Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the amendment be agreed to.

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide described recommendation 122, the establishment of the Defence and Veterans' Service Commission, as its most important recommendation. The passage of this bill, establishing the commission in its own standalone legislation, is a significant milestone as we implement the recommendations of the royal commission.

This amendment from the Senate will bring forward the reporting date for the first inquiry by the commission into the government's response to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide from 2 December 2027 to 5 February 2027. I would like to thank the shadow minister for veterans' affairs and the opposition for working on a bipartisan basis as we implement the recommendations of the royal commission and as we work to ensure that defence personnel, veterans and their families can get the support that they need and deserve. The government supports this amendment and an earlier reporting date for the first inquiry.

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