Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Before I begin, I would like to thank the member for Herbert for his speech, for his words and sincerity and for looking to ensure our veterans are fully supported. I also thank him for his act of service.

I too rise to speak on the matter that indeed goes to the heart of our national character: how we honour, support and stand beside those who have served Australia in uniform and how we support their families as well, who serve alongside them. We heard just before from the member for Herbert about the different kinds of service that I think are all very familiar to people who head off to different missions around the world in conflicts. But there are also peacekeeping missions. There's the seemingly never-ending requirement to support our affected communities domestically on the back of bushfires, floods and cyclones. We lean on and call on our Defence service personnel for a lot more than they ever thought that they were signing up for. The enormous work that they do in communities around the world in building beautiful relationships and trust, in order to avoid conflict in the first place, is something I think is quite immeasurable.

I want to acknowledge that the work of Albanese Labor government is very much going to ensuring that we all take the work of our veterans as well as our Defence personnel seriously. This is being led by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, the Hon. Matt Keogh, and has been done with absolute seriousness of purpose. He has full respect for the lived experience of people like the member for Herbert as well as the current serving personnel and really understands what is needed and what the commitment to reform should look like.

In my electorate of Hasluck, veteran issues are not abstract; they are personal, they're local and they're enduring. Across Hasluck, we have a number of RSL sub-branches, including those that serve communities from Ellenbrook to Bassendean, as well as the surrounding suburbs. They play a vital role not just in commemoration but in the day-to-day support of veterans and also of those who continue to serve. They are places where veterans find camaraderie, advocacy and a sense of belonging long after their formal service has ended. I want to place on the record my sincere thanks to and gratitude for the volunteers, the advocates and the committee members of those RSLs. Their work often goes unseen, and it's essential. They are helping veterans navigate complex systems, supporting families in distress and ensuring that no-one is forgotten. I know, from my meetings with them, that the toll of being able to maintain records, the systems and obligations that come with any committee—be it a sporting club, a not-for-profit or an RSL sub-branch—is increasingly felt by people who don't feel necessarily fully equipped with the computer skills required. That bit of stress, even on that level, is something that we're working to take away because their focus, rightly, is on supporting veterans to navigate more complex issues than doing the paperwork.

They have been clear to me about what matters most, which is the veterans that they support. They want a system that listens. They want decisions made in reasonable timeframes, and they want dignity, clarity and fairness. That was what was lacking when we came to office, and it's precisely what this government has set out to deliver and, frankly, is now delivering.

One of the most important differences under the Albanese government has been a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths, particularly in relation to veteran mental health and suicide. The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide existed because families, advocates and veterans demanded honesty and accountability. Minister Keogh made clear that this government is committed to responding fully and meaningfully to the findings of the royal commission. Indeed, we did not wait for its final report to begin making those changes, because, for too long, veterans experienced the Department of Veterans' Affairs not as a support system but as an obstacle course. Long delays, repeated reassessments and complex legislative frameworks left many feeling disbelieved and worn down.

But, under Minister Keogh's leadership, I'm happy to say that we've seen really systemic and cultural changes in veterans' affairs. The government has invested in hundreds of additional staff at DVA. They've improved the training, modernised systems to reduce the claims backlogs and improved the decision-making timeframes. They're not cosmetic changes; they're practical reforms that mean veterans can receive support when they need it and not years later and maybe never. Local RSL advocates in Hasluck have told me that, while challenges do still remain, they are actually seeing progress. They're seeing their claims move more quickly, they're seeing better communication, and they're seeing a minister who is prepared to engage with them and with the sector directly. And that matters.

Another area of genuine reform has been the expansion of the Veterans' and Families' Hubs. The hubs recognised something veterans have always known: that wellbeing is not just about compensation but about connection, purpose and access to the right help at the right time. By providing a single entry point for mental health services, employment assistance, advocacy and social support, these hubs reduce fragmentation. They remove barriers. They also acknowledge that families are central to veteran wellbeing, not an afterthought.

