From the Minister
The Hon Matt Keogh MP
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel
The Government is committed to ensuring that our ADF members, veterans and families know that whatever may befall them during their service, they will be properly looked after and their service acknowledged, respected and commemorated by a grateful nation.
On October 2001, just weeks after the terrorist attacks on America that claimed 10 innocent Australian lives, the ADF began operations in Afghanistan with the United States and other partners.
Operation Slipper initiated what was to become our country’s longest-running military commitments. Over the coming 2 decades, more than 35,000 Australian personnel would serve in Afghanistan, or in support in the Middle East Area of Operations.
The Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial records the names of 47 who died as a result of their service. Some 263 were wounded.
On 11 October this year, 25 years on from the start of Operation Slipper, we will pause as a nation to remember the sacrifice of all who served in this conflict with a national commemorative service to be held at the Australian War Memorial.
If you are interested in attending, I encourage you to register via the DVA website at www.dva.gov.au/Afghanistan-anniversary.
For those who are unable, the commemoration will be broadcast live on ABC iView.
With the end of Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan still fresh in all our memories, this is the most significant national commemoration for Australian involvement in 21st century conflict, and reaffirms our ongoing commitment as a nation to never forget the service and sacrifice of those who have served in our nation’s uniform.
For the Government that means continually improving the care and support we offer to the veteran community.
The findings of the Royal Commission to Defence and Veteran Suicide continue to inform this work.
Veterans and families of veterans saw the result of some of that work with transformative changes that came into effect on 1 July, with a simplified veterans entitlements framework and a new Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency.
The biggest change most veterans will see is a new, simpler claims processing system.
This is the most significant reform in a generation to a system that the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide observed was so complex it was contributing to suicidality in the veteran community.
Three separate pieces of legislation governed the old system, with some veterans (depending on the nature of their service) falling simultaneously under all 3.
We’ve unified those 3 mechanisms into a single system that’s fairer, quicker and simpler to use – for veterans and for DVA claims processing staff.
Importantly, if you’ve lodged a claim under the old system prior to July 1, you don’t need to do anything – your claim will still be processed as usual. If you’ve lodged a claim after 1 July, your claim will be assessed under the new, simpler system.
All those already receiving benefits will continue to receive benefits, there is nothing you need to do. I encourage all veterans and families of veterans to familiarise themselves with the new system, including within the pages of Vetaffairs.
Another big change on 1 July was the official opening of the Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency, also a recommendation from the Royal Commission.
There are literally thousands of organisations all around Australia that are set up to provide support for veterans and the families of veterans, but navigating through the myriad of options to find the one that best suits individual circumstances can be challenging.
We set up the Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency to help, providing a single point of contact to link veterans and families of veterans with the individual supports in their local area. The Agency has a particular focus on at-risk veterans, especially those who are transitioning out of full-time ADF service and into civilian life, which we know can be a challenging time for many. The Agency’s role is to ensure there’s no gap in support for transitioning veterans between what Defence provides and what DVA offers.
Whether it’s help with health, housing, employment, education or even community connection, I encourage you to make use of the Agency’s website at www.veteranwellbeing.gov.au.
If your needs are more complex or you simply need to talk to a real person, you can call the new helpline on 1800 823 922, Monday to Friday between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm.
You can read more about the Wellbeing Agency in this edition of Vetaffairs.
