Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures No. 2) Bill 2023 proposes uncontroversial amendments across the various acts governing veterans' entitlements and compensation, but they're very important amendments. I must say that it is nice to be talking on a bill that has bipartisan support. It's important that we always support good policies, particularly when it comes to veterans and making sure that we do everything we can to make their lives a little bit easier after the service that they have given to our nation.

This bill aligns the entitlements of firefighters employed by the ADF with those of civil firefighters in relation to cancer of the oesophagus, including reducing the qualifying period for employment for an ADF firefighter from 25 years to 15 years. This is very important because we know that our emergency services, including our firefighters, sacrifice a lot, and cancer, unfortunately, is one of the long-term consequences not just for veterans but also for volunteer firefighters and paid firefighters. So it's important that we recognise that in this legislation. I want to take a second to acknowledge a friend of mine, Bryan McCarthy, a former firefighter—a volunteer and a paid professional—who passed away from cancer due to his service. Many people know and have been touched by this, so I want to pay tribute to Bryan and Maria.

This legislation also allows for payments from specified Commonwealth, state and territory employment programs to be exempt from a veteran's income means testing, and it will entrench discretion to provide rent assistance beyond 26 weeks for veterans overseas unable to return due to unforeseen circumstances, such as war and health pandemics. It aligns the measures with the Social Security Act 1991. Very importantly, it extends assistance to grandparents caring for the children of a deceased veteran. This bill also makes minor amendments to the three acts governing veterans' entitlements, including the Veterans' Entitlements Act, the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act and the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act.

This legislation is a good step forward. It's important legislation and is part of the acknowledgement and assistance that we owe our veterans. As I've said, the coalition supports this bill, and I'm proud to be here supporting this bill and speaking on it today. However, there is always more that we can do, and it's important that we remember that the work's not done.

How we honour our veterans really is a mark of our nation. The crowds that gathered on Anzac Day in my electorate of Casey reaffirmed how important veterans are in our community and the respect which they are given. It was amazing to attend six ceremonies on the day, and many others before and after Anzac Day. There were tens of thousands of people there, paying tribute to our veterans—not just those that served in World War I and World War II, but those that served in Korea and Vietnam, and those new veterans from Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflicts. It's really great to see that we do that. I was speaking to Anthony McAleer, who is a well-known RSL historian in the electorate of Casey, a man respected by many. We were talking at one of the events about the Anzac Day ceremonies from the eighties, and he was talking about how they would have been lucky to get a couple of hundred people turning up to honour our veterans at that time. He had seen through the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s to today how much it has grown and how many communities come out to honour our veterans.

It's really important that we honour them, but we also need to make sure that we do more than just honour our veterans. We need to support them. We need to remember that many veterans sacrifice both physically and mentally to protect our freedom. We should never forget that when we talk about veterans we sometimes have this notion of older men from—well, obviously not World War I anymore—World War II. We've got that image of the older veterans. Our Vietnam veterans are now in their 70s. But we've got lots of new veterans from conflicts, and we are getting veterans every day. While it's not my story to tell, and it's not something for me to share, my family has seen firsthand the challenges of a veteran returning from Afghanistan and trying to assimilate back into society. There is no doubt that it's a challenging journey that they go on, and it's a challenging journey their partners and their families go on. Many relationships do not survive the trauma of those that have served, and it's important that we always remember and acknowledge the families and the loved ones. In many ways, even though people are not together, the love doesn't die, because they know it was circumstances outside their control.

So it's important that we continue to support our veterans. That's why I'll always make sure I am a voice for veterans and back organisations like Bowls Gr8 for Brains. I had the honour of attending their first event in my electorate of Casey, at Chirnside Park. They're using sport and bowls as a way to support veterans to allow them to re-engage with the community and transition into civilian life, as well as also supporting emergency service workers who go through a very similar trauma. It's great to see that they're doing that work. I want to acknowledge all the RSLs in Casey and across the nation who do amazing work supporting our veterans.

