ADJOURNMENT
Mr ROB MITCHELL (McEwen) (19:54): The Albanese Labor government understands the grave responsibility of respecting and supporting those who serve our nation. We don't wrap ourselves in flags and go out with a bit of faux patriotism. We actually get things done.
We know our veterans put their lives on the line to protect our way of life, and many come home with serious injuries, both seen and unseen. When we came to office, the Department of Veterans' Affairs had been underfunded and underresourced. Almost 42,000 claims sat unresponded to as well.
Veterans were left waiting for too long for the support they deserved. In fact, the previous secretary of DVA, Major General Liz Cosson, said that, under the resourcing of the previous government, the backlog would never be cleared. To compare, in our first three years in government we spent $37.9 billion on veterans compensation and treatment, nearly $7 billion more than in the last three financial years of the coalition.
On 12 May, the Treasurer handed down a budget that builds upon the ongoing and essential support for veterans. We're implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide—a royal commission that many on the other side ducked and weaved and tried to avoid—including, last year, 32 of the recommendations, with two-thirds implemented in total by the end of 2026.
In the 2026 budget alone, more than $770 million was allocated to specifically address the royal commission recommendations. We've improved the claims system. More people have been able to get access to the health care they need.
Sadly, though, there's been a degree of overservicing in the system, where practitioners took advantage of our veterans. This is an unfortunate legacy of the status quo that we inherited in 2022. The previous system constrained access to allied health services, so veterans had to keep going back to GPs every 12 sessions.
A portion of allied health businesses hiked prices, taking advantage of the taxpayer dollar that was put there by all Australians to support veterans. They took that opportunity to increase their profits but not address the clinical needs of the veterans in front of them. There are always going to be a few bad eggs out there, even in health care.
But sadly this behaviour was becoming increasingly widespread, in part because DVA's allied health arrangements were uncapped, which allowed these businesses to claim much more for services that some veterans didn't need. So the government is making an adjustment to a $5,000 amount rather than a visit based calculation. But what seems to have been ignored—and, I would say, almost deliberately—by those on the other side is that that is well above what the vast majority of veterans will ever actually access.
On average, this support will exceed that of the 12-session model under the previous coalition governments. Additionally, let's be really clear, allied health services above $5,000, where needed, where there is a valid clinical reason, will be paid for. Veterans are not going to be left out in the street without the service they need.
Those who need the care will get the care. It is very simple. By removing overservicing, we are restoring integrity to the system.
Importantly, by doing this we increase the fees that will be paid to allied health professionals by $169 million. That means it's easier for veterans to access health care without being taken advantage of. From July 2027, veterans will have improved access to allied health support services including physiotherapy, psychology, occupational therapy, podiatry and more.
Examples of funding increases are that physiotherapy and exercise in physiological standard consultations, which are now $75, will increase to $110; a standard podiatry consultation will increase to $110; and a 50-minute psychology consultation that's currently $160 will increase to $260. This means our veterans can access the support they need. But that's not all.
It's not just about funding better veterans support. We've made once-in-a-century changes to simplify veterans entitlements. From July 2026, all veterans' claims will be assessed under one piece of legislation, making it simpler to use and faster to process.
This was a recommendation of the royal commission, which associated the complexity of the current system with suicidality. The Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency will be up and running next month. This will support veterans and their families as they transition from service.
What's more, it will provide a new focus on wellbeing across the veterans ecosystem. The difference is night and day. The coalition can play grievance politics all they like, but it's disingenuous to the Australian people, most of all to veterans.
Labor is committed to providing the support our veterans need, and it's in the nation's interests. It's our duty and our honour to provide that support. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Georganas ): In accordance with the resolution agreed to on 2 June 2026, the debate is interrupted.