state of Tasmania in order to receive acute care for PTSD. Patients need to go to Greensborough hospital in ward 17. They dread that. They go there without their families. They do a six-week program. They are given drugs to make them sleep. Some of them haven't slept for years. When they exit that, they're back into their family life again. The family doesn't necessarily know where they've been or what they've been subjected to.

What we want to do is to build a facility, a home—imagine something like a Ronald McDonald house—where the families can go. Jon Lane has developed a program which deals with the families as well. Those kids need to know why mum or dad feels the way that they do. That intergenerational trauma that's subjected down into the children needs to be dealt with. They take the family through that program. At the end of it, that family is the one that reinforces the skills, the knowledge and the attitude that's learnt on this treatment program. It's a beautiful system. That family focus is something that isn't talked about often, but I believe it's the key that will unlock the future for veterans.

Along with that, they need a purpose. We have a very clear, succinct mission focus in the Army, in the Navy and in the Air Force. The mission focus isn't necessarily there once we exit. We need to reconnect them to a new purpose, to a new way of life and to a new goal. We need to maintain their self-confidence and their pride. Employment will do that.

I think there's not enough focus being put on not only employment for the veteran and the acknowledgment of the unique set of skills, knowledge and attitude that they've developed over their careers in the military and how they can integrate and cross over into civilian life but also the spouse and whether they are happy and employed and have a purpose. So we need to also look at employment for the spouse and schooling for the children. They may have special needs and all the rest of it, but the family is at the centre of this. I wish, I pray and I make the point strongly today that families are at the centre of that integration, in going from being military families to new civilian families.

I want to acknowledge today all those veterans that are doing it tough—support is out there. One of the things that gets under my skin is when people often feel sorry for our veterans. They pity them. Let me tell everybody today: please, do not pity our veterans. They don't deserve our pity; they deserve our respect. The pity parties have got to stop. Life on the couch has got to end. That individual, be it whoever, needs to get off that couch. There is always support there and there is always someone that will help you, but you need to take that first step yourself. That support will never go away. It will always remain—a bit like what I said at the very start, when I first stood up here. I said I will never forget them and I'll never stop supporting them. So we need to also remember that—that support will always be there. That takes much of the load away.

Finally, as I close, there's not only one thing that gets under my skin; there are several. The other issue that I want to raise today is that not always do veterans know the path that they need to take. That needs to be subtly put across. They need to be guided and they need to be treated with respect. Pity and respect are two things that should never be mixed. We wouldn't do it in the military, so why would we do it anywhere else?

I want to thank all our young Australians. I've had the unique privilege of working with literally some of Australia's most gifted, motivated, professional, smart and driven young Australians. I've worked for some of the best military leaders anywhere in the world. I'm not going to name them, but that experience changes you and changes your life. There's not a day, particularly in this place—even as I stand here—when I'm not using skills that I picked up during my 20 years of service.

Finally, not every veteran does it tough either, so I don't want the business world out there in Australia, across the country, to think that employing a veteran will cause trouble or give grief. Employing a veteran is good for your business. Employing a veteran will help your business, and it will help those around them. So I think we should tell more good stories as well, because there are far more good stories than bad. A young bloke knocked on my door not long ago. I hadn't seen him since I served. He was one of my electronic warfare corporals. I said, 'Stretty, what are you doing?' He said, 'I've invented a thing called an electromagnetic pulse countermeasure technology for geo-orbital satellite technology, and I've got a Defence contract.' They're the stories that we need to tell. That transferable knowledge and those skills are helping that bloke, and he's had some help along the way.

This bill will help them. This bill will simplify the process. We, as a collective, as a parliament, can make that happen seamlessly, but I want to remember and I want to raise those other points that I raised about family, about wellness and about looking forward. As far as I'm concerned, we can't be looking down, because, if you look down, you'll fall over.

Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024. We owe a great deal to our current serving men and women and the some 496,000 veterans. Just as they have had our collective national back, both in peacetime operations and in combat, we need to demonstrate through our actions that we have theirs. This starts with the government showing that the care and support that they were promised can be accessed with a minimum of difficulty. Certainly the service men and women and veterans alike that I meet in Hasluck expect government to take action. I have active RSL sub-branches in Bellevue, Chidlow, Ellenbrook, Kalamunda, Mundaring and, after the redistribution, Eastern Regional in Bassendean. These sub-branches advocate strongly for the interests of their members and expect to see action. I spoke about it in my first speech, and I'm happy and pleased to be speaking about it today because our government has acted.

The Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel has undertaken many measures over the past two years, but I have to say that this legislation is the most important change in veteran affairs in a generation. Australians, of course, all have rights, and knowing what these rights are and being able to access them without the stress or strain of difficulty is fundamental to our citizenship. Our veterans have made their commitment to Australia clear, and we need to make our commitment to them clear.

Finding out what you're entitled to receive and what you need to get should not be tedious or complicated. It shouldn't be couched in language that is unclear except to the people who wrote it. It shouldn't produce so much as a sigh or a mutter. When a system of explaining entitlements, treatment and support is so complex that it's having an adverse effect on the mental health of veterans and their families, something is seriously wrong. Indeed, too many veterans have paid a heavy price for the failures on the part of government. Explaining entitlements and the availability of treatment and support must not present a test of any sort to the reader. It should be providing comfort and relief.

Certainly it's a relief to me as a citizen and as a former member of the Army Reserve that we now have a bill before us that will streamline the number of acts currently administered by the Department of Veterans' Affairs from three to one. Simplifying claims processing is always a good idea. People need to know precisely what they have to do so that they can make their claim quickly, have it processed in a timely manner and receive the support that they and their family need and are entitled to receive. We acknowledge the unique nature of military service and the special nature of the commitment to defend Australia. We promise that we will embrace and support all military veterans as respected and valued members of our community. This bill is a part of the fulfilment of that promise. I'm proud to belong to a government that takes its promises seriously.

In October 2022, in our first year of government, Minister Keogh called for consultations and public submissions. He invited the Australian people to a discussion with the launch of the veterans legislation reform consultation pathway. Then, between 28 February and 28 April this year, the government conducted the national consultation on the draft of the bill that came as a consequence of the first round of consultations. These consultations were held in every capital city and in Townsville, and, over the course of the two months of this year, hundreds of pieces of feedback were received.

This bill is a result of all that consultation and discussion. It's not here to save money; it's here to do the right thing and, in some cases, to right wrongs. It's here to harmonise and consolidate processes, funeral allowances, education payments, attendant and household services and vehicle assistance. It's here to make them fit together smoothly, rather than being scattered in confusing bits and pieces all over the place. There will be a single review pathway and timelines that give people the real prospect of hope and resolution. Interim compensation will have to be finalised after two years. There's also practical reassurance—no individual veteran will suffer a reduction to their existing payments. Nobody will be worse off. Nobody will receive lower benefits.

Funding for the enhancements to be delivered was included in the May 2024 budget, so when will all this begin? The commencement date of 1 July 2026 has been chosen to ensure that the people affected are well informed on precisely what the changes will mean to them. It will also give time for their advocates and Department of Veterans' Affairs staff to be properly informed and ready to assist with the smooth running of the new arrangements. We are confident that advocates will find it easier to assist veterans and families and that the DVA staff will be able to process veteran and family claims more simply and quickly.

There will be a new payment, the additional disablement allowance, or ADA, and a higher travel reimbursement when a private vehicle is used to travel for treatment. All this means there will need to be amendments to legislation in other portfolios, like Social Services, Treasury and Health, and the bill covers that too. A major review of medical assessment forms has been made to make them easier to understand and quicker to be completed by medical professionals. Any project that can reduce form filling to the necessary minimum is very welcome for everybody.

Tackling the problems of homeless veterans is also a priority for the Albanese government. Veterans are three times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population. That is a shocking reality ignored by our predecessors. The Albanese government has launched a $30 million Veterans' Acute Housing Program to help veterans and their families who have lost their home or are at risk of losing it to get back on their feet. Our veterans and families hub program provides health and wellness support, with general practitioners on site and mobile outreach clinics for veterans living in regional areas.

We listened, and we have acted. We were listening and paying attention as the transition was made from the royal commission interim report to the final report. People who wish to serve should be able to do so with confidence that their rights will be protected while they are in service and that issues or problems which arise as a result of their service will be responded to with respect and compassion.

