Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cash has submitted a proposal, under standing order 75, today, which has been circulated and is shown on the Dynamic Red:

That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:

The serious failure of judgement demonstrated by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs in initially declining to meet veterans and bereaved family members who came to Parliament House to raise urgent concerns about their health care, and the question of whether the minister retains the confidence of the veteran community he is entrusted to serve.

Is consideration of the proposal supported?

More than the number of senators required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

With the concurrence of the Senate, the clerks will set the clock in line with the informal arrangements made by the whips.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:

The serious failure of judgement demonstrated by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs in initially declining to meet veterans and bereaved family members who came to Parliament House to raise urgent concerns about their health care, and the question of whether the minister retains the confidence of the veteran community he is entrusted to serve.

Minister Keogh has sadly lost the confidence of the veterans he is supposed to support and champion on a daily basis. In their own words—this is an indictment on any minister—he has lost their trust. He has lost their respect. On that basis alone, it is no longer tenable that Minister Keogh hold the position of Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel.

Our veterans are the Australians who put on the uniform, and they put it on proudly. They are the people who serve this country. They are the people who are prepared to put themselves in harm's way so that they can defend the freedoms that each and every one of us has on a daily basis. They should never have to fight their own government and, in particular, their own minister simply to be heard. Yet, under Minister Keogh, that is exactly what they are being forced to do.

Sadly for Minister Keogh, this is not one bad meeting, as he would like Australians to believe it was. It's not one mistake. It is now an established pattern of behaviour: make a decision detrimental to veterans and ignore the veterans' pleas. They fall on deaf ears. Then the outrage happens. The Australian public and the veterans stand up. They stand up to the Prime Minister and to Minister Keogh, and then they retreat.

This week has been an utter disgrace in this portfolio. Veterans came to Parliament House in good faith, deeply concerned about Labor's $5,000 allied health threshold and what it could mean for them and veterans with serious health complaints and complex health needs. We heard of suicides that have now occurred because of the stress that these veterans are under. What does the minister, who is meant to be championing them every single day, do? He refuses to meet with them. That is just sick, quite frankly. What Minister for Veterans' Affairs refuses to meet with veterans who come here to plead with this government, 'Please don't take any further action that is going to be detrimental to our health'? He refuses to meet with them.

Only after he is actually called out by the former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack and publicly shamed does he agree to sit down with them. My God, the reports now coming out of that meeting from the veterans who attended—he walked in without shaking their hands. He sat with his arms crossed. He rolled his eyes at the people who had served our country, who were being detrimentally impacted by so many now of Labor's changes. And then he says to them he's missing an appointment with the Governor-General. What, an appointment to go and have drinks? You've got to be kidding me. He now says he got it wrong. Guess what, Minister Keogh? Shame on you. Yes, you did, but this is the problem now: what's come out of the meeting?

This is what the veterans are saying. Former RAAF pilot and GP Dr Tim Nelson said that the meeting 'confirmed for us that lack of trust'. Donna Manton, a defence veteran, an advocate and a long-time Labor supporter, says she is heartsick to be calling out this government and this minister for not caring for veterans. Former Royal Australian Navy diver John Armfield said, 'I enlisted under the Navy values of courage, honour, honesty and loyalty, and yet you, Minister Keogh, have failed to display any of these values.' That is the veterans talking.

What we now have with this minister is a pattern of behaviour. Remember when he made—and this is probably one of the sickest decisions a government has ever made under a minister—the decision to remove the very small amount of funding that former prime minister Tony Abbott had given to the parents of Corporal Cameron Baird, a Victoria Cross recipient who lost his life—a few grand a year to travel around this country and raise the case for our veterans, and that minister cancelled it. What type of a sick minister does that? This minister has lost the respect of the veterans. We've lost respect for him, and, quite frankly, he needs to go.

Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I start, let's just be really clear. Every single veteran and every single serving member and every bereaved family member who comes to this parliament deserves to be treated with respect and deserves to be heard. Above all, they deserve a government that will invest. They deserve a government that puts actions behind the words. It's all very well to have a lot of words and a lot of hot air, but it's the actions that are going to significantly impact their lives as well.

I will say that Minister Keogh has said that he made an incorrect call in not meeting with those veterans, and he has put his apologies forward, and I'm not going to go into that. But what I am going to go into is the fact that, when we came to office, the Department of Veterans' Affairs had been underfunded and underresourced for years and years.

Almost 42,000 new claims were sitting in a backlog when we came to government. That's 42,000 veterans who were languishing with no care or respect by those opposite when they were in government. Forty-two thousand—just let that sink in for a minute. Those people were ignored and neglected by those opposite. The government, our government, the Albanese Labor government, funded additional departmental staff and cleared that inherited backlog, but it has taken time. We couldn't get through that in no time at all. We couldn't look at such neglect from those opposite to our veterans. We couldn't get through that in no period of time.

We have continued to invest. Not only have we invested to clear that backlog, but in looking at the system, it was not working. It was not working for those veterans who have fought for our country, who have stood there in their uniform, prepared to defend the rest of us. We will respect them. We do respect them. And that respect comes with significant action.

There have been a lot of very emotional stories this week about situations of health care, situations of abuse—all sorts of really horrible, horrible situations. The royal commission made a series of recommendations, and those recommendations are the ones that we are rolling out. That royal commission was what gave us the blueprint for what veterans, their families and their communities need. Not only are we processing claims more quickly, not only are we putting forward better health care and compensation to support veterans when they need it, but we're working to fix this system so it's less complex. That work has begun. That work is on foot.

From 1 July this year, we began implementing the most significant reform that Australia's veterans support system has seen in generations. Just to be clear, we had the royal commission and 1 July brought significant change. We're now seven weeks on from that. We should start to see significant improvements as this system is now rolling out. The new arrangements simplify the compensation system. It makes it easier for veterans and their families to understand their entitlements and access them. It also allows claims to be processed much quicker. These reforms were shaped through consultation with veterans and their families because that's how we do things.

Also on 1 July we opened the new Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency. That is about helping veterans find their way through quite complex systems, and it's a system that we have seen rolled out in South Australia. The Northern Adelaide Veterans' and Families' Wellbeing Hub at Elizabeth Vale is now supporting our community of more than 11,000 veterans and family members. That's on-ground actual assistance helping veterans. It's helping them look to what they need, how to get there and how to have that support at their hand. Support for mental health issues, physical health issues, employment support, access to housing, financial advocacy, transitions assistance—these are all of the things that they desperately need. We are providing them because we respect those veterans and every last one of them deserves our gratitude and our respect. And they have it.

Tyron Whitten (WA, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor is making veterans fight another battle—the battle to access the care they need. If you listen to the other side, it's all rosy. Why would they be here looking for money if they didn't need it? What is actually disturbing is the way the Minister for Veterans' Affairs has treated those that have served our country.

Under the 2026-27 budget, allied health services have been capped at $5,000 a year. For a veteran requiring physiotherapy, rehabilitation, psychological support, specialist appointments and ongoing treatment, $5,000 can disappear very quickly. For veterans in regional and remote Australia, the burden is even greater with travel, accommodation and other costs adding to the expense of the care. But veterans who travelled to Canberra to raise these concerns faced another battle to even be heard by their own minister. Veterans and bereaved family members made the trip because they wanted to explain the real-world impact of these changes. They wanted to propose practical solutions. They wanted their minister to listen. Instead, they say the minister initially declined to meet with them. Outrageous.

When a meeting eventually took place, the veterans who attended have described the minister's conduct as 'deeply disrespectful'. They say he refused to shake their hands, sat with his arms crossed and rolled his eyes as they explained their concerns and put forward possible proposals. They also say the minister complained that the meeting with them meant he was missing an appointment with the Governor-General. Boohoo!

