Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I acknowledge the members of this group—the member for Spence, the member for Menzies and you, Mr Deputy Speaker Wilkie—and I recognise the service of reservists and full-time members of our Australian Defence Force now and in the future. We hope to fill the ranks of our Australian Defence Force for the times that we face in the future, and this initiative, which Defence rightly calls a retention initiative, is aimed at doing just that—encouraging members to continue serving in the ADF. And it assists them with housing once they move into the reserves or into civilian life more fully.

It's an incentive for members to stay in the ADF because, the longer they serve, the more entitlement they accrue and the longer they can receive assistance through this scheme. So it really helps defence families. When a member passes away, the member's surviving partner may apply for the member's benefits under the scheme as well. So even with the death of a member, not only will groups like Legacy wrap around the family; this scheme will continue to support them. It's very important to many people who serve in uniform and their families and kids.

Since 2008, the scheme has invested in affordable housing for veterans who face difficulties, like all Australians do, when it comes to housing, but I think it's important to note that servicemen and women moving around often has a big effect on their ability to own a home. The scheme gives eligible ADF members and veterans a monthly subsidy payment on the interest portion of their mortgage payments for those who purchase their own home. To give an example from my service, I was posted here to Canberra initially, then to Sydney, Singleton, Bonegilla in Victoria, Wagga in New South Wales, Perth, back to Sydney, Timor-Leste and Arnhem Land, and I worked in security related roles in the Middle East and elsewhere. So you move around a lot in that vocation, and it does make it difficult. We have a large and growing veteran population, and to the great shame of our nation often too many veterans can't find any housing at all. Way too many veterans end up sleeping rough or couch surfing with mates. In fact, I'm told—and there's no reason not to believe this—5,000 veterans will experience homelessness tonight.

A 2019 study by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute found that 5.3 per cent of the recently transitioned ADF population are homeless. That is an astonishing figure, especially considering that the homelessness rate for the general population is at 1.9 per cent. Obviously, that is too high, and there are many initiatives in the budget that's just been handed down by the Albanese Labor government that go towards assisting housing and alleviating homelessness across the spectrum. However, that huge 5.3 per cent is of massive concern. It was, in no small way, part of my motivation to fight so hard in the last term of parliament to get the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide established, because it was clear to me and so many others in the veteran community that there was a direct link between a couple of things—medical discharges, suicidal ideation and suicide, homelessness, and substance abuse.

Of course, in my electorate of Solomon, homelessness is much higher than the national average of 1.9 per cent, and I'm proud of the initiatives in the budget that will help to alleviate some of that. It was great to have St Vincent de Paul Society down here in Canberra recently. That same study found that about two-thirds of recently homeless ADF veterans reported being suicidal at least once in the past year and that's why this royal commission was so necessary. That's higher than the still shocking one-quarter of non-homeless ADF veterans who had reported being suicidal. But as I said, obviously there is a direct link there. This concerns us all. Deputy Speaker Wilkie, I know it would concern you and any other veteran or member of the defence and veterans' community. That's why this bill is so important to me and to so many, and it's been great to hear those opposite support it.

I believe this is a great Labor reform that has stood the test of time, and that's why our government committed at the May election to boost defence homeownership by amending the scheme from 1 January next year. That's exactly what this bill does. The bill recognises that housing affordability is one of the biggest issues facing Australia and it responds to the struggles experienced by veterans during their transition to civilian life that too often ends in homelessness. It helps to give those serving defence members and veterans who need it a hand up to buy their own home. The bill reinforces and furthers the Albanese Labor government's commitment to retention in the Australian Defence Force, as I've mentioned, and to home ownership for members and veterans, which can be so much more difficult due to the nature of the service and the frequent moves required to meet ADF and our nation's needs. Of course, we have talked about veteran wellbeing. This bill is part of a suite of measures to support veterans, their families and members of the Defence Force to get into homeownership. It's a good policy.

In closing, in my electorate, this policy is so important. But the government are actually doing more, because we realise the scope of the issue. I'm proud of this commitment to establishing some supported housing, not only for veterans but for members of our first-responder community too, those who are on the front line every day, whether as a police officer, an ambulance officer, a fire officer, members of border protection—people who are serving our country or our community in uniform. It will be named after Scott Palmer. Scott Palmer was a commando who was tragically killed in Afghanistan, the only Territorian killed in Afghanistan. Like other places around Australia, we will name our veterans and first responder supported living estates after someone who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

It's worth mentioning why this bill is so important for people in my electorate and in other places in the country. When a member separates from the Defence Force, they leave one family and, often, if they don't have family in Darwin, in Palmerston, in the rural area, then they can get lost without that family support. So this supported accommodation will wrap around that veteran and assist them as they make that transition into civilian life. Those wraparound services will save lives. I'm proud of them. I'm proud of this bill and I thank you for your service, Deputy Speaker Wilkie.

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