Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move amendments (1), (2) and (3) on revised sheet 8178 together:

(1) Clause 7, page 4 (line 7), after "Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004", insert "(the MRC Act)".

(2) Clause 7, page 4 (line 14), before "within a time", insert "except under the MRC Act—"

(3)    (3) The Commonwealth is committed to the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission deciding a claim under the MRC Act within 90 days beginning on:

  (a) the day the Commission receives the claim; or

  (b) the day the Commission receives information, or a document, that the Commission requested in relation to the claim under section 330 of that Act;

whichever occurs later.

These amendments send a very clear message that, when you come to the DVA for help, you can be sure you'll finally receive it. These amendments commit the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission to make decisions on veterans' claims within 90 days of receiving all the paperwork. They form a promise to treat veterans in a way that's fair, doesn't take too long, doesn't leave them worse off and doesn't treat them like the enemy. Without these amendments, this bill does absolutely nothing.

One of the biggest issues that we have is the time it takes to clear these claims. If you have all the evidence on the table, there is no more to say about this. If you have all this evidence on the table and you can't make that decision by 90 days, I have to ask what sort of department you are running. This is part of the suicides. It's because of the time it is taking to do these claims. If you really want veterans to see that you have respect for them and for everything that they've done then, for goodness sakes, 90 days is more than long enough to make a decision.