Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Little badge, big impact. That's the message being put out there by Legacy. This week is Legacy Week, and it's important in the context of the update on the implementation of the recommendations of the final report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide because it's not just about currently serving Australian Defence Force personnel or veterans; it's also about their families. Their families are very much impacted by the service and the former service of our ADF and our veterans.

This week, as I said, is Legacy Week.The Legacy Week appeal has been running since the 1940s. It's a time for all Australians to show their support for the widows and children whose loved ones have served our country. The Legacy badge, as the website says, is a special emblem of support for our veterans' families, symbolising our nation's greatest values of mateship, compassion and fairness. Legacy badges may be small, but the funds they raise make a big impact on the lives of our veterans' families.

Legacy Week is a time to give back to the families of those who have given so much. That's what the Legacy foundation says—and it is so very true. When you take those words and listen to them, they are very much aligned with the service of our veterans. I see the member for Spence entering the chamber. I thank him for his service. I thank each and every person who has ever worn a uniform for and on behalf of our nation, for and on behalf of our flag. They have kept us safe. They continue to do so.

Not every veteran is broken. That's an important distinction to make. When we talk about our veterans, sometimes we think of them as a bit of a mess from their service, and they are not. Many—in fact, most—are contributing mightily to the nation. In fact, all are. Some are incapacitated, absolutely. Some of them carry the mental and physical scars of their service. That is why, on 8 July 2021, the former coalition government announced the formal establishment of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, which cast a light on some of the harrowing experiences of current serving personnel and our veterans.

The royal commission's inquiry concluded on 28 August 2024. It came to Wagga Wagga. It took evidence, and some of the evidence presented at those Wagga Wagga hearings was horrific. It examined the systemic issues and common themes in past deaths by suicide of ADF members and veterans. This included suspected suicides and lived experience of suicide risks. The royal commission delivered its interim report on 11 August 2022. By that stage, the government had changed. But this is and should always be above politics. The final report was delivered on 9 September 2024.

I thank the minister for his update today. Defence welcomed the royal commission as an opportunity to learn and bolster the department's approach to mental health and welfare, and I would say that, if there are veterans out there who have not sought help and need it, please do so. There's not just the Department of Veterans' Affairs; there are many wonderful organisations to help their mates and comrades. Please avail yourselves of that opportunity if you need help. There are many veterans who do not seek the assistance of DVA for whatever reason, and they are entitled to do that, but help is there if it's needed. Defence thanks those serving and ex-serving personnel and their families who bravely shared their stories with the commission. In many instances, it opens up old wounds. It's hard for veterans to talk about their experiences, whether they saw combat or whether they were in bases and never left Australia. They all shared different experiences; they all shared similar experiences.

The government's response, announced on 2 December 2004, outlines significant reform. This will hopefully have a positive impact on the defence community. Defence and the Department of Veterans' Affairs are implementing the agreed recommendations. There are 122 recommendations—104 are very much in the process of being followed through. I appreciate that 17 of those 122 were noted. I know it's a difficult task being the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, but that person is representative of those who have served and are serving, insofar as they're also Defence personnel. The stories that came out of the commission were very difficult for normal, average, everyday citizens to comprehend. The hurt, the experiences—if they lead to better outcomes for those who wear the uniform, then that absolutely is worth it.

The Chief of the Defence Force, the Secretary of the Department of Defence and the Secretary of DVA all made statements on the release of the government's response. A task force was established to support the functions of the royal commission while the inquiry was still underway. The number of documents and volumes that ended up leading to those 122 recommendations were voluminous—as they needed to be.

I represent an electorate which has all three arms of Defence in my hometown of Wagga Wagga. The colonel of the 1st Recruit Training Battalion, Colonel Gerard Kearns, takes his job very seriously. I've said on a number of occasions that I believe he has the most important job in Defence. I appreciate that the CDF probably think they do, but I think that if you are in charge of the base where they are recruiting people and turning ordinary, everyday Australians into something quite special—continuing that tradition of the long line of khaki—then you are the most important person in Defence, and I stand by that belief.

We also have RAAF Base Wagga. We have, with the Forest Hill airbase, a Navy presence of around 80 officers. That's significant, given we're a long, long way from the nearest drop of sea water. But Wagga Wagga is a garrison city, and it's very proud of its Defence roots. May that heritage lead to the longevity of those bases, which, I appreciate, we are very much updating with nearly $1.5 billion of infrastructure investment at the moment. The government is to be commended for continuing that investment that was announced and initially funded by a coalition government. It's important because our Defence people have to have modern support bases, modern infrastructure and modern equipment.

I also commend Bob and Gladys Bak at Bethungra. They run the Integrated Servicepeople's Association, helping veterans. Anybody who helps veterans is a good person—good of heart, well-intentioned. I do thank those two, who have been deservedly recognised with OAMs in the past for the work that they do. We say 'TYFYS'—thank you for your service. Those words should not be meaningless; they should be words with purpose, meaning and impact. That's what, hopefully, will occur with the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.

I don't want to make too much of a political point about this, but I am, again, disappointed by the Defence Amendment (Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal) Bill 2025 passing through the House of Representatives last night. I think that disrespects our service people. They should have longer for that medallic recognition. They don't go out to serve to win tin that they can wear on Anzac Day or Remembrance Day, as proud an experience as that is. They do it for the country, and that piece of legislation should never have passed the parliament.

But, again, thank you for your service to all those veterans, and I commend this update.

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