The coalition, when in government, invested a record amount in our veterans. We made it easier for veterans to make claims by establishing online digital access, and we funded additional staff to help with the backlog of claims. But, as I said, there is obviously more we can do, and nothing is ever perfect. But I would note with disappointment that Labor's budget axed the eight proposed veteran wellbeing centres that had been fully funded by the previous coalition government. Whilst there wasn't one in my electorate, I know there are many members who are frustrated with that decision. It was disappointing because we know veterans sometimes don't feel heard, and it's hard for them to get their case put forward. I know many veterans were disappointed with Prime Minister Albanese's decision to remove veteran's affairs from the cabinet, because they felt that that send a signal to them that they weren't being listened to and being heard. So I hope that something the government will reconsider, because it's important that veterans' voices are always heard.

One of the great honours and opportunities we have in this House when we stand up to speak is to be the voice for our community. Chris, a local man that I know well, recently emailed me to share his experience of being conscripted as a Vietnam War serviceman. He didn't serve in Vietnam, but he shared a story with me, and I just want to share his words. It's so important to be able to share Chris's words, and I thank him for reaching out to me. He wrote:

Dear Aaron

I recently heard the Prime minister address parliament, apologising and thanking Vietnam Veterans, especially those national servicemen conscripted into service during the Vietnam War. It was a touching and very deserved gesture to a group of men who have suffered terribly.

On behalf of the survivors of the 48,000 men whose lives were changed forever, the 31,000 of us who were conscripted, but did not serve in Vietnam, I can only say we are disappointed that, once again, we are "The Men Australia Forgot"—our motto.

Apart from a few lines in a Minister Keogh Press Release, which was never published in any mainstream media, we have never been thanked or rewarded. Unlike the Vietnam Vet Nashos, who have received a DVA Gold Card, a welcome home parade and your parliamentary thanks, we have received nothing for two years of our youth, taken from us by our conscription.

Many of our cohort served in hostile areas, Malaya and Borneo, which have never been recognised as war zones. More served in PNG and remote areas of northern Australia, sometimes not getting home in over twelve months. 20% are depressed, 21% suffer from anxiety and 70% attribute a physical or mental ailment to their national service. 48% of all their claims to DVA have been denied.

For many of us the worst part of our conscription was not our time in the army, but when we tried to assimilate back into civilian society. Vietnam Vets were not the only people who suffered from hostility on our return home. Ignorance and bigotry don't stop to do a lot of research before they erupt.

A bit later on he mentions, and I think it's important:

Unfortunately, we can't afford to sit around and wait that out. Statistics suggest our members have an average of only 10.25 years to live. We are all aged between 72 & 79. Our cohort is dying at the rate of three per day.

I want to thank Chris for sharing his letter.

In my family again, a different family member, my stepdad, Gordon, was also conscripted. He didn't serve. He didn't go to Vietnam. He was fortunate in that regard. He was actually a cook, of all things, in Healesville in my electorate. We've talked often about his time out as Healesville as a cook. He said he felt very fortunate. He actually felt a level of guilt that he didn't go over and serve with others. It still had a significant impact on him. It took two years out of his life. He was away from his family, loved ones and social networks. His career opportunities were also hampered. Becoming a cook and a chef wasn't something he aspired to, so he didn't see that as a long-term career opportunity. He was impacted in many ways from his service as well.

To Chris; to my stepdad, Gordon; to all those vets who were conscripted; and to all Vietnam veterans: I want to take the opportunity to thank you all for your service and for your sacrifice. I want you to know that you are heard. While we can't change the past and how you were treated when you returned from Vietnam or when you came back into society from your conscription, I do know and I say with confidence that every member of this House supports you, hears you and wants to continue to do everything we can to make your life as easy as possible. We acknowledge the sacrifice that you made physically, mentally and socially. We understand that you didn't have a choice in what you had to go through at that time. We thank you, we hear you and we will continue to support you. I'll always be your voice in this House to make sure your concerns are heard.

I also want to thank the families of all those veterans. I've had the opportunity to attend some Vietnam veterans' services. At one last year, the wife of a Vietnam veteran shared her journey, her story and the challenges she went through as a wife and as a mother supporting her husband as he went through his mental demons. Sometimes we forget about the families that have sacrificed so much so their loved ones can serve our country. I want to say thank you to all those families as well. I finish by saying thank you to the men Australia forgot. We may have forgotten you then, but we will not forget you now.

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