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

Brett tried to stay in the service but ended up requesting discharge. Like many men proud of their masculinity, he never really discussed the mental anguish he was suffering and continues to suffer. In the years since, Brett has attempted suicide more than once. He and his partner, an incredibly supportive and articulate person, fight bureaucracy every day.

At the core of the DVA's intransigence is its ongoing doubt that Brett was suffering PTSD at the time of his discharge. The hoops it has made Brett jump through again and again—the medical tests, the appointments, the paperwork—are beyond belief. Brett's dealings with the DVA have worsened his mental health, not improved it. That in itself should be a clarion call to the DVA to change its ways. If the way it conducts its affairs hurts the veterans it was established to assist, it is not doing its job. This is a man who was injured in the service of his nation, who has attempted to take his own life, who is virtually a recluse before the age of 50, and the department wants to argue about whether his PTSD kicked in before or after discharge. It's not good enough.

Thankfully, at the last meeting between my office and Brett, we introduced Brett to Mates4Mates, a fantastic mental health support program run in Tasmania for exservice personnel, and he has found a real connection. We can only hope that these small not-for-profit organisations get government support and stay active, because God help us if we see the closure of another community group that is getting results on the ground.

Another of my veterans is Eric, who lives in Bridgewater. He served in the Navy during the Vietnam War. Eric had issues accessing dental care with his gold card entitlement. It was eventually resolved after my office intervened, but Eric's comments about his experiences with the DVA and with politicians have stuck with me. Eric openly expressed his frustrations with all politicians. We celebrate our country's service men and women in the way we shake their hands, give them hugs and speak about them during speeches on ANZAC and Remembrance Day. We wear the lapels. We use them as examples of everything good about Australians—resilience, camaraderie, sacrifice. Yet, after the photos, they return to their communities, neglected, forgotten about and forced to contend alone with a department that fails to treat them with dignity, respect and the courtesy that their service has earnt them.

Eric only wanted two things from me when he contacted my office: help getting new teeth and a commitment that he and other veterans and those currently serving would be better looked after. He wanted to make sure that we would not forget about the contribution that veterans make, about what they have done and what they stand for. He wanted to make sure that I would be an advocate for better treatment, for better access to health care and for better services and benefits, which veterans are so deservedly entitled to.

None of this is new information. We've known for years that returned service personnel suffer poor mental health, substance abuse, homelessness, family breakdown and suicide at higher rates than the general Australian population. For a long time, we have not been able to put a number to these stats. The specialised research doesn't exist readily. There's little literature and little coordinated information. What we know, we've had to string together from other data. An exception is the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, which recently published a report called Homelessness amongst Australian veterans: summary of project findings. It found that there are at least 5,800 veterans experiencing homelessness in Australia. That makes the homelessness rate for veterans around 5.3 per cent, when for the general population it's around 1.9 per cent.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare provided further analysis in Use of homelessness services by contemporary ex-serving Australian Defence Force members 2011-17. This report found that more than 1,200 ADF veterans were either homeless or facing homelessness following discharge. The report found that, when veterans started to access services, 46 per cent were already homeless and the rest were at risk. It also noted that veterans were twice as likely to describe themselves as sleeping rough and having no shelter before accessing assistance in comparison to non-veterans; they leave to it the last minute; and they try and do it on their own, until they just can't. Both of these reports explain some of the issues underlying the rate of homelessness among veterans: poor mental health, unemployment, financial stress and domestic and family violence.

The 2010 ADF Mental Health Prevalence and Wellbeing Study interviewed half of all serving ADF members, and their experiences and results are blunt: 17.9 per cent sought help for stress, emotional, mental health or family problems; 27.6 per cent were concerned that reporting a mental disorder might result in them being treated differently during the length of their service; 26.9 per cent feared their military career might be harmed; and 36. 9 per cent said that the highest barrier to seeking help was concern that it would reduce their deployability. I recognise this report was issued almost 10 years ago, but it is indicative of the kind of toxic culture we have allowed to become embedded. Serving members feel actively deterred from seeking mental health help because it may have negative implications for their job. We need to turn that around. It's no wonder ADF members are leaving the military in bad shape. It's no wonder that they are reluctant to seek assistance when they return to civilian life, and it's absolutely no wonder that they have such poor health outcomes.

Those who serve in our Defence Force require specialised and tailored health and social service assistance. It is critical that any covenant, the subject of this bill, provides the incentive that is needed to make that happen. Our veterans and their families, our current serving members and any Australian who enters the ADF in the future needs to know that their government and their community will support them. It is incumbent on all of us in this place to ensure that any person who has put their hand up to join the Army, Navy or Air Force will be looked after properly when they return to civilian life. They should be confident they will have access to the services they need to transition properly. They should be assured that their government, the one that they work for, is running a department that is sensitive to their needs and to the realities of their service, and that it isn't bogged down in bureaucratic nonsense. Our veterans and those who are serving need to know that they have earnt the permanent respect and thanks of a grateful nation, and this should be reflected in the way we treat them.

I know the minister is committed to this. We stand with the minister on this bill and this covenant and all that they seek to achieve. I repeat my comments from yesterday: we do wish current members were also covered by the covenant. But, broadly speaking, this bill is one that Labor does support. We support its aims and its ambitions, and we stand with the minister in seeking a better deal for our veterans and making sure that they are better looked after. I hope that this covenant and the results of this bill lead to a deep culture change within the DVA, especially to ensure that our veterans, when they return, are treated with the respect, the dignity and the courtesy they so richly deserve.

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