3 years ago
LOCAL VETERANS HAVE THEIR SAY
SHAYNE NEUMANN MP
Veterans and advocates in Western Sydney today outlined the issues facing returned service people at a series of roundtables with Labor’s Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs.
The roundtables, organised by Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman and Member for Macarthur Dr Mike Freelander covered a range of issues affecting those who have left, or are planning to leave, the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
Attendees raised a range of issues, including Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and service delivery failures, defence and veteran mental health and suicide, transitional support for people leaving the ADF, and service pensions
These roundtables provide a great opportunity for local service personnel, veterans and advocates to highlight the issues that concern them.
Many ex-service personnel have made it clear they are fed up with the Morrison Government’s and DVA’s performance.
Veterans told MPs they are waiting too long to get their entitlements and waiting times for compensation claims have continued to blow out while DVA deals with a huge backlog of applications.
Many attendees at the roundtables echoed Labor’s call for a Royal Commission into ADF and veteran suicides to try to get to the bottom of the issue once and for all.
It’s clear we need to do more to support our defence personnel when it comes to transitioning out of the ADF and into civilian life through assistance with mental health, employment, housing and homelessness.
Local veterans said they were very unhappy with the Government’s responses to reviews of the Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI) pension and the Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits (DFRDB) scheme.
Labor plans to hold more locally and across the country over the coming months to help inform Labor’s policies in this area.
The roundtables, organised by Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman and Member for Macarthur Dr Mike Freelander covered a range of issues affecting those who have left, or are planning to leave, the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
Attendees raised a range of issues, including Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and service delivery failures, defence and veteran mental health and suicide, transitional support for people leaving the ADF, and service pensions
These roundtables provide a great opportunity for local service personnel, veterans and advocates to highlight the issues that concern them.
Many ex-service personnel have made it clear they are fed up with the Morrison Government’s and DVA’s performance.
Veterans told MPs they are waiting too long to get their entitlements and waiting times for compensation claims have continued to blow out while DVA deals with a huge backlog of applications.
Many attendees at the roundtables echoed Labor’s call for a Royal Commission into ADF and veteran suicides to try to get to the bottom of the issue once and for all.
It’s clear we need to do more to support our defence personnel when it comes to transitioning out of the ADF and into civilian life through assistance with mental health, employment, housing and homelessness.
Local veterans said they were very unhappy with the Government’s responses to reviews of the Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI) pension and the Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits (DFRDB) scheme.
Labor plans to hold more locally and across the country over the coming months to help inform Labor’s policies in this area.