New South Wales

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Terms of reference

The New South Wales Consultative Forum will:

  1. provide a mechanism for regular consultation and discussion between the Deputy Commissioner and Ex-Service Organisations (ESOs) on systemic issues that concern the veteran and defence communities arising from the range of DVA operations including:
    • operational issues
    • health care including hospital and community based care
    • aged care both residential and community based
    • health and well-being
    • income support
    • compensation
    • rehabilitation
    • emerging issues for currently serving and recently separated ADF members
  2. assist in identifying issues that may require referral to a national-led forum e.g. the ESO Round Table (ESORT) for strategic issues or the Operational Working Party (OWP) for day-to-day operational matters
  3. provide a mechanism to disseminate information about the Department of Veterans’ Affairs initiatives and the Department of Defence and broader Commonwealth activities where appropriate
  4. enhance the ex-service community's understanding of DVA’s service delivery performance in New South Wales through improved communication and information sharing between DVA and the ex-service community
  5. provide a forum which facilitates an effective working relationship between ESOs, the Deputy Commissioner and DVA staff in New South Wales.
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Membership

Membership is drawn from a range of ESOs and key stakeholder groups within NSW, and will be reviewed annually to ensure membership remains representative of the broader veteran community.

Organisation                                                                                                        Member
Air Force Association (NSW) Inc James (Nick) Osborne
Australian Peacekeeper & Peacemaker Veterans' Association Matt Burke OAM
Defence Force Welfare Association, NSW Branch WGCDR Michael Stuart-Watt AFIML
Margaret Green AM
Naval Association Bruce Kafer
Keither Grimley
RSL Clubs and Services Margot Smith
Legacy Australia Julie Bowden
David Gaddes
Graham Boyd
Legacy Club Services Kathleen Cain
Dominic Treakle
The Returned & Services League of Australia, NSW Branch
(RSL NSW)
Troy Deighton
TPI Veterans Australia Jenny-Jane Carpenter
Women Veterans Australia Del Gaudry CSC
Ministerial Advisory Council for Veterans and Their Families Brigadier Nicole Longley
Families of Veterans Guild Renee Wilson
Partners of Veterans Association, NSW Branch Narelle Bromhead OAM
Louise Freebairn
RSL LifeCare David Anderson
Soldier On Sandi Laaksonen-sherrin
Rachael Kiely
Invictus Australia Michael Hartung OAM
Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia, NSW Branch Sam Vecchio JP
Advocacy Training and Development Program (ATDP) Geoff Harrison
Battlefield History Tours Colonel Graham Fleeton RFD (Retd)
Royal Australian Armoured Corps Association, NSW Branch Rob Shoebridge
Vietnam Veterans Peacekeeping & Peacemaking Association, NSW Branch Ron O'Connor
NSW Office for Veterans Affairs Caroline Mackaness 
Defence Member and Family Support (DMFS) Aspasia Iosifidis

Chair

The forum is chaired by DVA’s Deputy Commissioner for NSW and ACT.

Proxies

The Chair has discretion to allow members to nominate a substitute attendee when considered necessary.

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Meetings

Meeting schedule

It is anticipated that face-to-face meetings of the State and Territory Forums will be restricted to two or three each calendar year with any additional out-of-session meetings being conducted via video or telephone conferencing as required.

Meeting summaries

Minutes of meetings will now be distributed to forum members.

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