Allegra Spender (Wentworth, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I welcome the opportunity to support to speak in support of this Defence and Veterans' Service Commissioner Bill 2025. I'm privileged to represent a large and deeply engaged Defence Force community in Wentworth. Our electorate is home to veterans from many conflicts and many, many decades of service. They are a community defined by courage, professionalism and sacrifice. They have served our country with bravery and integrity, and they deserve nothing less than our full support in return. But pride in their service sets a very real expectation that this parliament will stand behind them not just with words but in action.

After countless reports, inquiries and reviews into the wellbeing of service members and veterans, that expectation has never been more justified. Following the release of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide recommendations, I wrote to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence in late 2024 alongside a number of my crossbench colleagues. In that letter we called on the government to adopt recommendation 122 of the royal commission as a priority, which recommended the establishment of a new, independent statutory entity to oversee system reform across the entire defence ecosystem. We made that call because we'd heard directly from veterans, from families and from stakeholders in our own communities, including people very specifically in Wentworth, where we had conversations with a number of veterans about this very issue. They were clear that this was, for them and for many people, the most important recommendation coming out of the royal commission and that any oversight body must sit independently both from the Department of Defence and the Department of Veterans' Affairs if it is to command trust and deliver meaningful change.

Independence is not a technical detail. It is fundamental to the success of this reform. For too long, veterans and serving members have been asked to provide evidence and lived experience into systems they didn't fully trust. Creating a commissioner that sits separately from Defence and Veterans' Affairs helps reduce that burden. It provides greater confidence that inquiries will be conducted without fear or favour and that those who come forward will be heard and protected. It also ensures that strong protections are in place for those providing information to the commissioner. That is essential. If we're serious about understanding what has gone wrong and how to fix it, people must feel safe to speak openly.

The need for this reform cannot be overstated. Over the past 30 years, more than 50 inquiries into defence and veteran suicide have generated over 700 recommendations. Yet, too often, those recommendations have not been fully implemented. None of the previous inquiries have produced adequate or effective results, in part because successive governments have failed to act decisively on the advice of experts. Today we are living with the consequences of that failure. The incidence of suicide and severe mental health challenges among current and former Defence personnel remain an ongoing national tragedy. Behind every statistic is a life lost, a family grieving and a community changed forever. This bill represents an important step forward to breaking that cycle.

I now turn to the bill. Firstly, the bill establishes the Defence and Veterans' Service Commission and the commissioner as a standalone statutory entity. This is significant because it moves the role out of existing defence legislation and into its own framework, reinforcing its independence and ensuring that it operates with clear authority and accountability to parliament. A statutory footing sends a strong signal that this role is permanent, independent and central to long-term reform.

Secondly, the bill sets out the core functions of the commissioner. These include monitoring systemic issues affecting the wellbeing of serving members and veterans, reviewing the implementation of recommendations from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide and providing independent advice to government. The commissioner will also be empowered to engage directly with veterans, families and communities and to bring lived experience to policy for reform. This ensures that the voices of those most affected remain central to the reform process.

Thirdly, the bill provides the commissioner with strong inquiry and information-gathering powers. The commissioner will be able to initiate own-motion inquiries, conduct reviews at the request of the minister and compel the production of documents and information where necessary. These powers are critical. Without the ability to access information and investigate systemic issues thoroughly, the commission would risk becoming symbolic rather than effective. Properly exercised, these powers will allow the commissioner to identify failures, monitor progress and drive meaningful change across the defence ecosystem.

Fourth, the bill includes protections for those who provide information to the commissioner. This is one of the most important elements of the legislation. Many veterans and serving members carry difficult experiences and may feel vulnerable speaking out. Clear legal protections and strong confidentiality provisions are essential to ensuring that people can provide evidence without fear of reprisal or harm to their careers, reputations or wellbeing.

Fifth, the bill establishes reporting and accountability mechanisms. The commissioner will be able to publish reports and provide advice to the minister, and those reports will be tabled in parliament. This ensures transparency and keeps the parliament and the public informed about progress and ongoing challenges. It also creates the expectation that government agencies will respond to findings and recommendations in a timely and constructive manner.

Finally, the bill includes transitional and consequential provisions to ensure continuity. Existing functions and inquiries will transfer to the new statutory commission without disruption. This will allow the new body to begin work with momentum and clarity.

Taken together, these elements create a stronger and more independent oversight architecture than has existed previously. However, the effectiveness of this new structure will depend not only on the legislation itself but on the commitment of government and agencies to work with it in good faith. Independence must be matched by cooperation. The minister, Defence and the Department of Veterans' Affairs must be prepared to engage openly with the commissioner and to act on recommendations. Without that, even the strongest statutory framework will struggle to deliver the change that is needed. We cannot allow this commission to become yet another body whose recommendations sit on shelves. Its purpose is to ensure that reform is implemented, that failures are addressed and that the wellbeing of those who serve, and those who have served, our country is placed at the centre of policy and practice.

For the Defence community of Wentworth and for communities across Australia, this reform matters deeply. It reflects years of advocacy, the courage of those who came forward in the royal commission and the collective determination to do better. To those who did so—I thank you. After decades of inquiries and too many lives lost, we cannot afford to fall short again.

This bill lays the foundation for stronger oversight, greater accountability and, ultimately, better support for our veterans and serving members. For that reason, I support the bill, but I continue to offer this challenge to the government of this day and those of future days: we set up these statutory authorities, and they are important, but, if we do not listen and implement their recommendations, then we are literally just doing something that feels good but ultimately makes no difference in the end. That will be the proof of the success of this and whether it makes a difference to Defence families and veterans' families, as it should. It is the implementation that really matters, and that is up to this government and every government after it.

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