Alice Jordan-Baird (Gorton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in support of the Defence and Veterans' Service Commissioner Bill 2025 and the Defence and Veterans' Service Commissioner (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025, introduced by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. I commend him for doing so, and I note his presence in this chamber today.

I'm proud to come from a family who has served our country. My grandmother Jean Lynette Jordan and her sister-in-law, Sergeant Margery Steele—also known as 'Sarge Marge'—supported the Second World War effort from Australia through their work with the Australian Women's Land Army. My grandfather Stanley Jack Jordan served in the Air Force in the Second World War. My dad's grandfathers, Robert Bruce Baird and Alfred Caldwell, also served in the Air Force in Darwin during the bombings of 1942, but returned home to Melbourne postwar. My great uncles were not so lucky, and, sadly, perished while they were serving overseas. These men gave their lives to our country, and I'm proud to stand on their shoulders.

Once the soldiers returned home from the Second World War, many received pieces of land in regional Victoria—including my great grandfather, Stanley Jack. Stanley Jack was my grandfather's dad. He was provided a soldier settlement farm by the Australian government near Tatura, along with many veteran families. But living postwar wasn't easy. My grandfather recalls a time postwar when his dad, Stanley Jack, had woken up in the middle of the night and jumped out of a window from the fear of a nightmare. This is post-traumatic stress disorder, and it's a reality that many veterans live with every single day.

There's a reason we tell these stories. It's a part of us, and it's a part of our nation's shared history, shared heritage and shared culture. We tell these stories to keep them alive, to honour and remember those they're about, those who are no longer with us, those lives that were cut short at too young an age, like my great-uncles.

I'd like to tell you another story, about one of my mum's relatives. Hugo Throssell VC was an Australian soldier in the First World War. He served in Gallipoli, Sinai and Palestine, and he fortunately returned home to Australia safely. He was the first Western Australian and the only light horseman to receive the Victoria Cross, or VC, the highest award for valour in battle that could be awarded to a member of the Australian armed forces at the time. Unfortunately, even an honour like this doesn't take away from the pain. Hugo physically came home, but his mind never truly left the battlefield. Fifteen years later, Hugo committed suicide. These service men and women see unimaginable things. They go through unimaginable trauma and are plagued with this mental harm forever more. A statue of Hugo now stands in the Avon Mall in Northam, and his Victoria Cross can be seen in the Australian War Memorial here in Canberra. His legacy lives on and is a reminder to us all that we must do better. We must do better for veterans in our country, and that's exactly what this bill is about.

This bill is a response to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, which delivered its final report in September last year. I'd like to thank the current and former serving personnel and their families who have bravely shared their stories with the royal commission. The royal commission was an important moment for our country. It was a moment to give proper recognition to our ADF personnel and veterans for what they do for our country and at what cost. This recognition extends to the families and communities of ADF personnel and veterans. The royal commission was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to learn and strengthen Defence's approach to mental health and welfare and to create a better workplace experience for personnel. Most important were the findings. The royal commission found that, for our veterans and our servicemen, the system wasn't working.

The commission made 122 recommendations. Recommendation 122 was that the government establish a new statutory entity to oversee system reform across the whole defence ecosystem. The royal commission said that this was its most important recommendation. It said that this recommendation would underpin all of the other recommendations that preceded it. This is the most significant action the Australian government can take to address defence and veteran suicide, so that's what we're doing.

In acknowledgement of the significance and urgency of this recommendation, in February 2025, the Albanese Labor government legislated the creation of the Defence and Veterans' Service Commission, and it's now been up and running since the end of September. Now we're establishing the Defence and Veterans' Service Commissioner and commission into its own standalone legislation, as it was always intended, and we're strengthening it. The role of the new statutory oversight entity is to provide independent oversight and evidence based advice to drive system reform to improve suicide prevention and wellbeing outcomes for the defence and veteran community.

What's unique about this statutory oversight is its focus. There is a dedicated and sustained focus here on suicide prevention. Since this underpins the rest, it really matters that we get this right. We're ensuring that agencies implementing the royal commission recommendations are held to account in promoting long-term change and building the structural change the system needs to reduce the rates of suicide and suicidality amongst serving and ex-serving ADF members.

The Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee gave a list of recommendations for what should be included in this bill. I'd like to thank the committee for their work, and I'd like to run through some of those really important recommendations now. The first recommendation is the implementation of standalone legislation for the Defence and Veterans' Service Commission, to reflect its independence. As I've mentioned previously, this bill is about delivering on this commitment. Recommendation 2 was that the commissioner functions include reference to veterans' families. The Senate committee review did just that. It means that stakeholders have an opportunity to raise their concerns with the legislation. These are the people who are closest to the issues at hand, the ones that will feel the impacts of these reforms every single day, and they're the people whose experiences have shaped this legislation.

There's no doubt that families of veterans play a vital role in the health and wellbeing of veterans. These families face their own unique challenges as well. That's why it's so important that these community members, the real people, form the building blocks of this legislation—because they really are the centre of it. I'd like to thank every member of the community who contributed to this committee's review. Your insights, your experiences, are invaluable.