As in so many other portfolio areas, in the field of veterans' affairs the Albanese government had to deal with almost a decade of appalling Liberal and National Party neglect and mismanagement, resulting in a royal commission no less. Successive Liberal and National Party governments were uninterested in solving the issues of the day and complacent in approaching the challenges of Australia's future.

By contrast, we are absolutely committed to addressing the backlog of problems that were ignored or brushed aside in every area of our national life. The primary reassurance is this: the Albanese government believes in action, not sitting around hoping that things sort themselves out eventually. Where processes need to be simplified, we simplify them. Where services need to be provided, we provide them. Where training is needed, we offer it. When problems are identified, we work the problem. We work the problem in consultation with the Australian people and, with them, we find the solutions. I commend the bill to the House.

Allegra Spender (Wentworth, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The introduction of this bill, the Veterans Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024, comes at a pivotal moment, particularly in light of the royal commission report into veteran suicide. Since 1985, we have lost at least 2,000 veterans to suicide, a tragic reflection of profound gaps in our support systems for veterans in Australia. These losses aren't just statistics. Each veteran lost to suicide leaves behind grieving families, friends and a community struggling with the weight of that loss. The burden of this crisis spans for generations and, as it stands, much of the heavy lifting is being done by the community, filling the void where government systems have failed.

I remember very vividly going to the front of Parliament House earlier this year when the report into veteran suicide was released and speaking to family members and standing outside a shrine to those who had passed away through suicide, those veterans who proudly served Australia. It was heartbreaking. What their family members asked was for this parliament and our community to do better.

We have seen extreme examples of the harm caused by our current system. Some of these stories were shared with us in the parliament in September, but they were not isolated incidents. They highlighted how deeply inadequate the support structure is for veterans. Administrative issues may appear small in the scheme of things but can further compound difficulties in accessing support or discourage seeking help at all.

I'm pleased to see that this bill seeks to simplify legislation governing veterans' entitlements.

For too long veterans have been navigating a confusing and inequitable system of overlapping legislation. The existing system comprises three different acts that determine veteran entitlements, rehabilitation and compensation arrangements, often creating confusion and leading to different levels of and eligibility for supports for individuals based on factors like age or where an injury occurred. It is a labyrinth. At least three public reports, including the Productivity Commission review in 2019, as well as the more recent Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide highlighted how this structure is contributing to delays, inequity and a lack of clarity for those seeking help. This bill will consolidate acts into the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act, MRCA, which should reduce some of that complexity. While this bill streamlines some of the inconsistency, it won't fix all the complexity. Many of the Senate inquiry submissions have pointed out that, although consolidating legislation is a good first step, it doesn't address the issues of complexity that exist within an amalgamated MRCA. The message to us is this is a good first step but not the end of the road.

I'd like to talk about veterans' families because this bill will affect veterans' families, and veterans families are such an important part of our veterans' community. They are integral to the conversation yet the support system often fails to adequately recognise the roles that they play. I sat through and helped organise a workshop with veterans' families as well as current serving members families, and the feedback that I got loud and clear was that we are neither serving veterans nor current veteran members' families adequately, and the lack of service is inhibiting our ability to hold on to members of the defence forces. As one young woman said to me, 'If you can't make it work for me and my family then, ultimately, it won't work for my husband,' who, in this case, was a member of the defence forces. We do not and have not had enough focus on the needs of families of our defence personnel and families of veterans. I think this bill to a degree addresses this but there is much further to go.

I have been contacted specifically in relation to this bill by veterans' families, as well as by advocacy groups representing veterans' families, who saw the bill is a rare opportunity to update language they felt was no longer aligned with the modern values and realities of caregiving in many of these families. After all, the MRCA was initially drafted more than 20 years ago, in 2004. The Australian War Widows and the Families of Veterans Guild pointed out in their Senate submissions the term 'wholly dependent partner' used to describe the partner of a deceased veteran is outdated. It fails to capture the complex, often interdependent, relationships that exist in veterans' families, and devalues the role that families play. Australian War Widows notes that is no longer appropriate since most partners and widows work during their marriages on top of fulfilling roles that include home duties. In fact, according to the 2019 census, 79 per cent of partners of ADF personnel are working. These organisations wrote to the minister to outline their concerns with this terminology and to propose alternative language such as 'bereaved partner' where this clause applies. It was suggested to have no impact on the definition or eligibility but better reflected the reality of families today.

