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

The interim report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide was released in 2022, and it contained recommendations that were deemed most urgent. We got after those recommendations and acted on them all.

We legislated the VETS Act in order to simplify and harmonise the veteran compensation system. We know from the royal commission that this was very important. There was broad agreement in the veteran community about how important and necessary a change in the system was.

In the handing down of its report, the commission observed that the current system, at that time, of veterans entitlements was so complicated as to adversely affect the mental health of some veterans and their families. That had been, in the past, a common refrain from veterans—that they were very frustrated, angry and confused about how long it was taking, because there weren't enough people in the Department of Veterans' Affairs to get through all the claims that were in there. But it was also a fact that people had served under different pieces of legislation. Calls to address that complexity have indeed been longstanding. There was the VEA, the MRCA, the DRCA—depending on which period of the past that the individual served in. The VETS Act reduced those three acts down to one. Under revised arrangements, the VEA and the DRCA will continue in a limited form to support that single-act model that we're moving towards but will be closed to new claims for compensation and rehabilitation from 1 July 2026, from Territory Day next year.

There have been many enhancements that have been shaped by feedback from the veteran community across several consultation periods. I think it's important to note that the commencement date of the single act of 1 July next year ensures that the veteran community is well informed about the changes and what it means for them. As with any new act, of course, there are various technical amendments that are required, and the miscellaneous measures and amendments go to those technical aspects. Importantly, these include a commitment that no veterans or family members will experience a reduction in the support payments that they are already receiving. So there are important amendments there.

The bill deals with a range of other matters, including the review pathway; compensation for dependants of deceased veterans; funeral compensation; access to the MRCA education scheme; an additional disablement amount; the Victoria Cross allowance and the decoration allowance; service injuries, diseases and deaths arising from treatment; treatment for serving members; direct deductions; and application and transitional provisions. These are all really important topics that needed to be addressed and have been in this legislation.

We don't want to see further delays, and we don't want to see any risk of interruption to critical benefits or payments to veterans and their families. That's why we are putting through this legislation. I expect that it will receive support. This is part of a long period of consultation and the action recommended by the royal commission which was needed to address the whole spectrum of support—from the time someone enters a recruiting system through their training, through their service and, following their service, as they go about life again.

I want to pay tribute to everyone who has played a role or is playing a role in the health and wellbeing of our veterans, including our ADF members, and, importantly, of their families. It's often said that they're conscripts to service life because the family goes with the member. It's a deeply rewarding thing to have a family member representing our nation, but, at the same time, it can be difficult at times. So we need to provide as much support as possible to those individuals, particularly if they've been affected by their service.

I want to reflect on some of the feedback I've got and the good reports I'm getting from veterans about the way that DVA is getting through these claims. It is encouraging. For a long time, there were only negative stories about huge delays and difficulty with paperwork. I'm not saying that is all gone and there are no issues at all—of course we'll continue to make sure that our workforce at DVA is as well trained and effective as possible in getting support to members—but it has improved out of sight. When you hear that from veterans and their family members, you know that we're on the right track. There's a long way to go with the implementation of the recommendations from the royal commission, of course.

I gained some of that feedback on Remembrance Day earlier this month, on the 11th of the 11th, when we gathered at the Darwin Cenotaph for that service—which remembers the First World War and, indeed, everyone who's ever served—and were remembering and paying our respects to those who didn't come home or who came home changed forever. It was appropriate, I think, that it was pouring rain during the Remembrance Day ceremony in Darwin. It was good rain—probably the first good rain that we'd had at that point—and it was appropriate.

There's a saying—'If it's not raining, it's not training'—and the reality of service is that, as the role of the infantry says, regardless of season, weather or terrain, you've got to perform your duty. The first regiment that I served with, the Royal Australian Regiment, has a proud history, as does the 1st Commando Regiment and NORFORCE, which I served with later, each with their different characteristics and traditions.

I don't think the role of the infantry has ever been read into Hansard, but the role of the infantry is to seek out and to close with the enemy, to kill or capture the enemy, to seize and hold ground, and to repel attack by day or night regardless of season, weather or terrain. That's what we ask people in the infantry to do, and, at the end of the day, everyone who goes through Kapooka is trained to be a soldier, to take up arms and to defend our nation. For everyone else, who they're doing that on behalf of, stop and think a little bit about what it means to be trained up in order to use lethal force when lawful to do so in defence of our nation. It's a significant thing to ask someone to do. Their dedication to that role and their need to try to balance living in those two worlds—the world of applied focus, training, exercising, going on operations and wearing the nation's flag on their shoulder, but then also the other responsibilities that they have in life. On one hand there is operations conflict, training, humanitarian disaster and so many other roles. It's a special task, and we should thank them all for it. (Time expired)

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