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

I table a ministerial statement on the research into the effects of military service on veterans and their families. At the same time, three research reports—the Vietnam veterans families study, the peacekeeper health study and the Rwandan deployment health study—will be released. I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

At the last election, the government announced a comprehensive policy agenda to meet the needs of veterans and their families. We announced our four-pillar approach to veterans’ affairs:

•   Recognising the unique nature of military service;

•   Retaining a stand-alone Department of Veterans’ Affairs;

•   Tackling the mental health challenges for veterans and their families; and

•   Supporting veterans through adequate advocacy and welfare services.

To meet these commitments, the government has:

•   Delivered its election commitment to change the indexation of Defence Forces Retirement Benefit (DFRB) and Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefit (DFRDB) military superannuation pensions, for superannuants aged 55 and over from 1 July 2014;

•   Restored $1 million in advocacy and welfare support funding under the Building Excellence in Support and Training (BEST) program, funding which was slashed by the former Labor government;

•   Expanded access to counselling services through the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service;

•   Ensured that more veterans and ex-service people can get treatment for certain mental health conditions without the need to lodge a claim for compensation through DVA, or to prove that the condition is service related—and I acknowledge that was a process commended under the former government;

•   Cut red-tape for veterans lodging claims through the acceptance of Defence ID when making a claim for compensation;

•   Reduced the time taken to process compensation claims across all three compensation acts, and acknowledge that more work must be done to get these down even further.

Since becoming the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, and in the three years prior as the shadow minister, I made it clear that I was not prepared to see the mistakes of the past repeated when it came to the nation’s treatment of its veterans, ex-service personnel and their families. The treatment of Vietnam veterans on their return remains a dark stain on this nation’s history. It is something that must never be repeated. This philosophy underpins everything the government seeks to achieve.

Proper and robust research will help us to plan for the future. The research studies released today give us an enhanced understanding of the long-term effects of military service from a range of wartime and peacekeeping missions on the health of veterans and their families, and their access to health services. These three studies represent a significant investment in the future health and wellbeing of veterans, peacekeepers and their families, with the government providing funding of around $12.25 million to support their completion.

Prior to the election, the government committed itself to release of the Vietnam Veterans Family Study at the earliest opportunity. We also promised extensive consultation. Today, this report to government is released.

The Vietnam Veterans’ Family Study, with over 27,000 participants, is one of the most significant government-funded research projects commissioned about veterans and their families. I would like to first and foremost thank those veterans and their families who participated in the study, and acknowledge the hard work of the various researchers involved, including the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the Australian Institute of Family Studies and Colmar Brunton Social Research.

I particularly acknowledge the Consultative Forum for the Study, made up of veterans, partners and children, which also made a significant investment of their time and expertise, for which I am very grateful. My thanks go to Professor Bryan Rodgers, Chair of the study’s scientific advisory committee, and its members who ensured the rigour and validity of this large study.

The study compared the physical, mental and social wellbeing of two groups of Australian veterans: 10,000 randomly selected Army Vietnam veterans and their families, with 10,000 randomly selected Defence personnel who served in the Army during the Vietnam War era but did not deploy to Vietnam, along with their families.

The research findings indicate that although the majority of sons and daughters of Vietnam veterans are leading healthy and productive lives, the family members of deployed Vietnam veterans were more likely to have emotional, physical and social problems than other comparable military families.

The peacekeeper's health study focuses on seven peacekeeping missions from 1989 to 2002: Namibia, Western Sahara, Cambodia, Rwanda, Somalia and the two East Timor deployments. More than 14,000 Australian personnel were deployed as part of these operations. The vast majority participated in the East Timor operations, with over 10,000 personnel deployed between 1999 and 2002. A random sample of over 2,000 peacekeepers were invited to participate, with more than 1,000 contributing.

The final study released today is the Rwanda Deployment Health Study. This study, conducted by the then Centre for Military and Veterans’ Health, investigated the health outcomes of the 680 veterans from Operation TAMAR in Rwanda.

The studies released today have relied on the firsthand, quantitative evidence provided by veterans and their families. Their contributions, frank answers to questions and willingness to participate have provided the evidence for the findings contained.

The government’s investment in research does not end with the release of these studies. In July this year, I launched the Transition and Wellbeing Research Program, the most comprehensive research program of its type undertaken in Australia. This $5 million research project, jointly funded by DVA and Defence, will examine the impact of military service on the mental, physical and social health of serving and ex-serving personnel who have deployed to contemporary conflicts.

