Mary Fisher (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Ellison, the Minister representing the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs. Last week the Prime Minister announced a $330 million veterans affairs disability pension enhancement package, further highlighting the government’s continuing support for our valued veterans. Will the minister outline to the Senate significant new measures to further assist the nation’s war widows and widowers?

Chris Ellison (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Fisher for what is a very important question for our war widows and war widowers and acknowledge Senator Fisher’s interest in the area of veterans affairs. The Howard government acknowledges the heavy price paid by our war widows and war widowers in the premature loss of a spouse and also in relation to the physical condition the veterans suffered later from service related issues.

We are committed to ensuring that our war widows and war widowers are supported, and that is why I am very pleased to inform the Senate that the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs has announced a package which will greatly benefit the 114,000 war widows and war widowers in Australia. In short, war widows and war widowers receive currently a non-indexed pension component of $25 a fortnight, formerly called a domestic allowance. This component will increase by $10 to $35 a fortnight from March 2008. This package will bring to a total of $470 million the packages recently announced. Senator Fisher mentioned the $330 million package recently announced by the Prime Minister in relation to the indexation of payments to veterans generally.

This payment in relation to war widows and war widowers will now be indexed, with reference to both the consumer price index and male total average weekly earnings, from March 2008. The non-indexed $25 pension component has remained constant since it was first introduced in 1946, and this has been a great area of concern for the war widows and war widowers who have been in receipt of that. The government have therefore responded positively and, with these new measures, we will increase the value of this pension component and ensure that its real value is maintained through indexation. This is very good news for that sector of the community—the 114,000 war widows and war widowers who will benefit from this.

The commitment of the Howard government to the veterans sector is underlined by the fact that more than $1.6 billion in new funding has been allocated to Veterans’ Affairs in the last 18 months. That is a significant increase in funding. In fact, despite declining veteran numbers, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs budget has increased from $6.5 billion in 1996 to more than $11 billion today. I thought the opposition would be interested to know that, because this is of great concern and interest to the veterans community in this country. There has been a substantial increase in funding over the last 11 years, from $6½ billion to $11 billion, to ensure that our veterans are supported and that those war widows and war widowers who paid the heavy price of the premature loss of a spouse because of their spouse’s service to this country are now supported. It is important that we continue to support this sector of the community, who paid such a price. This announcement today, as I said, takes the total package of recent announcements to $470 million of new initiatives. This is good news for the veterans community, who well deserve these initiatives. I applaud the minister for his announcement today and for his continued commitment to the veterans sector.