Legacy Australia noted similar concerns in their submission. I understand that updates to language can have broad implications and cannot be considered lightly but this is more than semantics; this is about updating terminology to better reflect and include the nuanced and complex roles that families play in supporting veterans. This is about moving away from language that stereotypes the partners of veterans, 80 per cent of whom are women. I am aware of procedures in place within the veteran community to discuss this language and I am pleased that these conversations have been tabled for discussion. While the debate on this bill may not be the time to press the matter, I would urge the minister to make these changes central to the next stage of amendments to this legislation.

I'd now like to turn to a constituent issue which relates to this, because it really talks about another issue—language that is out of step. I have a constituent, Major Caitlin Pedel, who has proudly served Australia for 17 years. In 2022, Major Pedel was posted to the United States, during which time she gave birth. As a direct result of her overseas posting, Major Pedel understood that she would fail the residency test for parental leave, as she had been outside of Australia for more than 56 weeks. Major Pedel was wrongfully under the impression that she would protected under section 46(4) of the Paid Parental Leave Act that allows the 56-week period to be extended in circumstances where a member of the defence forces is deployed outside Australia. Services Australia rejected her claim, noting that she was 'posted' and not 'deployed', even though Major Pedel points out pregnant women are prohibited from being deployed on operational deployments.

The way I see it is that either Services Australia's interpretation of the law is incorrect or this exemption is, in practice, only available to men. To add insult to injury, Major Pedel successfully appealed this decision at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Yet, as it stands, Services Australia is seeking to have this appeal overturned. I find it frankly outrageous that Services Australia would waste public resources in the pointless pursuit of a stringent interpretation of a ridiculous law that does not reflect the reality of families. If this government is serious about equal opportunity and protections for women in the Defence Force, it will stop the legal proceedings immediately and update this legislation to remove all ambiguity surrounding this case.

This bill is an important step, but, as I've outlined today, there are at least three reasons why there need to be strong, urgent and systemic changes across not only the veteran support system but the broader defence sector. One of the most crucial recommendations from the royal commission is recommendation 122, which calls for the establishment of a new statutory entity to oversee reform across the entire defence ecosystem. The new statutory entity is needed to provide independent oversight and evidence based advice to drive system reform to improve suicide prevention and wellbeing outcomes for serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members and their families. It is absolutely critical. While I understand the reviewing and consulting on all 122 recommendations of the royal commission will be involved, I believe there is a strong case for expediting this recommendation in particular, because, when I speak to veterans and their families in my electorate of Wentworth, what they're asking for is not more delays or half measures. They're asking for urgent systemic change. I believe external oversight and accountability are essential if we are to deliver the kind of reform that will truly make a difference.

Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024. This bill is a significant step in addressing the challenges faced by our veteran community, ensuring they receive the care, support and recognition they deserve. The men and women who have served in our defence forces have made immense sacrifices to protect our nation's values, securities and freedoms. It's our duty as Australians and as their representatives here in this chamber to ensure that they receive the support they need and deserve in return.

However, the existing framework for veterans' entitlements, treatment and support has become overly complex, fragmented and, at times, difficult for veterans and their families to navigate. The current system, while established with the best of intentions, has evolved into a maze of legislation, regulations and policies that differ depending on when and where an individual served and which act applies to their circumstances.

Currently, veterans' entitlements are determined under one or more of three primary compensation acts—the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004, the MRCA; the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, the VEA; and the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988, the SRCA. Which piece of legislation applies to a claim is determined by when the veteran served and which period or periods of service caused or contributed to the condition subject of the claim. This lack of consistency has caused confusion, delays in delivering services, unnecessary stress and even inequities in how our veterans are treated. This bill seeks to simplify and harmonise the veteran support system, streamlining the three pieces of legislation down to one. This will make it easier for veterans and their families to access the benefits they're entitled to without having to wade through confusing bureaucracy.

