Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's a pleasure to follow the member for Solomon in this debate. I'm very pleased to stand to contribute to the debate on the Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Veteran-centric Reforms No. 2) Bill 2018. This bill comprises a number of important measures that will provide greater support and assistance to veterans and the people they love. Labor supports this legislation. I want to make that very clear at the outset. We know that the men and women who have given so much to protect our country deserve every opportunity to build healthy, productive lives after they leave the defence services. Veterans have sacrificed so much already for all of us, and as a country we absolutely have an obligation to provide the support and assistance necessary when they return to civilian life.

This is a personal issue for me. I'm very happy to declare that interest up-front. I'm the daughter of a Vietnam veteran. I have lived through all of those cycles: a life of service, a life of adjusting into civilian life and a life around families readjusting and learning to adapt to the changes, obstacles and difficulties that many veterans face when they return from active service and, indeed, over very many decades of life in the community. From a family point of view, dealing with issues around post-traumatic stress, for example, is a huge issue, not simply for the veteran but for all of the family and members around that veteran to ensure that the readjustment to civilian and family life is the best it possibly can be.

But I not only have a strong personal interest in ensuring that veterans are given the best support and assistance available; my electorate of Newcastle, of course, has a very rich history in active military matters and active service and has a very vibrant veteran community. Indeed, there are many examples of Newcastle leading the way in terms of some of the support services, particularly for those Vietnam veterans. I recall as a very young person that my father and many men of his generation returned from Vietnam and started what was then known as the Vietnam Legions in Newcastle. To my knowledge, that was the very first organised Vietnam veterans' association in Australia, and I really wanted to pay tribute to that group of men and their partners who had the vision, the foresight, to ensure that there were in those days very informal supports—not driven by government at all—that were assured to those men and women who'd seen active service. I pay tribute to what was the Vietnam Legions and is now the Newcastle Hunter Region Vietnam Veterans. Today it is headed up by Geoff Linwood. Steve Finney continues to be very active in the role of senior vice-president and Mr Ron Kennedy is the secretary. Of course, many Vietnam vets are now presidents, secretaries and treasurers of all the various RSL sub branches across Newcastle and the Hunter region.

There is no doubt, as I said earlier in this speech, that the transition from military to civilian existence can be very jarring. It can be a very destabilising and, indeed, distressing transition for some people. It was identified in the recently released Mental health prevalence and pathways to care report as:

… one of the most significant and stressful transitions in the life course of military members world-wide owing to potential changes in identity, community and residence, social networks and status, family roles, occupation, finances, routines, responsibilities, supports and culture.

This report is the result of one of three studies being undertaken through the Transition and Wellbeing Research Program—the most comprehensive study examining the impact of military service on the mental, physical and social health of serving and ex-serving ADF members and their families. I know this study quite well, and I've participated as a family member in many of these longitudinal studies over the course of my life. So I'm very acutely attuned to the need to pay close attention to the findings of these studies, and I'm very pleased to see that that work is now informing the legislation before this House.

The first schedule of the bill before us today makes it easier for some veterans to get the skills they need to move into the civilian workforce. That's a great thing. It's hard to overstate the importance of finding meaningful employment post service, not just for financial reasons but also for structure, self-esteem and a sense of inclusion. Finding a job can be one of the most challenging things veterans do after they leave the defence forces. The unemployment rate for veterans sits at a little over 30 per cent, which is five times higher than the national average. For those who didn't discharge medically, there's an estimated 11.2 per cent unemployment rate, which is more than double the national average. Underemployment is also a huge problem with veterans. Almost one in five ex-serving personnel is thought to be underemployed, working in jobs beneath their capacities and with an average of a 30 per cent drop in wages. We need to give ex-service men and women the absolute best chance of building healthy, happy lives, where they're able to contribute fully to their communities and gain secure, meaningful employment.

Schedule 1 of this bill will, as I said, assist returning service men and women who are on incapacity payments and are undertaking further studies as part of their rehabilitation plan. Under this measure, the incapacity payment, which is paid as compensation for loss of earnings as a result of service related conditions, is maintained at 100 per cent of the normal weekly earnings while veterans are doing approved full-time study. At the moment, these payments drop to 75 per cent after 45 weeks, but this provision will maintain full payments. I understand that when this bill is passed, the 100 per cent payment will also be available to veterans currently on full-time study as part of their rehabilitation plan.

