The Defence and Veteran Family Wellbeing Strategy 2025-2030 has been developed to recognise the pivotal role families play in supporting current and former serving Australian Defence Force members. 

The Department of Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs worked closely together to develop the Strategy and First Action Plan. This coordinated approach ensures that the impacts of service and related life events on families are managed, both during and after service, with appropriate fit-for-purpose policies, programs and support – now and in the future.

Over the next 5 years, this Strategy will guide how the Department of Defence (Defence) and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) provide targeted support to Defence and veteran families. 

The Strategy outlines how families will be supported, reaffirms a commitment to understanding their needs, and prioritises stronger engagement and ongoing support to enhance their wellbeing.

The First Action Plan outlines the actions that Defence and DVA will initially take to achieve the Strategy’s objectives. Defence and DVA will update the Action Plan as actions progress, with the most current version available here.

The Australian Gulf War Veterans’ Health Study was the first comprehensive health study of a group of Australian War veterans involved in a single theatre of war.

It was conducted by a collaborative medical research team from the Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine at Monash University, Health Services Australia Ltd, the University of Western Australia, and The Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health at the University of Melbourne.

As part of the Australian Gulf War Veterans' Health Study (published in 2003), serum samples were collected from consenting participants, for long-term storage and future potential research. In 2005, a Serum Management Committee (the Committee) was established to provide oversight of the stored samples.

The Australian Gulf War Veterans’ Follow Up Health Study 2015 (Follow Up Study) is a follow up to the original Australian Gulf War Veterans’ Health Study 2003 (the 2003 study), also commissioned by DVA, to assess Gulf War veterans’ health and wellbeing 20 years after deployment.

The Follow Up Study is a longitudinal cohort study conducted from 2010 to 2015.  It compares the physical, psychological and social health and military related exposures of Australian Defence Force veterans of the First Gulf War against a military comparison group and the 2003 study.  A mortality and cancer study component of the Follow Up Study involved the entire Gulf War and military comparison groups, comprising a total of 4,793 people.

At follow up Gulf War veterans were found to be resilient. They were likely to have accessed disability and health services, which may suggest that the Gulf War cohort is seeking help when they need it.  At follow up there was a reduction in smoking, with one half of those who reported being a smoker in the 2003 study no longer smoking.

The Follow Up Study found Gulf War veteran participants were more likely than the military comparison group to suffer from a number of conditions, including posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol disorder, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome and chronic multisymptom illness.

There were no statistically significant differences in cancer and mortality rates between Gulf War veterans and the military comparison group.

As part of the Australian Gulf War Veterans' Health Study (published in 2003), serum samples were collected from consenting participants, for long-term storage and future potential research. In 2005, a Serum Management Committee (the Committee) was established to provide oversight of the stored samples.

DVA commissioned Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation (GMRF) to undertake a rolling Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) of emerging and adjunct treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and common mental health conditions affecting veterans. The emerging treatments were psychedelic interventions (i.e., ketamine; methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA; lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD; psilocybin; and dimethyltryptamine, DMT, including ayahuasca), medicinal cannabis, d-cycloserine (DCS), stellate ganglion block (SGB), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS, including theta burst stimulation, TBS). The initial REA was delivered in a tranche of seven individual reports in 2022. Four update reports were contracted at 6-monthly intervals to incorporate the most up-to-date information from newly published studies. The goal of the REA was to provide an evidence base to develop a flexible, yet robust, decision-making process that allows DVA to assess emerging treatments for veterans who have not responded to evidence-based treatments.

DVA commissioned Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation (GMRF) to undertake a rolling Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) of emerging and adjunct treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and common mental health conditions affecting veterans. The emerging treatments were psychedelic interventions (i.e., ketamine; methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA; lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD; psilocybin; and dimethyltryptamine, DMT, including ayahuasca), medicinal cannabis, d-cycloserine (DCS), stellate ganglion block (SGB), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS, including theta burst stimulation, TBS). The initial REA was delivered in a tranche of seven individual reports in 2022. Four update reports were contracted at 6-monthly intervals to incorporate the most up-to-date information from newly published studies. The goal of the REA was to provide an evidence base to develop a flexible, yet robust, decision-making process that allows DVA to assess emerging treatments for veterans who have not responded to evidence-based treatments.

The Department of Veterans' Affairs commissioned Ernst & Young to conduct a review of better practice approaches in the evaluation of health and wellbeing programs. The aim of the review was to provide recommendations regarding the existing types of evaluation occurring within health programs across Australia (e.g. process, impact, economic/value for money, fidelity, outcome), including the appropriate use of each type of evaluation. These recommendations help inform how the department can plan for and carry out evaluations to support the wellbeing of veterans and families.

The Department of Veterans' Affairs commissioned the University of Newcastle via its College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing – Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research, to conduct a Horizon Scan of mental health and wellbeing service delivery, with a specific focus on veterans and families. The objective of the Horizon Scan was to identify trends, threats, opportunities, drivers of change and alternative approaches for the department's Mental Health and Wellbeing Services Division (MHWSD) and the broader mental health, wellbeing and veteran and family support sectors, in order to inform the work of the MHWSD Service Review and Transformation Program.

The Horizon Scan was conducted between April and November 2022, and included consultation with representatives from the veteran community (including families), veteran support organisations, academia, government, and professional experts and organisations.

The Department of Veterans' Affairs commissioned the University of Sydney to identify the client and service factors associated with the Community Nursing program achieving its primary aim of enabling veterans to stay at home as long as possible, avoiding early admission to hospital or residential care. The research purpose was to use the findings to strengthen the program by informing potential program improvements.

Read more about community nursing services and providers.

The focus of this review is the comparison of veteran rehabilitation offerings of the Five Eyes countries to understand where Australia's offerings sit in terms of focus, scope of services and eligibility in relation to comparable schemes.

Self-managing physical activity can be challenging and programs that help DVA clients to manage their own physical activity regimes are needed. This project developed and trialled a new physical activity support program for DVA clients called Active Choices