House debates Business

Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders

Thursday, 17 September 2026 House of Representatives

Michael McCormack

Michael McCormack Riverina, National Party

9:11 am

It's a cap. It's a threshold. It's a limit. It doesn't matter what it is. It's an insult to our veterans. It's a betrayal to their service. It is a disgrace. Then it says:

We will engage with the veteran and provider community on how we can continue to deliver on the objective of achieving better veteran wellbeing outcomes while ensuring integrity of the system.

Well, I can tell you how they can continue to deliver on the objective of achieving better veteran wellbeing—it's by sacking the minister! That's what the Prime Minister has to do. He has to get a new veterans' affairs and defence personnel minister, and the new minister must be placed around the cabinet table so that, when Labor decide that they are going to, once again, look at the service and the sacrifice of our veterans, we can have a minister who can bang the table and say: 'No, no, no, Prime Minister, that's not going to happen. Our veterans deserve better.'

Our veterans have deserved better than what they've been served up in recent months and years. There was the limitation on medallic recognition. There was the Invictus Games funding that was taken away. There was the Doug and Kaye Baird travel—just a few thousand dollars to go around the country and talk about the legacy of Corporal Cameron Baird VC, MG, a posthumously awarded Victoria Cross recipient, one of the bravest of the brave. And this minister couldn't find it in his heart of hearts to give his parents a few thousand dollars so that they could possibly talk to schools and possibly talk to RSL sub-branches about the legacy and about the importance of serving this nation—no more important thing.

The Prime Minister has one important thing to do today. They've scrapped the cap—well and good. He needs to scrap the minister.

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