Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

There was one; you're right, Member for Riverina. There was one supporting submission, and the one supporting submission—what a surprise—came from the Department of Defence. The department that wrote the legislation was the only submitter to the Senate inquiry that could speak positively of the bill. So I make no apologies for getting angry at the dispatch box. I make no apologies for raising my concerns publicly, vociferously and in tandem with my colleagues on this side of the House, because the Department of Defence stuffed this up from day one.

The Department of Defence did not consult with the tribunal, did not show any respect to ex-service organisations or stakeholders, and did not consult with the opposition, and what you ended up with was an alarming amount of stress and anxiety in the community as a direct result of the department's failure. When this legislation came to the House it was telling that among the 90-plus members of the Labor Party the minister and one other member spoke on it—just two of them. They were only two they could find willing to speak on the legislation. I'm glad the decision was made to discharge the legislation from the Senate. I say to the minister—don't bring it back in its current form. Don't even think about bringing it back with a 20-year time limit and don't even think about bringing it back with restrictions on who can seek a review, because we will have this fight all over again, and I know what the Australian people think about putting a time limit on 'We will remember them'.

We are here as an opposition to work with the government where we can, as we have with this legislation here today. We stand ready to support urgent, meaningful reforms that deliver better outcomes for veterans and their families, and I look forward to working in the spirit of collaboration, particularly around the recommendations of the royal commission. I think it's going to need a bipartisan commitment to make it happen. It's going to need a bipartisan commitment to force Treasury and Finance to do the right thing and spend some money where it needs to be spent.

I'll finish on that point, and on a more hopeful note that, wherever possible, we will seek bipartisanship on issues affecting our veterans. I acknowledge and say respectfully to any veterans who are listening today, or their family members, thank you for your service. Thank you for your service to our country. Thank you to your families who supported you in that service. Without you, Australia would be a less safe place to live. Without your service and sacrifice, we wouldn't enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy today. We respect and value that, and we will continue to work together in this place as much as we possibly can to ensure you are properly supported in service and in your retirement. I thank the House.

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