Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Formed in June 1916 by troops returning from World War I, the Returned and Services League was created with the purpose of preserving the spirit of mateship formed on the battlefield, to honour the memory of the fallen and to help each other when required. With no formal government welfare services for veterans at this time, the RSL committed itself to provide for the wounded and needy among those who had served, including their dependants. Today RSLs and sub-branches across the country are filled with members and volunteers committed to helping their fellow veterans.

I was fortunate to introduce the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Darren Chester, to a few Northern Tasmanian sub-branches during his visit last month. It was part of Minister Chester's visit to the region to encourage veterans and their families to make submissions to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, but the visit was also an opportunity to meet with local branches and their members to discuss the needs of the veteran community on the ground and how existing programs might fit within the framework of the proposed wellbeing centres. At the last election the government committed $30 million to develop a network of six veteran wellbeing centres across Australia, which once established will deliver integrated support to veterans and their families from government, business and community partnerships. I was very pleased when extra funding was announced in the last budget for the network to extend to Tasmania, and I thank my colleague and veteran of the ADF, member for Braddon, Gavin Pearce for working with me to secure this funding.

In addition to meeting with the Bridport and George Town RSLs, it was a privilege to take the minister to meet with the Launceston RSL sub-branch. As the oldest existing sub-branch in Australia, the Launceston RSL is growing from strength to strength. At its core it is still providing essential services to veterans and their families. Led by Graeme Barnett as president and Peter Williams as secretary, the sub-branch is a leader in the programs that are executed from its Wellington Street premises in Launceston. They reach and assist veterans and their families not only in the immediate area but also across the wider community, including the east coast of Tasmania. I know that the minister was very impressed with the work that they do and viewed the branch and their work as a gold standard. It is not just a sub-branch; it is also already a hub for the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia, Vietnam Veterans and Veterans Motorcycle Club, the NAA Launceston South subsection, the RAAF Association, the TPI Association, the Veterans Support Group, the RSL Women's Auxiliary, the Royal United Services Institute, veterans advocates, Mates4Mates and the ADF Welfare Team.

I would like to highlight the work of the ADF Welfare Team, which was created just over four years ago after it was identified that for many reasons a number of veterans were hitting a crisis point. A major focus of the welfare team is to prevent veteran suicides and reduce the number of homeless veterans. Run entirely by a team of eight volunteers, the team's efforts were recognised with a Tasmanian volunteer of the year award in 2018, and the DVA considers the ADF Welfare Team model to be one of the best in Australia. The sub-branch is also the central location for a number of other community groups, hosting meetings and training sessions, and with a fully functioning kitchen they've also got the capacity to host functions. They have the goal of heading towards complete self-sufficiency with the operating model, which can be achieved through some additional funding to undertake some upgrades to the building, a tired and somewhat outdated home, which would allow the sub-branch to expand and improve their veteran support facilities as well as their volunteer capacity.

The Georgetown RSL, which also runs outreach programs, are seeking to enhance their services by increasing accessibility for all of those who come through the door, and are looking to add gym equipment as part of their wellbeing programs. Since the minister's visit, I've had many constructive meetings to further advocate for additional funding to address the needs of the Launceston RSL and Georgetown RSL, and I have no doubt that the new minister will work with me to achieve a positive outcome.

To close, I'd like to pay tribute to Launceston World War II veteran Dr Ray Leonard, who passed away just a few days ago. Dr Leonard was the last surviving crew member of the HMAS Armidale, and was just 19 years old when the ship came under Japanese attack and was sunk on 1 December 1942. Dr Leonard lobbied for a number of years to see fellow Tasmanian Ordinary Seaman Edward 'Teddy' Sheean recognised with a Victoria Cross for his courageous actions on board the Armidale. I'm so pleased that he lived to see Teddy's bravery recognised. Vale Ray Leonard.

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