Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a statement from the opposition on the veterans and their families.

Leave granted.

Serving as a member of the Australian Defence Force involves risk and sacrifice. In acknowledgement of this service and sacrifice, our country needs to support our veterans and their families now and into the future. Families play a unique role within the military life and service, themselves making many sacrifices. Our ADF personnel and veterans look to their families for support while in service, in transition and in civilian life. These men and women and children are the unsung heroes of our defence forces. This is why it is important to ensure that they have the support they need to address the unique challenges of military life. After all, greater support for our military families is greater support for our serving and ex-service personnel.

In June, the opposition announced that we would develop a strategy to provide greater support and resources to military families. This was to implement the key recommendations of the National Mental Health Commission's review into the services available to veterans and current serving members of the Australian Defence Force in relation to prevention of self-harm and suicide. Developing a family engagement and support strategy will identify where we can provide greater support to military families, those who matter most to our ADF personnel and veterans: their wives, husbands, sons and daughters. Labor's commitment to develop a family engagement and support strategy in government would be co-designed with defence and veteran families and communities to focus on known stress points for families, including transition for defence members into civilian life.

The NMHC's review highlighted that there is currently a lack of emphasis on the critical role that families play in the lives of current and former serving members. There is no doubt that families play a critical role in providing support to serving and ex-service personnel suffering from mental health issues. Developing a family strategy acknowledges the important role of families in the rehabilitation of ADF members and veterans from both physical and mental injury and illness. Families can be the greatest support when dealing with life-changing events that can occur throughout and after military service.

Labor acknowledges that it is vital that government and parliament continue to work in a collaborative way with these ex-service organisations to ensure that there is no-one falling through the gaps. That is why Labor has supported the government's additional funding to rectify DVA's longstanding ICT issues, along with expanded access to non-liability health care for any member of the ADF who has served one day. To veterans: we value your dedication and your feedback. We want to know where we can do better. We recognise that the effort should never stop and that the job is never done.

Labor looks forward to continuing its work with veterans and the ex-service community and with the government and the department to ensure that we continue to strive for the best outcomes for our ex-service personnel and their families.