This bill also strengthens the commissioner's independence and powers. The commissioner will be empowered to report to the Prime Minister when they are of the opinion that adequate and appropriate action has not been taken by a Commonwealth entity in respect to recommendations contained in a report of the commissioner. This is so powerful, because it truly puts the duty on the heads of Commonwealth entities to make sure that the commissioner is being assisted properly in carrying out their functions.

This bill will also make sure that the commissioner has all the relevant information needed for a special inquiry, enabling them to gain access to documents by remote means. It includes new offences for the provision of false and misleading information or the destruction of documents or things. These are all to support the commissioner to carry out their job to the best of their ability.

As for ensuring the commissioner's independence, a person will not be eligible to be appointed as commissioner if they have served in any capacity in the ADF within the past five years. The commissioner will be appointed by the Governor-General after a merits based and public recruitment process. This is important to mention. It's important that the commission and the commissioner remain independent so that we can ensure the purpose of this bill is met: independent oversight and evidence-based advice.

The bill also expands on the scope of witness protection by ensuring a person providing information to an inquiry is protected in doing so. And it improves the transparency of the work of the commission to ensure accountability for the commission itself and those subject to its oversight. This includes statutory deadlines for the completion of two inquiries into the Commonwealth's implementation of the government's response to the royal commission recommendations.

Veterans are really important. They have done so much for our country, and they do so much in our local communities. I'd like to share a little bit about the amazing Caroline Springs RSL sub-branch in my electorate of Gorton. This sub-branch RSL was established in November 2013 by Vietnam veterans Peter Burquest and Murray Lewis to support the growing number of veterans in Melbourne's western suburbs. The Caroline Springs RSL sub-branch began with just $65 in the bank. It officially opened in February 2014, and has grown into a thriving non-profit community hub with over 300 members. These 300 members are service personnel, veterans who have themselves served and their families, who have supported and stood by them.

This group is focused on welfare, companionship and supporting veterans from World War II to Afghanistan. This sub-branch is known for not having poker machines in their venues because they understand the potential for gambling harm. They're known for fostering veteran and family welfare and have strong community ties with local schools, scout groups, football clubs and other local community organisations. They're out and about in schools, talking about their experiences as ex-service personnel and about the impact of war. I'm proud to say that the SBS aired a documentary highlighting the history of the Caroline Springs RSL sub-branch, interviewing a number of members. The documentary shared the sometimes untold scares and sacrifices in the service of the Defence Force. It looks honestly at the impact of service on these veterans.

If I may, I'd like to share a brief story of Bryan Ross. Bryan served in East Timor in 2002 and struggled with the transition to civilian life after his return. He found himself snapping at his wife and children. The turning moment for Bryan was when his son came home and told him that he'd never been the same since he'd come back from East Timor. It was then he knew that he needed help and he turned to Open Arms for counselling. Open Arms—Veterans & Families Counselling was founded by Australia's Vietnam veterans. It is Australia's leading provider of mental health assessment and counselling for Australian veterans and their families. Bryan is now actively involved with the RSL and is in a much better headspace with his family.

Early intervention and supporting mental health are so incredibly important for our veterans and their families. Our veterans and their legacy are ingrained in my community. We have a walk of honour in Aintree, which is a 600-metre walk in Woodlea Estate that features 150 individual plaques honouring veterans—each with their own story, their own experience and their own legacy. The 'Ode of remembrance' is played at 6 pm every Friday at the WestWaters Entertainment Complex in Caroline Springs. This social gathering provides a constant in the lives of veterans and their families and in our wider community as well.

The health and wellbeing of our veteran community is a priority for the Albanese Labor government. There's no doubt that we're committed to providing more effective and efficient support to veterans and their families. On Monday, the Minister for Veterans' Affairs announced that the Albanese Labor government is investing $739.2 million to improve the provision of the treatment and rehabilitation for veterans to reduce the impact of injury on them and improve their lifetime wellbeing. Modern clinical evidence shows that early access to the right care helps in a number of ways. It helps to improve daily functioning, prevent conditions from worsening, reduce long-term impairments, support mental health and strengthen long-term wellbeing and quality of life.

This reform is one of our government's responses to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. It's a response which recognises that fostering the wellbeing of veterans is one important protective factor against suicide. Mental health is so important. For so many, government mental health measures are a lifeline. This includes our veterans. These veterans have served in our communities and defended our country. They deserve their wellbeing to be accounted for—and their families too.

In my local community, in Melbourne's western suburbs, we have a beautiful war memorial opposite Lake Caroline. Like many in our community, I often go there for moments of peaceful reflection. I think about those who have given their lives to serve our country. I think about those who return home but live with the mental anguish of war. I think about those families who have grieved for their loved ones. I think about my own family and the legacy of Hugo Throssell VC. This bill is for all of you. I commend this bill to the House.

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