First the bill consolidates entitlements under one simplified framework, removing the confusion caused by multiple overlapping schemes. This means that veterans of different conflicts and eras will no longer be subject to differing rules and processes based purely on their time of service. Instead there will be a uniform set of entitlements based on need and circumstance, ensuring fairness and equity across the board.

Second this bill introduces a streamlined claims process. Prior to the last election, I was surprised to hear from veterans and families about the delays they were experiencing. It was not unusual to be told that they had put their TPI claim in 18 months earlier and had heard nothing from the department. Of course they had waited until things were really desperate before they had put their claim in, so an 18-month delay for someone already in crisis was disastrous for them and their loved ones. RSL advocates told me of veterans who had died waiting for a claim to be assessed, never having received the services they needed and deserved.

When the minister was appointed and met with the department, he found that, like so many critical services, it had been hollowed out. Close to 50 per cent of staff were on short-term labour hire contracts, so there was no continuity or corporate knowledge. That resulted in around 42,000 claims that had been received and had not even been allocated to someone to assess. So to all those veterans who told me that they'd been waiting 18 months and had not heard anything and couldn't get to speak to anyone in the department about their claim: this was why. Those 42,000 claims and the claims that have come in since then have now all been allocated and are in the process of being assessed or have been finalised. That is because Labor values the service of veterans and doesn't think they should be put through the wringer to get the services they need.

But to get back to this bill, we are proposing new measures that will further reduce waiting times and improve access to treatment and services even more. This is crucial for veterans suffering from physical or psychological trauma for whom timely intervention can be life-changing. By cutting through red tape and simplifying the claims process, we aim to ensure that veterans can focus on their recovery, not on fighting bureaucracy.

Third we've listened to the voices of veterans and their families in the crafting of this legislation. The harmonisation of services between the Department of Veterans' Affairs, healthcare providers and other support networks will foster a more holistic approach to veterans care. We want our veterans to have seamless access to the services they need, whether it be medical treatment, mental health care, rehabilitation or housing assistance. The bill encourages cross-agency collaboration and data sharing to deliver faster and more efficient outcomes for those who have served.

Fourth we are increasing transparency and accountability. Veterans and their families have often found the process opaque, with limited visibility into how claims are assessed and decisions made. This bill introduces measures to improve communication, provide regular updates on claims progress and ensure decisions are explained clearly. While this bill focuses on simplification, it does not compromise the quality or scope of support available to our veterans. In fact, by making the system easier to navigate, we are freeing up resources that can be reinvested into frontline services and direct support. The result will be better care, less frustration and a system that honours the sacrifices of those who've served.

Under the revised arrangements, existing claims already submitted under the VEA and the DRCA will be grandparented, but any new claims from 1 July 2026 will be assessed under the MRCA. The bill also introduces a range of enhancements that will make access to entitlements easier and fairer for veterans. These enhancements have been informed by consultation and feedback from the veteran community over the last two years. The enhancements include compensation for funeral expenses to be consolidated under the MRCA, with the cap to be increased from $2,000 to $3,000. The legislative basis for benefits like the acute support package, household services and attendant care, the Victoria Cross allowance, ex gratia payments and recognition supplements for former prisoners of war will also move to the MRCA. Some aspects of veteran treatment arrangements will move from VEA to the MRCA, including the legislative basis for non-liability health care and the commission's powers to determine specific treatment programs and classes of eligible persons. This will result in no changes to the coverage.

A legislative basis for the repatriation commission to accept liability based on a presumption that the person's defence service caused their injury or disease will operate by providing the commission with an instrument-making power to specify relevant injuries and diseases. A new payment called the additional disablement amount will also be introduced into the MRCA. Similar to the extreme disablement adjustment, this new payment will benefit veterans over pension age with significant service related impairment. Dependants will also have access to the gold card and other benefits in the event of the veteran's death.

Importantly, no veterans will suffer a reduction to their existing payments. Compensation previously awarded under the DRCA or VEA will not be disrupted. A commencement date of 1 July 2026 ensures we have time to make sure the veteran community are well informed on what the changes will mean for them, and provides enough time to ensure advocates and DVA staff have had adequate training prior to the commencement.