For the first time, this will include a picture of the mental and physical health of service personnel after discharge and how mental health symptoms change over time. It will also investigate how individuals previously diagnosed with a mental health condition access care, as well as examining the experiences and needs of families of serving and ex-serving members. This is an important and tangible way to ensure we do not repeat the mistakes of the past.

Families

Of the three studies being launched today, the Vietnam Veterans Family Study focuses on the intergenerational effects of war service—specifically Vietnam War service. This government places great store on the capacity and importance of families, as shown by our pre-election policy commitment to ‘veterans and their families’. We know that families play a central role in shaping the health and wellbeing of its members. The study confirms the importance of families and the need to connect them to support and programs. The study also shows that for this group of Vietnam veterans, there are some intergenerational effects for some children.

There are now a wide range of family supports available for all Australians, including resources for building better relationships through to dispute resolution. There are specific supports available for families with children who are at risk of separation, or who have separated. These mainstream supports are also complemented by veterans support for families, particularly through the VVCS. Family members can be affected by a loved one’s military service and are fundamental to the veteran’s successful transition following deployments and separation from military service. It is extremely important to acknowledge that sons and daughters of Vietnam veterans of any age are eligible to access, and be supported by, the VVCS services.

Mental health

A major theme in common across the three studies is mental health, and how veterans and families are dealing with the mental health effects of war and peacekeeping. The Australian Defence Force has invested significant resources on mental health, with a focus on building the resilience and achieving capability through mental fitness. For instance, ADF personnel now receive psycho-educational training about the risks they will face before deployment and a range of post-deployment screenings to assess their coping and to determine whether they would benefit from additional support. In 2012-13, the government spent almost $179 million on meeting the mental health needs of the veteran and ex-service community. Funding for veteran mental health treatment is demand driven and it is not capped.

The key to good mental health is to take action early. The government has therefore invested considerably in providing veterans with more streamlined access to mental health treatment. The government can pay for treatment for diagnosed PTSD, depression, anxiety, and alcohol and substance use disorders—whatever the cause. The condition does not have to be related to service. These arrangements are available to anyone who has deployed on operations overseas, and many who have served for more than three years at home. For instance, any of those who served in the Vietnam War or in peacekeeping operations are eligible for these arrangements. (Time expired)

Penny Wright (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Australian Greens, I would like to speak to the reports that have been tabled by the Minister for Veterans Affairs and reiterate the importance of having good research into the effects of service on Australia's military personnel, including peacekeepers, and also into the effects of that service on their families and dependents. My experience in meeting both veterans and their partners and children has confirmed for me what the research has indicated and what was referred to by Senator Ronaldson—that is, that there is substantial evidence to suggest that for those who serve on our behalf war has not only many physical costs but also costs from the dislocation of their lives and the necessity for them to reintegrate into the civilian workforce when they demobilise from their service. There are also the ongoing effects, sometimes psychological and in relation to stress. Those costs transfer to those who support them. The role of partners and families is absolutely crucial. It is incumbent upon us as a community that, when we ask people to serve on our behalf and put themselves in the frontline, at risk of physical and psychological injury, we support those who support them.

I will look forward to reading the reports that have been tabled today. We need to see important, reliable research translated into sensible and reliable policy that acknowledges the contribution that our veterans and their families make on our behalf. That is the big, really important question.

I think that Australian society needs to be particularly grateful for not only the families, partners and children of veterans but also some of the organisations that work tirelessly to try to highlight the importance of having good research and good policy, including the Partners of Veterans Association of Australia and also their state counterparts and many small and large organisations that work for the welfare of partners and veterans throughout Australia. A matter that I have raised with the minister is that some of the partners associations, or many of them, do not actually have any real funding to keep them going, and I think it is important that we ensure that they can carry out that important advocacy and caring role, particularly in terms of reaching out to partners and families in rural and more isolated areas of Australia who often do not have the support networks that people in urban areas have. It can be very expensive to try to get out there to meet them. I know from the partners that I have spoken to how absolutely valuable that contact can be in keeping people going in their important work, in holding families together and in supporting their veterans.

I look forward, on behalf of the Australian Greens, to having a closer look at those reports.

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

With the indulgence of the chamber, as time ran out when I was making my ministerial statement, I table the remainder of my ministerial statement.

Question agreed to.