Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support the Veterans’ Affairs Legislation Amendment (Budget Measures) Bill 2017, and I would first like to acknowledge Mr Dean Da Costa, who is with us in the gallery today. Thank you, Mr Da Costa, for being with us. I know that you will benefit from this bill, as you served at Maralinga, and I thank you so much for your service to your country.

I would also like to speak more about the third schedule in this bill, which relates to the establishment of a pilot program by the Department of Veterans' Affairs to provide rehabilitation services to veterans while their claims are being processed. It is this aspect of the bill that I want to focus on. It is very good news for veterans. Currently they have to wait for their liability claim to be accepted before they can access rehabilitation, and precious time is lost. Early access to rehabilitation is so vital. The sooner we get the rehab started, the better it is. It helps the veteran return to work, where possible, with all the benefit that work brings to recovery and wellbeing. And we all know that being productive and having a purpose is important.

Improving outcomes for our ex-service men and women ought to be a priority for all of us. We ask a great deal of our defence forces. Yet sometimes when they return home we do not look after them as well as we could. The Williamtown RAAF Base is in my electorate, and the Singleton Army Base is nearby. Serving personnel and veterans are a part of our communities and our families. They are our sons and daughters, our mothers and fathers, our friends and loved ones. Recently I was pleased to host Labor's shadow minister for veterans' affairs and defence personnel, the member for Kingston, in Paterson. I invited her because of the issues raised with me by serving personnel, veterans and their loved ones. We gathered together in groups of personnel and veterans. Some had written to me asking for help. Others heard about the visit through their networks and wanted to have their say—and good on them.

Their issues all boiled down to the same theme. When personnel leave Defence, the base gate shuts behind them and stays shut, never to be opened again. They feel a sense of isolation and abandonment that they no longer have a purposeful job, that they are no longer part of that tight-knit Defence family. And even if they are lucky enough to have escaped physical or mental injury, they are scarred by a transition to civilian life that is neither seamless nor well supported in many cases. I would like to read an email I received from one veteran:

Meryl,

I just watched a story about the epidemic of veteran suicides on SBS. I was horrified. It informed me that a man I used to work with took his own life. He was one of the most positive and well-respected people I have ever had the honour of working with.

Defence has failed him, and it has failed countless other victims. The Veterans Affairs Minister was given the chance to contribute to the discussion. He twice mentioned that there are budget allocations for veterans' assistance and that he was "listening". Well, here is a tip for him. Instead of listening, start doing. The longer you make people wait for help, the less likely they will ask for it.

I have been trying to lodge a claim now for at least 10 years. Most of that time has been spent psyching myself up to attempt to deal with the insane amount of red tape.

I suffered in service of my country. All of us who have served our country deserve more than what we are currently stuck with. I am sick of being told I don't matter.

Veterans were raising not just problems with us but solutions, as well. They hold regular coffee mornings, bush retreats, physical challenges and interventions when drugs take their toll.

Look around the world and see what other countries are doing, they suggested to us.

Give veterans access to base amenities – so that they can use gyms and computers.

This happens in other parts of the world.

Involve them in base activities. Make them feel welcome. Give them a chance to work - with the right training for the right jobs. Recognise their skills and their qualities. Prioritise them as employees. Work with their families.

This is such a critical part of it.

Resource their advocates. Do not kick them out of Defence Housing on the day they are discharged. Talk about the drug problems. Talk about post-traumatic stress disorder. Talk about suicide. Make it easier to make claims, and easier to transition to civilian life.

That is one of the most critical messages that they give.

These people are the personality types who want to be in service. They want to serve their country. They step forward to serve their country. They want to have purposeful lives. Then, when that is cut off, it is not just that they have not got a job to go to. It is part of the very core of who they are—having that purpose to be in service to others. That is also cut off in many cases. That is really part of the scars that you cannot often see.

We need a cultural shift in the way that we think about our ex-serving personnel. We need to be not just listening but doing. One veteran told me:

I have seen many broken people after service. Everyone has bad days, but if our medically-discharged personnel cannot get a foot in the door of a workplace because of a mental health issue, then what does that say? Give vets a chance to belong again - do not write them off.

And from another:

As Defence personnel, we are top of the pops. And then we are worthless. It's us and them, and we are no longer them.

It was an emotional day that we spent with veterans in my electorate. The messages were very important.

In an uncertain world, Australia is being asked to commit more troops to faraway conflicts. Our young people step forward to serve their country. Our more experienced personnel choose to go back. We need to make sure that when they come home we step forward to look after them. This bill goes a small way towards recognising that we need to make it easier for veterans, but we do have a long way to go.

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