I had the real privilege of being able to participate in a roundtable last year with the families of veterans. To be fair, I know that it's not in all cases, but in many cases they are women who are there supporting the serving defence person. The stories that they shared were really quite something. They were very impressive in being able to give really succinct stories that covered quite different spectrums. There were situations where their own career was stymied as a consequence of the nature of the defence personnel's role, as they need to move around the country and sometimes internationally. Some were not necessarily getting the support that they needed, where perhaps their partner had their employment within Defence severed on health grounds and suddenly it was on them to be able to provide that full wraparound service for issues they may not have a full line of sight to. That was quite concerning. I've been continuing to work with the minister to ensure that area is prioritised for support as part of family wellbeing.

If I might—and I'm running down the clock—I have just one other example from our discussions at that roundtable. It's providing support to serving defence service personnel and then veterans on their return to home. Often when they're away for extended periods of time—this could be six months or a year—and they come back, it's that adjustment back to being within a family, where discussions are not about direction. It's about collaboration; it's about consensus. Suddenly having teenagers say 'no' is a challenge. It's a challenge in any house, but it's a challenge when you're in a workplace where it's about following orders, and then suddenly you're in an environment where you might get some pushback. Even just something like how to make sure the family network is solid and resilient is so critical too.

The Albanese government's expanding hubs nationally reflects that simple truth: that early, local and holistic support really does save lives. And, further, the Veteran Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures No. 2) Bill is part of the government's ongoing effort to ensure that veterans legislation is clearer and fairer and is better aligned. The amendments encompassed by the bill include measures dealing with compensation for dependants of deceased veterans, funeral compensation, injuries arising from treatment, access to education and appropriate notice, as well as other matters. I really do want to acknowledge the cultural change that is being driven through the veterans system.

But we know policy reform is not enough. Veterans have told us that how they are treated, whether they are believed, whether they are listened to and whether they are treated with dignity matters just as much as the outcome of any claim. Minister Keogh has made it clear that empathy, accountability and transparency are not optional extras; they are core expectations. And that message is filtering through. While there is more work to do, it represents a meaningful shift—one that veterans and their families deserve.

Another initiative that underscores the collaborative nature of the government's approach is the decision by Minister Keogh to form a Veterans' Affairs Ministerial Advisory Council. There are currently notices across media calling for expressions of interest to serve on this council which will inform the minister in relation to the operation of the sector and particularly in relation to the compensation framework. The notice calls for applications from persons with expertise in one of the areas of health, including mental health; rehabilitation; aged care; financial supports and compensation; and, importantly, lived experience.

No government, obviously, can undo decades of systemic issues overnight, but what we are doing is changing the direction. We've moved from denial to acknowledgement, from delay to action and from mere defensiveness to engagement.

Many of us here attended the last post ceremony at the War Memorial this week. Veterans and their families deserve more than gratitude expressed once or twice a year at formal ceremonies. They deserve a system that works, every day, quietly, competently and with respect. In Minister Keogh they have a minister who understands the weight of that responsibility, and in the Albanese government they have a government committed to doing the work, legislatively, administratively and culturally.

To the veterans and RSL communities of Hasluck, I say this: your service is valued; your voices are heard; and here, with this legislation and the other reforms that have already commenced, we are delivering. For my part, in Hasluck, I will continue to advocate strongly for the interests of those who have served. In the north of my electorate, I will look for ways to support the Ellenbrook RSL in finding their own permanent space—a safe space for local veterans to meet and seek support. I will continue to support the Eastern Regional RSL in Bassendean as they plan for their future. Regardless of the nature of service and missions, I will ensure that, wherever people have served, they are appropriately acknowledged for that service.

I served in the Army Reserve. Obviously—relative to the experience of the majority of defence service personnel—it was a limited prism through which I looked at the defence forces. But, through that experience, and also through my parliamentary participation on the defence programs, I'm determined to ensure I stay connected to the issues that matter to our current serving personnel but to those of our veterans as well, because 'lest we forget' applies to the living as well as the fallen. I commend the government's work and the ongoing reform of veteran affairs to this House.

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