This legislation reflects the fundamental principles of fairness, equity and respect for the dignity of our veterans. It's about more than just legislative reform; it's about fulfilling our national obligation to those who have given so much in service to Australia. It's about acknowledging the unique challenges faced by veterans and responding to them with a system that is compassionate, efficient and fit for purpose in the 21st century. I urge all members to support this important bill to ensure no veteran is left behind. Together we can build a support system that honours their service and provides the help they need to live fulfilling lives post service.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of the Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024, before the House. Our veterans have given their all in service of our country. They have faced extraordinary challenges and risks, and it is our duty to ensure their transition back to civilian life is supported by a robust and uncomplicated system. The Albanese Labor government is committed to implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide's Interim report, and this bill will do just that.

The royal commission was established to investigate the systemic issues and risk factors relevant to suicide and suicide behaviours of serving and ex-serving Defence members, and received more than 5,800 submissions. The royal commission's reports made one thing abundantly clear: for too long the veterans entitlements system has been too complicated, resulting in too many veterans experiencing adverse effects of mental health. The Australian government recognises that the current veterans entitlements system is overly complicated, difficult to understand, stressful to navigate and complex to administer.

This bill is aimed at addressing the first recommendation from the royal commission—that veteran compensation and rehabilitation legislation should be simplified and harmonised. The Albanese government is working towards this by merging three pieces of legislation into a single ongoing act. For too long, our veterans have navigated a complex maze of entitlements and support systems, each program and each process often adding layers of confusion and frustration to an already challenging experience. Under the current legislative model, veterans entitlements are determined under one or more of three primary compensation acts depending on where the veteran served and which period of service caused or contributed to the condition being claimed.

The Albanese Labor government has budgeted for $222 million in additional veteran funding—funding for veterans and family entitlements and supports—to be made available through this new simplified legislation. It ensures veterans and their families can better understand and access faster the support they are entitled to.

If passed, the new legislation will commence on 1 July 2026, allowing for ample time to ensure the veteran community are well informed of the changes and have a greater understanding of what they mean to them. Importantly, no individual veteran will suffer a reduction to their existing payments. As such, compensation previously awarded under the former acts will not be disrupted. They will be grandparented. Those receiving benefits immediately prior to the commencement of the new arrangements will continue to do so under the grandparenting arrangements without any reduction in payments. This will provide financial certainty to veterans and their families. Critical safeguards will be in place, ensuring that there is no change in compensation payments currently being received by veterans and that the current payment rates are maintained and indexed as they would be under the current system. So all of those assurances have been provided.

Since coming to government, we have been hearing again and again that the veterans' compensation system is overly complex, difficult to understand and stressful to navigate. The neglect of the former government meant that Labor inherited a chronically understaffed and underresourced Department of Veterans' Affairs and an extensive backlog of claims. We understand the devastating impact this has had on veterans and their families. Those opposite presided over a persistent gap between the needs of veterans and the resources allocated to support them. This underfunding impacted the availability and quality of services. Thankfully, the Albanese Labor government has cleared that backlog of claims since it came to office just two years ago. We have properly resourced the Department of Veterans' Affairs to ensure its viability into the future.

We are building on that work, and we are now turning our focus to simplifying the existing veterans' compensation and rehabilitation legislation. In essence, the bill before the House will streamline three separate and hard-to-navigate acts into a single, ongoing piece of legislation and, in turn, ease the stress and anxiety veterans are experiencing under the current model. Funding for the enhancements set to be delivered was announced as part of the May budget. I hope those opposite will join us in this once-in-a-generation opportunity to get the system right for veterans and their families.

This is the biggest improvement of veterans' compensation and rehabilitation laws for more than a century, and it is important that our veterans and their families help guide the decisions that impact them. The government also welcomed the findings from the final report on the royal commission, which was tabled in August this year in this House, and will provide a full response by the end of the year. Our veterans deserve the best, and this important reform will help us deliver on our promise to transform the current system.

Finally, I would like to take this moment to note the strong advocacy from the ex-service men and women in my community of Newcastle, who have been raising this issue with me for many years. I want to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of all our ex-service organisations in Newcastle. In particular I want to pay tribute to the Totally and Permanently Disabled Soldiers Association in Wallsend, the Newcastle and Hunter region Vietnam veterans and the RSL sub-branches of the City of Newcastle, Merewether-Hamilton-Adamstown, Lambton-New Lambton, Wallsend and District, Shortland and Stockton. I know the work you do each and every day to honour those who you have lost and to care for those who remain. It is exceptional work.

