From the Department
Alison Frame
Secretary, Department of Veterans’ Affairs
DVA is continuing to take meaningful steps in strengthening how we support the veteran community while responding to the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
One year on from the Government’s response to the Royal Commission’s Final Report, the Minister recently outlined the significant progress that has been made not only within DVA and Defence but across government in implementing the recommendations.
By the end of December, 32 recommendations will have been implemented, with a further 89 recommendations in progress or under consideration.
One exciting initiative starting on 1 July 2026 will be the new agency focused on veteran and family wellbeing. The Government is providing $78 million over 4 years to establish the agency, which will focus on the overall wellbeing of veterans and families, while providing wrap around support for at-risk veterans as they transition out of the ADF.
During the co-design work in which many from the veteran community participated, we heard that transition is not a single event where a person moves from military to civilian life, but an ongoing journey of change that unfolds over time. The agency will strengthen access to supports across the country – working with the Veteran Access Network, Open Arms and the Veterans’ and Families’ Hub network. It will also have a remit for complex case management, wellbeing service coordination, referral concierge and a hotline. (More about the new agency is on page 5 of this edition of Vetaffairs.)
From 1 July 2026, Government funding will be available for veteran specific mental health care plans to support GPs and psychiatrists providing proactive, continuous and connected care for veterans experiencing mental health conditions.
The emphasis on wellbeing and up-front prevention and treatment means that veterans can have conditions treated before they become chronic.
Overseeing this emerging ecosystem is the new Defence and Veterans’ Services Commission – an independent, statutory entity dedicated to veteran welfare. DVA is already working with the new Commission to play our part in fulfilling the role intended for it by the Royal Commission. (See page 5 for more information.)
We recently released DVA’s Suicide Prevention Framework. There is nothing more important than supporting the wellbeing of those in our community. I was powerfully reminded of this at a Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors workshop earlier this year, where DVA was presented with a quilt ‘stitched with love and hope, by and for families who live with loss’.
The new Suicide Prevention Framework recognises that suicide is complex, with many contributing factors, and reflects the unique challenges faced by serving and ex-serving ADF members and those who support them. It acts as a collaborative roadmap for government, service providers, communities and individuals. (You can read more on page 5.) As the Director of the National Suicide Prevention Office pointed out, DVA is the first Commonwealth Government department or agency to develop a dedicated suicide prevention plan following the release of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.
Our work in the advocacy space also continues at pace to ensure that veterans and their families have access to free, professional advocacy services. The integrity of the veteran support system is paramount and we are determined to eliminate exploitative and irregular business practices, especially by commissions-based advocates and their associated entities.
The Government has announced it will provide funding to the new Institute of Veterans’ Advocacy to act as the professional association for veteran advocates to ensure more advocates are appropriately trained, qualified and required to comply with ethics and conduct rules. It is also more than doubling funding to the Building Excellence in Support and Training (BEST) grants program to enable more advocates to deliver services that will be free for veterans and give organisations greater funding certainty.
As you’re aware, new laws that govern the veteran support system come into effect on 1 July next year. The Department has been busy preparing for the start of the Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Act 2025, with a plethora of information and support being made available to all who intend to lodge a claim after this date. (You can read more on page 7.)
A new Claims Lodgement Assistant (CLA) program is already connecting veterans with specially trained DVA staff who sit alongside ESO advocates to provide personalised guidance throughout the claims process. This initiative will be further expanded in 2026.
Remembrance Day commemorations this year were made more memorable by a visit of Her Royal Highness, Princess Anne. In the days prior, DVA’s Office of Australian War Graves hosted a Service of Remembrance at the Sydney War Cemetery, where the Princess Royal laid a wreath and visited the graves of veterans. The Princess Royal is the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals and was also in Australia to mark the Centenary of the Corps.
Earlier this year, the Princess Royal was also a guest at our Anzac Day services in Gallipoli. For the first time, veterans and family members of veterans travelled with our DVA delivery support teams in 2025 to assist with Anzac Day services in Türkiye, France, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. This was a resounding success and we are increasing the number of volunteers participating next year, having received more than 850 applications from the veteran community expressing interest in joining our teams.
Finally, the festive season is a time of joy, but can bring mixed emotions for families, depending on your personal circumstances. Remember to reach out if you need to: The Open Arms phone line is available around the clock. There is military-aware mental health support available for veterans and their immediate families, day and night, 365 days a year, on 1800 011 046.
I wish everyone a merry and peaceful Christmas, and I look forward to the new year, as we work together to create a stronger and healthier veteran community.
