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

It gives me great pleasure to rise to speak on the Veterans’ Affairs Legislation Amendment (Budget and Other Measures) Bill 2016. The health and wellbeing of our returned service men and women must be one of the chief priorities of any government on any day. When it comes to our veterans, bipartisanship should always triumph. That is why I am proud to be standing here today to support the amendment on this important bill.

This amendment will give equality to our returned soldiers and other service men and women similar to those of any other worker in Australia. Our veterans and their families deserve world class care and support; they do not need added stress to their life created by financial worries whilst going through health matters like PTSD, depressive disorder and anxiety disorder. No worker should be on less than their normal weekly earnings when seeking treatment for work related matters and this includes our highly regarded Defence Force men and women. This is important because, currently, when a member discharges from the ADF there can be a period of time before incapacity payment amounts can be determined and while superannuation entitlements are finalised. These periods can last months and have the ability to increase the health concerns of the veterans. Some members may experience financial hardship during this period. These amendments will enable veterans to receive their normal salary during this period.

Labor will always encourage and support measures designed to ensure that programs take account of the mental health requirements of veterans. Veterans' mental health continues to be an issue of significant concern, and an area in which Labor is committed to identifying where more support can be provided. Just recently I had the pleasure of presenting a certificate of appreciation to Mr Stephen Parley in my electorate, a returned serviceman who served in Afghanistan. Unfortunately Stephen has suffered many injuries and illnesses from his time serving and he spoke to me about the issue of producing evidence just to gain these entitlements. It was a fraught experience that no-one should have to go through. I thought: here is a man that has done the right thing by the country and yet, on his return, we expect him to jump through hoops to get the treatment he needs. One would assume this would be a simple process. Stephen is not alone; many face such a problem on their return. The thought of people serving our great nation, coming back to deal with a paper-shuffling process and then having to survive on less money than what they were being paid is overwhelming and, I think, un-Australian.

Australians have always come to the front when their country has called them. History tells us this in graphic and tragic detail. What is less detailed is the after effect on veterans—the injuries, the addictions, the family break ups and the silent deaths. Too often, these are the stories that go unheard. I am proud to say that Tasmania has a detailed history when it comes to serving. We have sent many young men, mainly young men, and some young women off to war to proudly serve their country. It was the Boer War in South Africa which really established the pattern of overseas military service as an essential element in defence throughout Australia's colonies. The frontline of Tasmanian defence since 1899 has always been on foreign battlefields. Tasmanians have travelled the world in the name of country and queen and perhaps will do so in our own name one day. About 860 Tasmanians served in the South African war. From 1901 to 1914, Tasmanian defence continued in the hands of a small voluntary force. A cadet system was developed, and universal military training for males between the ages of 12 and 26 was introduced in 1911.

The war did open deep divisions in our community, as those of us in the Labor Party well know, but there was almost universal agreement that Tasmanian interests were tied to the needs of the British Empire and that it was necessary for Tasmanians to fight overseas to help win the war. More than 13,000 Tasmanians embarked as members of many different units, including about 80 nurses and over 100 members of the air flying corps and others in the Royal Australian Navy. But nearly 75 percent were members of the infantry units of the Australian Imperial Force—the 12th, 40th, 26th and 15th Battalions—and the main artillery unit, the 3rd Field Artillery Brigade. The cost was high. More than half of the Tasmanians who went were casualties. Two thousand, four hundred and thirty-two were killed, and many more were wounded in body and spirit. They returned home heroes but broken. Support fell on few and it was demanding. Stories are only now being told about what those returned men had to face and the very little support that they had over the rest of their lives. Treatment was basic and it had a dramatic effect that could not be measured in those times. One can only imagine the poor veterans' issues that were bottled up and released through abuse of substances, such as drugs and alcohol, well before better support was made available.

During World War II, Tasmania's defence interests were again universally perceived as being served by contributing men and materiel to fight elsewhere. Tasmania itself, unlike other areas of Australia, was officially regarded as an 'isolated locality', not a likely target for attack or invasion. However, 5,000 people joined the Civil Defence Legion by the end of 1940, and Japan's entry into the war in December 1941 sharpened fears of air raids and submarine attack. About 31,000 Tasmanian men and women enlisted in the military forces, more than two-thirds joining the Army. The majority served outside Tasmania, either overseas or in other parts of Australia, and 1,066 died.

War in Vietnam resulted in Tasmania's largest military contribution since the Second World War, more than 1,500 Tasmanians serving there between 1965 and 1974. Seven hundred and four of them were conscripted national servicemen. Seventeen Tasmanians died in Vietnam. The introduction of conscription during the Vietnam War witnessed another reorganisation, to accommodate an increase in numbers. More recently, Tasmanian soldiers have continued that tradition, whilst serving in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, to name a few areas of modern conflict. It is these men and women who, on return, must have our fullest support, and I am pleased to say that these days I think we are better equipped as a society to provide that support. That is one of the things that this amendment legislation today seeks to address.

In my electorate I have seen the great work that organisations like the vets club at Bridgewater, Mates4Mates, Gagebrook Men's Shed, PCYC and RSPCA do to encourage interactions with returned veterans. These organisations are bearing the load that we, in government and opposition, create when we send our service men and women off to war. The Headstone Project, which I have spoken of in this place, aims to ensure that no grave of a returned soldier goes unmarked. It is a project I fully support. Any assistance needed to care for and respect our veterans should be front and centre in this House, and it should be supported by all sides of this parliament.

The bill seeks to make three specific adjustments, and I support the three amendments as tabled in the legislation. Firstly, the amendments in schedule 1 provide for payments of interim compensation to incapacitated current or former ADF members while the actual amount of compensation is being determined. Secondly, it is recognised that, for some mental health conditions, early intervention can result in better outcomes for clients. Prior to this change, ADF members were required to have three years either continuous full-time service or operational service, to lodge an application with the Veterans' Entitlements Act and to have a diagnosis. Under these changes, clients will be able to access NLHC immediately and only need to have served one full-time day. It is estimated that around 67,000 additional current and former permanent members of the ADF will become eligible to receive NLHC. This includes victims of abuse in the ADF who may have previously been excluded from NLHC coverage due to the period in which they served or the length of their service. Thirdly, schedule 3 aligns the incapacity payment cut-off age to the increases in age pension eligibility.

This remains a priority area for Labor. We will continue to work cooperatively with the government over this term of parliament to explore what more can be done to support those who have served and fought for our country. I truly believe it is our duty to do so, supporting the veterans who serve this country and risk life and limb. They deserve the best possible treatment when they return home, and I think the $43.6 million this adjustment will cost is some of the best spent money by this parliament ever. I will be a proud member of parliament when the day comes that I am able to look veterans in the eye and know they have been given the best treatment and support that any Australian government could possibly put in legislation.

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