This is an extraordinary way to treat Australian veterans. These are people who served our nation—people who put their lives on the line. They're not travelling to Canberra to be dismissed; they travelled to be heard. Instead of showing them respect and compassion, they say they were met with indifference and disrespect. The Minister for Veterans' Affairs has a responsibility to listen to veterans, not make them fight to get through the door. He has a duty of care. He has a responsibility to understand the consequences of a government policy, not dismiss the people living with those consequences. Veterans should never have to beg their own government for dignity. The $5,000 cap is deeply concerning, but so too is the attitude veterans say they encountered when they tried to challenge it.

Five thousand dollars is not a measure of what a veteran's health is worth. A veteran's access to care should not depend on how quickly a budget allocation runs out. Those who served our country should never be made to feel like an inconvenience when they ask the minister to listen. We ask our servicemen and women to run towards danger to protect our country. The very least they deserve in return in respect. Our veterans deserve better from this government, they deserve better from this minister, and they deserve to be heard, respected and properly cared for. This isn't good enough.

Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) | Link to this | Hansard source

Our veterans are Australians who put on the uniform, who serve this country and who are prepared to put themselves in harm's way to defend our freedoms and our way of life. Yesterday, on Vietnam Veterans Day, a number of veterans came here to be heard by their government. As a senator based in Townsville, one of the largest veteran communities in the country, I was appalled to hear their stories. This minister has developed a pattern of behaviour that neither he nor veterans nor the Prime Minister should consider acceptable. This is not just one bad meeting. This is not one mistake. This is a pattern of behaviour. He makes the decision, he ignores the veterans, he waits for the outrage, and then he retreats.

This week, we heard from former RAAF pilot and GP, Dr Tim Nelson. He said the meeting 'confirmed for us that lack of trust'. This is a meeting they had requested and only received as a result of Michael McCormack MP, the member for Riverina, calling out the minister for not meeting with veterans in question time. Very hurriedly, a meeting was organised.

Donna Manton, a Defence veteran, advocate and longtime Labor supporter said she was heartsick to be calling out this government for not caring about veterans. Former Australian Navy diver John Armfield said, 'I enlisted under the navy values of courage, honour, honesty and loyalty, yet the minister failed to demonstrate any of those values.' This is the verdict of veterans who are completely aligned on scrapping this tax.

But this did not start this week. There was the medals debacle. Minister Matt Keogh tried to impose a 20-year limit on retrospective Defence honours and awards. Veterans condemned it. Major veterans organisations opposed it. Former lieutenant colonel George Hulse described it as 'a regressive, repressive and oppressive' action. Eventually, the government was forced to withdraw the legislation. Even then, Minister Keogh blamed it on an inflammatory misinformation campaign from the veterans. Veterans object, the minister gets it wrong, and, somehow, everybody else is to blame.

Then came Doug and Kaye Baird, the parents of Corporal Cameron Baird VC, MG. Minister Keogh withdrew their longstanding travel support. Doug Baird said the minister had 'failed us badly'. Public outrage followed, then another reversal. Invictus Australia had funding removed. Veterans pushed back, and the funding was reinstated in another backflip. But now this, the $5,000 allied health threshold—again, announce first, consult later. There was a hastily convened, late in the day meeting where they were treated so disrespectfully, with not even a handshake on greeting. That is the Australian way to greet people, but the minister, apparently, had so little respect for veterans, he couldn't even bother with that.

Renee Wilson, CEO of the Families of Veterans Guild, said the first she heard of the minister's discussion paper was in question time. What did the minister tell the parliament? He said that consultation with the veteran community will be starting soon—starting soon when the policy had already been announced. Veterans are already fighting it. Only now does the minister decide it might be useful, perhaps, to listen to them.

