Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability) | Link to this | Hansard source

There's a dangerous disconnect between Labor balancing its budget on a spreadsheet and veterans paying the price in blood. Through shrapnel tearing flesh, the concussive shock waves of roadside bombs and the agonising torment of combat trauma, the men and women who sign up to defend our nation do not cap their sacrifice. Yet this Labor government has capped their health care by slapping a $5,000 annual cap on DVA funded allied health treatments.

Labor is giving with a teaspoon and taking with a shovel. They are boasting about raising fees for providers, but, because each appointment now costs more, this cap means that a veteran's entitlement evaporates twice as fast. It's a double-edged sword that cuts into our ex-service men and women, forcing them to decide whether their physical wounds or their mental scars need treating first. These essential treatments are not discretionary extras. They are what keep our wounded veterans functioning daily.

I saw the human cost of this policy last week in Townsville, Australia's largest garrison city. As I saw the pain on the faces of the veterans who live in my electorate, I gained an understanding of how this ambush has assaulted their faith in this Labor government. On the night of the State of Origin, right before Queensland thrashed New South Wales, the local pub wasn't just full of footy fans; it was packed with veterans who came specifically to voice their disgust at this policy. One proud gentleman stood before me and said the words that should haunt every member in this chamber. He told me that the only day he gets thanked for his service is Anzac Day, and he feels that people only say that because they get a day off work. But what has hurt him more is that this allied health cap feels like a sickening kick in the guts from a government who cares more about ISIS brides than our own soldiers—like our veterans that spent decades fighting to overcome how they were treated when they first came home. We promised we would never abandon a generation of heroes like that again. Yet that is what Labor is doing.

When these men and women signed up, they gave the country a blank cheque with their lives. They did not limit their sacrifice, and Labor should not limit their recovery. Labor must stop treating the DVA gold card like a coupon. It is a sacred promise, and these heroes have earned every single cent. To those opposite: have a heart, reverse this and look after our veterans. They certainly deserve it.