I would also like to acknowledge Hunter Anzac Memorial Limited, the RSL Coffee Pot Day Club in Merewether, the Gallipoli Legion Club preservation group, the Newcastle War Widows Guild club, the Gulf War Veterans Association, the Families of Veterans Guild social clubs for war widows, the Wallsend Diggers, the RAAF Association, the City of Newcastle's ANZAC committee, Newcastle Legacy, the Naval Association of Australia, Newcastle N16, Open Arms Veterans and Families Counselling, the Partners of Veterans Association of Australia, the Young Veterans Australia, the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service, Newcastle and Hunter regions Vietnam veterans and the Defence and Veterans Legal Service. You can tell from that exhaustive list just what an engaged ex-service community I have in Newcastle. This is legislation that's going to mean a lot to those veterans and their families. The support, throughout my community, is very much appreciated, so it's terrific that we have a legislative measure now, a demonstration of the government's deep and ongoing commitment to those who served and sacrificed so much for our country. Let us embrace this opportunity to make meaningful changes that will enhance the lives of veterans and reflect our enduring respect for their service.

I want to end by saying that, as the daughter of a Vietnam veteran and life member of the RSL, I want to assure Australian veterans and their families that the Labor government have them very much at the centre of our thinking, and we are very much on their side. I am pleased that this legislation is before the House. I call on all members of parliament to support it and to do so without delay.

Fiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Veterans in my electorate of Gilmore are very much loved and play a big part in our communities. Gilmore is home to over 7,000 serving defence members, veterans and their families. Gilmore has the highest number of defence members and veterans in New South Wales, so it's fair to say that veterans and support for veterans are very important topics in Gilmore.

One of the many things I have really cherished in my role has been building good relationships with all our local RSL clubs, Vietnam veterans associations and local veterans groups. This has taken time, but it is so important. I have got to know ESOs and have heard many of the challenges around veterans' claims. I vividly remember one RSL sub-branch meeting and hearing about the very real impacts of the high number of veterans claims that the ESO had been supporting and that had been ongoing for a very long period. Our ESOs play a vital role, but I remember thinking they needed more support. That was at a time when, under the previous government, veterans' claims processing times had blown right out, and veterans, their families and people supporting them all felt intolerable pain.

Deputy Speaker, Nowra is a proud Navy and defence town. We are home to HMAS Albatross, the Royal Australian Navy's largest base and the only naval air station in Australia. We are home to HMAS Creswell, the Royal Australian Navy's officer training college. We also have many lodger units at HMAS Albatross, including the Army's Special Operations Command ADF Parachuting School. We are truly lucky to have such diversity in defence in the Shoalhaven, including the most amazing defence industry businesses.

It is natural that, when serving defence members retire or conclude their time with defence locally, they stay in our beautiful area that has been home for their families for some time. So the question becomes: how can we better support our veterans and their families? Deputy Speaker, I was proud to advocate for and deliver one of the first veterans wellbeing hubs at Nowra, the Shoalhaven Veteran and Family Hub. I have visited often and witnessed the many different veterans groups and veterans participating in wellbeing activities and accessing support. It is a wonderful centre, funded and supported by the federal government. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, I joined Invictus South Coast and Bowls Gr8 for Brains at Worrigee Sports club to bowl with veterans and their families. This is just one of the many wellbeing activities on offer in my area from dedicated workers and volunteers supporting veterans and families.

But one thing that had always stayed with me from before we came to government was the issue of the massive backlog of veterans' DVA claims and the impact it was having on veterans and their family members. I'm pleased to say that the backlog is an issue we have been tackling, with an additional 500 DVA staff employed to work through it. I'm also pleased to say that, because of the Albanese government's work in this regard—it has taken time, and full credit to the minister and his department—DVA claims are now back to within normal processing times. However, adding to the complexity of the claims process is that under the current legislative model veterans' entitlements are determined by either one or more of three primary compensation acts: the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004, MCRA; the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, VEA; and/or the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988, DRCA.

Debate interrupted.