The role of Australian civil society in enabling our military and veterans
Kahlil Fegan

Kahlil Fegan DSC AM 
Repatriation Commissioner
 

For what they have done, this we will do. 

Throughout our nation’s history, the Australian military, as imperfect as it may be, has helped produce wonderful people and valuable citizens who have made an immeasurable contribution to civil society. 

Following their service, some have gone onto become titans of industry – business owners and entrepreneurs, national leaders of not-for-profit, private and public sector organisations, and valuable local community contributors. 

For well over 100 years, our soci­ety has been the beneficiary of the individual and collective achieve­ments of veterans and indeed their families. Our society revels in the freedoms and largess their sacri­fices have helped provide. 

Our society owes our veterans much – for what they have done and what they continue to do. 

Yet despite this, it appears some components of our society have become ambivalent towards the value of service and their role in helping to enable a strong, empow­ered and proud veteran community. 

Australian society has not faced the reality of war on our shores, or even close to home, since the Sec­ond World War. Hence, apart from a couple of nationally significant days, too many now naively and igno­rantly consider all aspects of the provision of enabling support to our military, veterans and their families as government’s problem. 

This abdication of our society’s responsibilities towards helping enable those we depend upon dur­ing times of conflict, leaves us vulnerable and exposed to wolves (see my article in Vetaffairs April 2025). Moreover, by under-investing in our veterans we fail to capitalise on the immense good they can do elsewhere in support of our nation. 

Until mankind evolves to the point it can resolve conflict without vio­lence, we need veterans and resilient families to support them. We need a strong and resilient society, and we can only achieve this when our civil society recognises the value of our veteran community, acts to enable it and demands of government that which only government can do. 

Australian civil society can and must do so much more to be aware and proactive in supporting those that do or have served, and here are a few ideas: 

  • Accept society has a critical role to promote and support our military and veterans. This may include calling for necessary change or improvement. For example, why can’t we recognise the ‘value of service’ by calling for positive discrimination for veterans and their families to help them find purposeful and meaningful employment post service, access to schools and medical support?
  • Recognise that government has limitations as to what it can do. So how can others, such as Defence industry, meaningfully contribute to supporting and enabling the wellbeing of veterans and fami­lies? Hint: hire veterans and their family members and donate much more generously to ex-service organisations!
  • Support ex-service organisations (ESOs). ESOs provide incalcula­ble support to those in need – but they need your help – join, engage, donate and promote (have a morning tea, get a guest speaker, raise some money). Think about what our national organisations like Legacy and the RSL have done for veteran and families in the past and what we may need them to do in the future!
  • ESOs we need you. Don’t let per­sonality get in the way of agency. Seek opportunity to nest with and enable smaller organisations. Demonstrate collaboration and unity of cause.
  • Be proud of our ADF. Although it’s imperfect, it is world class in the quality and capability of its people and absolutely deserving of our respect, admiration and support. This could be as simple as thank­ing an ADF member for their service. Indeed, they deserve it. 

We have a commendable civil society in Australia and it can and has achieved greatness when it desires to do so. This is in no small part due to the sacrifice of our vet­erans and their families. While it is admirable for this society to gal­vanise and commemorate the past, on certain days, it must do more to proactively set the conditions for our safe and prosperous future, through investment in our military, veter­ans and their families. We must lift our game!