Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on these important bills, the Defence and Veterans' Service Commissioner Bill 2025 and the Defence and Veterans' Service Commissioner (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025, and to support the work of the member for Herbert, all the members of this parliament who have done their duty in service to our nation and everybody who has done their duty in service to our nation in the defence forces. Public service in all its forms is a noble calling, but to be prepared to risk and sacrifice one's own personal, physical and mental wellbeing for the task of defending our nation is one of the most noble things anybody can pursue. The response must be that our nation must back those people who are prepared to take risks to back themselves, and stand up for those who can't fulfil that service in pursuit of defence of our country and, of course, the broader environment of peace and security around the world.

That's the basis on which we always supported a royal commission into defence and veteran suicide and ongoing support for defence and veterans services, with their need for ongoing support and assistance. We know that, tragically, as a consequence of the royal commission, so many men and women who have served this nation honourably and in a decent way continue to endure the consequences of conflict and the risks that lead to a significant reduction in quality of life after their term of service.

These bills are important because they're about acknowledging our responsibility to our veterans. They're about acknowledging the responsibility this nation has to those people who are prepared to make a sacrifice in pursuit of our national interest. I know the member for Herbert has already given a stirring speech. When I go to the RSLs in the Goldstein electorate, this topic of what support we're providing for our veterans continues to come through. A lot of the RSLs in my electorate were established at a time after the Second World War, and, as a consequence, a lot of the veterans that now visit those RSLs are from more recent conflicts, and World War II veterans tend to be lesser in number in comparison to years past. But that doesn't mean the community doesn't have an enduring concern about their health and wellbeing, whether they're in the community or elsewhere.

The overwhelming majority of Australians fundamentally understand the debt and the burden this nation owes those people who wear the uniform in defence of our country, and they want to see agencies and entities exist to support them. We have the DVA, but making sure we have the Defence and Veterans Service Commissioner is an important part of that because we want to address the deep problems of PTSD, mental health and wellbeing, stopping suicide so that service in our nation doesn't become a pathway to a reduction in quality and standard of living.

We know that there's a lot of work to be done. It's an enduring responsibility. It is going to be one that is not going to be solved with a flick of a switch. It's going to be from a nation that commits to invest in their veterans to provide pathways. I know that there is already a lot of work that is done in this space. Many years ago I went and saw the St Kilda Football Club, which at the time was not in my electorate but now actually is in my electorate due to a redistribution by the AEC. They highlighted that a lot of the challenges that veterans have once they cease their service is equivalent to the sense of identity and place that footballers have. That's their commentary, not mine. But I can see what it means—where your identity and your sense of purpose in life is melded and what happens when that sense of purpose is taken away. It's not the only profession, of course. They were looking at the parallels and overlaps between the two, whether there were things they could learn from the ADF and equally whether there were things they could do to support the ADF in their important work and to support people after they finish. Identity, place and purpose, which are connected, once removed raise deep issues for many people about where they fit in the world and the role they play, particularly if they have the consequences of conflict lived out in their memories. That can significantly impact their mental health and wellbeing.

This bill to me is a fundamental proposition about how we show, honour and respect our veterans and how there is nearly no end to the responsibility we share to invest in our veterans so they can live out the best of their healthy lives. For those people who make that sacrifice and are prepared to wear the uniform and defend our nation, what we should want at the end of their service is not just to provide them with the support they need to move on from their service. Of course, in many cases, we want them to continue to act as reservists continuing to support the ADF. But we should also want those who cease their service to go on and live healthy and productive lives. By 'healthy and productive lives' we don't mean just keeping them alive; we mean healthy and productive lives where they form families and live out what they deserve as a consequence of their service. It's what they fought or enlisted for. I'm very happy to be supporting the principles of this process and this legislation, because I think it goes right to the heart of the responsibility, particularly of those who have not worn a uniform, to those who are prepared to step up and do so.

See this speech in context