Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. The Royal Commission into Defence and Veterans Suicide found serious issues with the quality, timeliness and effectiveness of health care provided to our veterans. An analysis of over 400 veteran suicides done for the commissioners identified 'a lack of timely access' to mental and physical health services and disparity in medical fees as a core problem. They also pointed to Defence's complex accounting system, ill defined authority and lack of accountability. Can the minister please give me clear examples of what the government has put in place to address the mental health issue of suicide for Australian veterans?

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Lambie, I thank you for the question and also for alerting my office of your interest in this policy area. You're right that the royal commission told us a great deal about what veterans required and the shortcomings in the experience veterans had had in the period post service. We are determined to act on it.

The royal commission had a particular focus on the broader wellbeing of Defence personnel, veterans and families, and it was really aimed at preventing harm and supporting early intervention, and the government's approach really reflects that. We have shifted our focus to that lifetime wellbeing accordingly. Some of the concrete actions include the establishment of the Defence and Veterans' Service Commission, and a wellbeing agency will be up and running this year. We've also released a Defence And Veteran Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Critically in the 2025-26 MYEFO the government provided $58.3 million over three years to strengthen mental health support for veterans across the continuum of care. That includes expanded access to mental health treatment plans to provide proactive continuous and connected care for veterans experiencing mental health conditions. Those new arrangements will commence from 1 July 2026. As part of the 2025-26 budget, the last budget, we also extended the Military and Veteran Psychiatry Training Program. That provides psychiatry registrar training placement in military and veteran mental health. That initiative seeks to improve access to psychiatrists who have specialist training in veteran and trauma focused care.

It's also important that we've worked to speed up processing times for claims. What that means, as I'm sure you understand, is that support can flow to veterans faster, and we're working to improve that because we know that that, in turn, has an impact on veterans' mental health.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Lambie, first supplementary?

Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for that, because I spent most of my Christmas break finding beds in psych wards for veterans in extreme mental distress. That tells me the department is failing miserably. Can the minister tell me exactly how many psychiatric beds are available across the country right now, and on average how long it is taking to get a bed? I know.

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Department of Veterans' Affairs works with hospitals across the nation to make sure that appropriate mental health beds are funded and available for veterans when they need them. We are conscious of how challenging this is, so, in addition to that, we're working to expand innovative mental health programs that are in the community, which takes some of the pressure off those inpatient admissions. We're also working to improve availability of appropriate training and, therefore, care for veterans through the Military and Veteran Psychiatry Training Program, which I referenced in my answer to your primary question. That of course provides those placements that skill up medical personnel in military and veteran mental health. I want to remind people that, if you are seeking mental health support, a possible contact is to go through Open Arms, which is 1800011046.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Lambie, second supplementary?

Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Department of Veterans' Affairs has apparently given contracts to providers of psychiatric care. I know there are two providers. MLCOA is one. The other appears to be a national secret, for god knows what reason. I want to know the name of the other provider, and I want to know why these providers' fees are as much as double or triple the fee of any other provider out there.

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Lambie, I'll have to come back to you on the second contractor. I don't have that information with me. But I will say that we do seek to improve access to healthcare services. That includes the information I provided earlier about the $58.3 million over three years to strengthen mental health support for veterans across a continuum of care. I also understand that the Department of Veterans' Affairs is updating a fee schedule for report writing—this has been an area of difficulty for many people—to ensure that payments for reports are more consistent with other equivalent jurisdictions and better reflect actual cost to practitioners.