Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. Can the minister advise the Senate what the government is doing to improve the understanding of the needs of recent veterans?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

): I thank Senator Boswell for that question. As his long and distinguished Senate career draws to an end, I would like on behalf of all Australia's veterans to thank Senator Boswell for his longstanding interests in their concerns. I am pleased to get another question from our side in relation to veterans' affairs. This is the second one in five sitting days. I note that there has not been a question from the opposition since 27 March this year—85 days and 33 Labor questions, not one in relation to veterans' affairs, which shows exactly where their priorities lie.

At the last election, in our policy—and we were the only major party to have a policy; the Australian Labor Party did not—we made it quite clear that the mental health challenges of veterans and their families would be part of our four-pillar policy. And since coming to government we have indeed started implementing those programs. On 11 June in Adelaide I announced the largest and most comprehensive study into the needs of contemporary veterans and their families ever undertaken. The Transition and Wellbeing Research Programme is a $5 million investment by the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Department of Defence towards better understanding of the issues confronting contemporary veterans, those transitioning from Defence to civilian life, and the families who support them. With the increased operational deployment of the ADF over more than a decade and the draw-down of Defence Force operations in Afghanistan more recently, we need to understand the physical, mental and social health needs of both serving and ex-serving personnel and their families. The Transitional Wellbeing Research Programme has three parts. The first, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Transitional Study— (Time expired)

Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister advise the Senate of who will conduct the studies for the Transition and Wellbeing Research Programme? And when will they report?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With your leave, Mr President, I will just finish off the tail end of that important first question. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Transition Study will target both serving and ex-serving personnel to determine their mental, physical and social health status. The second study—the Impact of Combat Study—will comprehensively follow up on the mental, physical and neurocognitive health of personnel deployed to the Middle East area of operations between 2010 and 2012. The third study—the Family and Wellbeing Study—being conducted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies will investigate the impact of military service on the health and wellbeing of the families of serving and ex-serving personnel.

My department has contracted the Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies at the University of Adelaide to lead the Transition and Wellbeing Research Programme. It will be very ably led by Dr Miranda Van Hooff and it will include national experts on veteran mental, physical and social health from the University of Melbourne, the University of New South Wales, Monash University— (Time expired)

Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I have a further supplementary question. Can the minister explain to the Senate how this new program integrates with the government's plan for veterans and their families?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The others involved in the research are the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre and the Australian Institute of Family Studies. The Australian Institute of Family Studies will take the lead on the Family and Wellbeing Study.

I thank Senator Boswell for his final supplementary question. We view veterans' mental health as absolutely fundamental to where this nation is heading. We believe that early intervention is the key to helping these young men and women and their families. The Australian government is currently spending $166 million per annum, uncapped, on the mental health needs of our serving men and women and ex-serving men and women. Quite frankly, this nation cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. What was done to those men returning from Vietnam so long ago now this nation simply cannot do to the young men and women returning from recent conflicts. We are determined to address their needs.