Anne Urquhart (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. How is the Albanese Labor government supporting veterans and their families?

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

I thank the member for Braddon for her important question. It's been great to be able to engage with her in this place, and when she was in the other place, in support of the veterans in her community. I know everybody in this chamber has respect for those who have served and worn the Australian Defence Force uniform, including those who sit here in this place. As a government, we understand the great importance of supporting those who serve our nation—those people who put on our uniform to serve a greater cause who may make the ultimate sacrifice and those who come home with injuries seen and unseen. That is what every government needs to do.

In my term as the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, I've heard from veterans since day 1 that the claims process was a nightmare, that it was taking too long and that it was too complex. That's why our government made the biggest investment in the Department of Veterans' Affairs in three decades so that we could clear the backlog of claims that weren't even being looked at, so that claims are now looked at within 14 days of being received and so that initial liability claims are now processed within a matter of months instead of years. And, as I've moved around the country and engaged with veterans and ex-service organisations and advocates, it's been really great to hear the positive feedback from those engaging with the system that it is indeed improving. But, of course, more is needed, and through the extensive consultation that we undertook over years with the veteran community, we're making the system simpler as well. With the passage of the VETS Act, from 1 July this year, we will have a single legislative scheme that is simpler for people to understand what they're entitled to and quicker for DVA to process claims.

When it comes to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, we acted quickly. We already implemented 32 of the recommendations last year. Two-thirds of the recommendations will be implemented by the end of this year. The Defence and Veterans' Service Commission, a legislated oversight body, is already up and running, and we're taking a broader approach to veteran wellbeing, with proactive engagement with Defence to prevent injury, giving better treatment, so that we can get better wellbeing and lifestyle outcomes. We have a new wellbeing agency that will be established and up and running in the middle of this year, and we've expanded the veterans and families hub network across the country. We've increased GP fees, we've increased report fees for GPs and specialists, and we're increasing the fees that will be paid to allied health professionals to increase access for the veteran community. We're continuing to work on the royal commission recommendations.

We're also doing the necessary work for a review to ensure that federally funded travel for Victoria Cross recipients and their families, like the parents of Cameron Baird VC, continue on a proper basis. We are doing the work that is needed to fulfil our nation's solemn promise to our veterans and families.