Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have the privilege to represent a region that is home to over 9,000 veterans and their families. That is the largest cohort in New South Wales. These are selfless men and women who have served our country, and these are the families and friends who support them upon their return to home life. I've had countless conversations with the advocates and representatives of the wider veteran community as part of my role and heard firsthand of the challenges that returning service men and women face every single day. These are the lack of access to appropriate care, the need for centralised services in locations closer to home, the physical and psychological barriers that deter those in need from asking for help and the eventual toll that the lack of appropriate government services can have, not just on the veterans but on their loved ones too. I don't discriminate between parties; we have failed for many, many years. But I've heard time and time again that, to give our veteran community the best chance of recovery and health rehabilitation into civilian life, we need to remove as many barriers as we possibly can.

Sadly and unsurprisingly, my inbox is filling up with pleas for help to stop this government from imposing yet another barrier on a community that deserves more from its government. Labor has proposed a $5,000 cap—I'm going to use the word 'ration'—on veterans' allied health services from 1 July 2027. It is a ration that will apply to physiotherapy, psychology, exercise physiology and occupational therapy—the most basic levels of care for our veteran community to manage pain, recover from injury, deal with trauma and be able to function day to day while rebuilding their lives.

This single flick of a pen has left thousands of my constituents in limbo, wondering if they or their loved ones will be able to continue to access and afford the care they desperately need. They include veterans like Dick Braithwaite and his son Nick. Dick wrote this to me in the aftermath of the ration announcement:

My concern is for our twin sons who have recently been medically retired from their Special Forces roles in the Army. Our son Nick is a particular concern to us in terms of his long term physical health. He has 14 titanium plates holding his face together after being involved in a near fatal incident while training at Shoalwater Bay in 2011. Nick also has identified back, leg and shoulder problems as a result of the accident. Despite this, he went on the serve his country in both Afghanistan and Iraq after his initial 7-month physical recovery.

The Albanese government needs to be made aware of the risk to the long-term health of veterans like my sons. Did we not learn anything from the Royal Commission into Veteran Suicide that recommended we look after our veteran community so much better than we have in the past.

I appreciate that the Minister for Veterans' Affairs stated in recent days that DVA will fund allied health services above the $5,000 cap where there is a 'valid clinical need'. While that sounds positive, I have to ask: How will that process work? What is the definition of 'valid clinical need'? How can veterans apply for their claims to be reconsidered once they've hit their ration? How will DVA assess their claims? How long will the process take? While veterans are waiting for a determination, will they be unable to access care if they cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs?

Every Australian knows that taxpayer dollars should be allocated to the area and projects that best enhance our nation's chance at a prosperous future. Our veteran community have personally fought on our behalf, and we need to return that favour.