Education and reskilling can be an important part of that transition into civilian life. This measure will give veterans the space they need to focus on their studies and their future without the burden of additional financial pressures. As I mentioned earlier, Labor supports this schedule, which is estimated to help around 150 people per year. Removing barriers to training—helping veterans and giving them time to secure the skills they need—is an absolutely worthwhile endeavour.

When close to one-third of veterans are unemployed, clearly much more needs to be done. Veterans bring a wealth of skills, experience and qualities that would be ideal—that are ideal—for any employer. Too often, civilian employers who lack the context and understanding of defence life don't understand the skills and personal qualities that service personnel have to offer and what they bring to the table. Many veterans, having only worked in the military, undersell themselves and what they can bring as civilian employees. Delays in securing work make the transition to civilian life even more difficult and can have a huge impact on the mental health and general happiness of veterans.

When you consider that around 5,500 ADF members return to civilian life each year—and every year—we simply cannot afford not to invest in helping people to secure meaningful and rewarding work after their defence service. That's why in March this year Labor pledged $121 million for a package designed to give greater support to defence personnel in the transition to non-military life and civilian employment. I'm very proud of that policy, which has been developed through the hard work and relentless advocacy of the member for Kingston and shadow minister for veterans' affairs, Amanda Rishworth, and a number of colleagues on this side of the House who have direct and lived experience of service.

Under Labor's veterans' employment program, a dedicated veterans' employment service would be established to give veterans tailored, personalised assistance to find work and make the transition to civilian life. We'd also fund a whole range of other things and an education campaign to help spread the word about the valuable skills, experience and character traits that make veterans an absolute asset to any employer. Labor supports all of the aspects in schedule 1 that I spoke of earlier. Indeed, we'd like them to go further—and that's why I spoke of Labor's own policy and package in this regard—but this is a great start.

I also would like to reflect on the second, critically important, measure in this bill—the new suicide prevention pilot that is aimed at improving mental health support for veterans in regional and remote areas. The Mental Health Clinical Management Pilot offers increased support for those who have been hospitalised after attempted suicide or suicide ideation, and targets veterans who have complex mental and social health needs, including homelessness. It will provide intensive and assertive management services to support a veteran after they've been discharged from hospital, which includes support to access other relevant government and non-government treatment services aimed at reducing risk and improving outcomes for those involved.

I've had some very recent experience of the very severe stress that serving ADF personnel are under, and I can only say how welcome the changes in this bill will be. I believe that, when it comes to providing those necessary treatments and support to both currently serving and ex-service men and women, we have let the side down on many, many occasions. The family I supported recently in this regard have a lot of questions they want answered about the current services and access, so any improvements in this area that would see us delivering better services for those men and women who are discharged from hospital after a suicide attempt, or who have ideas around suiciding, will be welcome. There is not a more important investment for governments to be making in terms of our support for veterans.

Last year, in 2017, it was estimated that 74 veterans took their own lives. Any suicide is an absolute tragedy, but the national pain that we should all feel when serving and ex-serving men and women take their own lives, after having given so much of themselves to the nation, is absolutely gut wrenching. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare have a report entitled Incidence of suicide among serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force personnel 2001–2014. That report found that while men serving full time or in the reserves had significantly lower rates of suicide than the general population, the incidence of suicide amongst ex-servicemen is 14 per cent higher than the general population. I think that those figures are very sobering and something we should all reflect upon.

The Mental health prevalence and Pathways to care reports spent a great deal of time looking at this tragic issue and found that one in five transitioning ADF members had experienced suicidal ideation or plans or attempts on their own lives in the previous 12 months. These statistics are deeply shocking and utterly unacceptable. There is absolutely no excuse for us not to be doing much, much better in these areas. There are many other aspects—the changes to enabling an extension of the Long Tan Bursary, some assistance for widows and widowers to make decisions and some changes for submariners and compensation issues—that are all extremely important. I recommend this bill to the House.

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