From the Minister

The Hon Matt Keogh MP
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel

The wellbeing of our serving Defence personnel, veterans and families is my key priority. 

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide made clear sig­nificant change needed to be made in order to reduce the rates of deaths by suicide in our veteran community. 

Twelve months on from the Royal Commission we have not deviated from our goal of implementing the recommendations of the Final Report as swiftly as possible. 

As you’re aware, the Government agreed or agreed in-principle to the overwhelming majority of the rec­ommendations and an enormous amount of progress has already been made to implement these and progress many more that were noted for further work. 

The Royal Commission said that its most important recom­mendation was the creation of a legislated, independent oversight body to oversee sustained reform to improve suicide prevention and wellbeing outcomes for serving and ex-serving ADF members. We have implemented this by creating the new Defence and Veterans’ Services Commission, which began operat­ing in September. 

The Royal Commission had a particular focus on the wellbeing of Defence personnel, veterans and families – aimed at preventing harm and supporting early intervention. 

That’s meant improvements to how we support people in service and following – be that through enhanced suicide awareness training in the ADF, the develop­ment of a new agency for veteran and family wellbeing, or through a renewed focus on effective treat­ment and rehabilitation for veterans. 

I’m proud that in my time as the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs we’ve got on top of the backlog of initial lia­bility claims and have been working to speed up overall claims process­ing, but that’s not the end game. 

I’m so excited to be seeing the shift within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs – indeed across the whole vet­eran eco-system – to a more holistic, wellbeing approach, with funding now enabling social wellbeing activ­ities, like arts and sporting activities, as part of a veteran’s rehabilitation. 

By engaging in creative or sport­ing activities with each other, veterans often find they’re better able to express emotions and expe­riences that may be difficult to put into words, develop new coping and stress management techniques and, importantly, help them connect with others. 

We are also continuing to roll out Veterans’ and Families’ Hubs and new veteran housing and homeless­ness support. 

The focus is no longer just about paying compensation, as important as this remains, rather it’s about taking a more holistic approach to supporting the wellbeing of a vet­eran or a veteran family. 

We’re moving to a treatment first approach. That means getting in early with prevention, treatment and rehabilitation to help a veteran improve their health and wellbeing, rather than waiting for a condition to become worse, with all the nega­tive lifestyle impacts that entails. 

Through our new agency for vet­eran and family wellbeing there will be a renewed focus on successful transition from military to civilian life, community connection and improving wellbeing outcomes. 

It is also not enough to simply increase the Department’s capabil­ity, we must also secure the integrity of the veteran support system, to ensure veterans and families receive the best possible care from those who have their wellbeing at heart. 

Volunteer veteran advocates have been a core part of Australia’s vet­eran support system for decades, with "mates supporting mates" being a founding principle. The increased commercialisation of this vital sup­port is a recent development and the actions of some operators are a growing concern. We’re also seeing a concerning rise in inappropriate and sometimes illegal profiteer­ing by providers at the detriment of veterans. 

When choosing to use or recom­mend an advocate, veterans and families should know they do not need to pay for something they can and will get for free – and still receive the same outcome. I encourage you to find a qualified free-to-use advocate to support you on DVA’s advocacy register at www.advocateregister.org.au.

Remembrance Day last month was a powerful reminder of the endur­ing cost of war and the immense sacrifice made by those who have given their lives in the service of our nation. As we remember the fallen, we also remain steadfastly focused on the wellbeing of the living. 

Finally, I wish all in the veteran community a safe, peaceful and merry Christmas. Enjoy the holiday season and remember support is always available if you need it.