This is his record: medals, a forced retreat; the Baird family, a reversal; Invictus, a reversal; the $5,000 threshold, announce first, consult later, and there are already veterans on suicide watch; and on refusing to meet veterans, 'I got it wrong'. How many times can one minister get it so wrong? How many veterans can he fail? How many veterans' families can he fail? Instead of attacking the messenger, Labor should finally listen to them. Our veterans have fought for Australia. They should not have to fight Minister Keogh as well. They say they have lost trust in him, but what about the Prime Minister? When is the Prime Minister going to take action on this minister who has lost the trust of our most revered people in Australia, our veterans?

Varun Ghosh (WA, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Veterans and veterans' health care are incredibly important to the Albanese government. They're incredibly important to the minister, and I'm sure they're incredibly important to everybody in this chamber. Our veterans deserve deep respect. The respect, debt of gratitude and support that we owe Australian soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen does not end when they take off their uniforms. Anyone who signs up to serve in the military should be confident that they will be well supported not only in their career but also after their service ends.

We have an example this week where we're acknowledging that Australia didn't do this as well as it could have done for Vietnam War veterans, because this week, right across the country, we are commemorating Vietnam Veterans' Day. We remember those who were killed and say thank you to the almost 60,000 Australians who served during our involvement in the Vietnam War. We acknowledge and remember the more than 3,000 who were wounded and the 523 who were killed. Many of them did not get a choice as a result of the conscription policy and many were not recognised properly upon their return. It is a stain that still sits on this country's history.

Across all services, it's estimated that there are currently around 640,000 people or more who have served in the Australian Defence Force in Australia today. That is 640,000 individual stories of service and of men and women across this country who have made sacrifices, including some in this chamber. I do want to acknowledge and applaud Senator Lambie for her courage in speaking openly not only today but on many occasions about her own experiences in the Australian Defence Force and some of the struggles afterwards with health and support. I also acknowledge Senator McLachlan and all the other senators and members of the House of Representatives who have served in our armed forces. I also acknowledge that, for a long time, many women who have served haven't been properly acknowledged, and they deserve our respect as well. We need to rectify some of the gender issues that still exist within our armed forces.

If I could speak to the rub of this motion for a moment, Minister Keogh has acknowledged that his initial decision not to meet with the groups of veterans, when the request initially came in, was wrong. He corrected that in that he met with that group and listened to their concerns. Minister Keogh is committed to treating veterans with care and respect. That's reflected in his record in this portfolio. He has been dedicated in his efforts to improve the system.

When you look at the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veterans Suicide and the findings that were handed down, they were, in places, utterly damning. It was a system criticised for complexity, delay and a claims process that too often retraumatised the people who it was intended to serve. There are a lot of people who were responsible for that over the years, because, when you look at what was actually in that royal commission report, you see that this wasn't a problem that arose overnight. It arose over a very long period of time.

Since taking government in 2022, the Albanese government and Minister Keogh, who's been the veterans' affairs minister since 2022, have worked incredibly hard to improve the Department of Veterans' Affairs, to improve its funding and to ensure that it is properly staffed. That's been reflected across budgetary decisions, but it's also been reflected across the way in which backlogs of claims have been cleared. It's been reflected in changes in the way we process claims in order, as I said earlier, not to retraumatise veterans. That's a result that speaks to substance.

There are also structural problems that have been addressed by the minister and this government, including simplifying veterans entitlements legislation and trying to improve integrity within the system. The changes that came into effect on 1 July this year to simplify the veterans compensation scheme will make it easier for veterans and their families to understand what they're entitled to and shorten the timeframe that it takes for them to get it. Those changes included the creation of the new Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency, one of the key recommendations that emerged from the royal commission that has now been implemented.

The Albanese government and Minister Keogh are committed to supporting those who sacrificed their time and their mental and physical health for their country. Those people deserve our respect. They deserve our gratitude and they deserve our ongoing support. But I don't support this motion from the coalition because I think the focus should be on working together to improve the lives of those who've put on a uniform for this country, and that goes to the substance of the policies and the support we actually give them. I think that when you look at the record—when you look at what's actually been done across four years and not just the attempt to make an attack here today—you'll see a government that's deeply committed to trying to improve the experience of veterans when they take off their uniform, and it will continue to be committed throughout the term of this government.

Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) | Link to this | Hansard source

The government must immediately abandon its proposed annual $5,000 cap on allied health services for veterans. I have heard from veterans fearful about what this cap will mean for them, and I want to thank everyone who has got in touch with me about it. Allied health care is so important for our veterans. In real terms, it can mean a veteran with complex PTSD being able to see a psychologist or somebody who has a physical injury recovering from that injury with the help of a physiotherapist or an OT. When a veteran acquires a lifelong injury or disability, they experience trauma. They should be able to access essential care, not be told that they've hit some arbitrary limit. Come on! We've seen this story before. Give us a break!

This government is cherry-picking examples of what they're framing as fraud or overcharging, using them to get themselves a media headline and then turning around to punish veterans, who are the victims of this activity. They're taking a situation with a few bad apples and using it for a smokescreen for cuts. The coalition are rightly outraged. But I've got to say, folks, what did you think was going to happen? This is exactly the kind of thing you voted for last night with the NDIS. They've come for disabled people, cut the supports, and now they're coming for veterans.

The government says, 'Don't worry; if it's over $5,000, you've just got to jump over another hoop.' But you've provided no detail, no clarity and people don't trust you. Allied health care saves lives. Veterans should not have to fight the system that they served. (Time expired)

Jessica Collins (NSW, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I feel really sorry for those on the other side. They have to get up and back in this minister, and the words that they are saying are cheap. The talk is cheap. At its core, it's just gaslighting of the Australian people. What matters most is how we treat our individuals, how we treat our veterans and how we treat the families of those veterans. What we saw from our Minister for Veterans' Affairs this week was an absolute disgrace. It was a spit in the face of all veterans and serving members—an absolute spit in the face. I tell you what: the veterans don't get upset easily, but they are absolutely fuming. They are hurt. They have no longer any trust in this government and no confidence in this Minister for Veterans' Affairs. I'll tell you why they don't. Let me tell you what he has done to this veteran community over the last six months.

First he tried to take away their appeals for medals and honours. He tried to put time limits on all of that and make them pay for their appeals. Then he tried to take away the funding for Invictus, an important institution for the mental health of our veterans. Then, and probably the most egregious part of all, he tried to take away the funding for the parents of VC winner and national hero Corporal Cameron Baird. He backflipped on all of that because he realised he got it wrong. The veterans were disappointed. They were outraged. Quite frankly, they were insulted.

The Coalition of Veterans' Voices came to Canberra to share a warning for the Minister for Veterans' Affairs that his cuts to allied health funding meant that some veterans are on suicide watch, and he didn't even take a meeting. He didn't even take a meeting. I don't know if anyone here had the privilege of listening to Senator Lambie's speech last night about the lifelong trauma that people can carry with them after having served our country and being prepared to lay down their lives for us and our children and their children. He goes and takes their funding. This is the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, let's not forget.

We have bipartisan support for the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. There is absolutely no doubt about that. But what this minister is doing to the veteran community right now is nothing short of a disgrace, and we must hold him to account on this. Quite frankly, after this pattern of behaviour and the impact on the mental health of our veterans that this minister is causing, this minister must resign. I can't for the life of me understand why the Prime Minister continues to back him in. Why won't he stand him down? He refused to shake the hands of the veterans when they finally got a meeting with him. He sat there and crossed his arms. He rolled his eyes. It's an embarrassment for one, and absolutely not becoming of the man who is meant to represent them.

Now he has an opportunity to do the right thing. We in the opposition, the coalition, believe that his position is untenable and he should stand aside and make amends. If the Prime Minister had a backbone, he'd sack him today. Minister Keogh has lost the confidence and the trust of veterans right across the country—the veterans that he is supposed to be serving. Veterans should not have to put up with this minister for one more day. The Prime Minister should show some leadership and sack him. (Time expired)

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion moved by Senator Cash be agreed to.