CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Ms WATSON-BROWN (Ryan) (10:30): I table petition EM10124, 'Reject the $5,000 DVA allied health cap, uphold the veterans' covenant'. The petition has been considered by the Standing Committee on Petitions and found to be in order. More than 5,000 people signed this petition—these are veterans, family members of veterans, widows, dependants and people in our community who understand the true cost of serving.
They've signed this petition because they know what these allied health caps really mean: more bureaucratic process, potentially longer wait times, and more frustration with a Department of Veterans' Affairs system that is overloaded and unprepared for these changes. Veterans rely on allied health services like physiotherapy, psychology and occupational therapy to live a decent life despite service caused injuries.
I've heard from a large number of veterans from my electorate about how essential the allied health is for their wellbeing. I've also heard how frustrated they are with the unwieldy and difficult current system, where every claim feels like another battle for them. Based on current fees, $5,000 falls well short of the essential clinical needs of many veterans.
For some, $5,000 won't last more than a few months. This cap ignores the 2019 veterans' covenant, where parliament undertook to support all veterans as respected and valued members of the community. It also ignores the Royal Commission into Defence and Veterans Suicide, which identified financial and administrative barriers to care as major drivers of harm.
Veterans in my electorate and across Australia are extremely concerned about the cap, and rightly so. I've heard that for many under these changes they'll be worse off than before the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. Frankly, from my discussions with veterans, it's clear that there is no trust in the DVA and no trust that the government has their best interests in mind—a pretty fair assessment if you look at the way DVA operates and the findings of the royal commission.
Announcing a cap without consulting veterans first or publishing specifics of how discretionary expansions work does little to rebuild that trust. These are people who have given so much at great personal cost. They deserve better than these careless cost-saving measures by the government.
That's why I'm so proud to support this petition. It was started by Rebecca, a local veteran and former Air Force medic. Rebecca is a staunch advocate for her community and for a better, fairer world.
This petition asks the House to reject the cap or, at minimum, exempt gold cardholders and legislate a detailed clinical need override and defer the measure until these protections are in place. The petition read as follows— The 2026-27 Federal Budget imposes a $5,000 annual cap on Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) funded allied health services—including physiotherapy, psychology, occupational therapy, exercise physiology, podiatry and dietetics—commencing 1 July 2027.
The cap applies to all Veteran Card holders under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004, the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence related Claims) Act 1988 and the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, including Gold Card holders, war widows and dependants. Veterans rely on multidisciplinary allied health for service-caused injuries. At current DVA fee schedules, $5,000 is exhausted by approximately twenty psychology sessions, or fifty physiotherapy sessions—well short of the clinical need of veterans with multiple accepted conditions typical of long service.
The cap contradicts the Australian Defence Veterans' Covenant, enacted in 2019, by which the Parliament undertook to support all veterans as respected and valued members of the community. It is inconsistent with the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, which identified financial and administrative barriers to care as drivers of poor outcomes. AIHW data shows the suicide rate for ex-serving Australian males remains substantially elevated compared to the general population.
We therefore ask the House to : (a) reject the $5,000 annual allied health cap for DVA card holders; (b) at minimum, exempt Gold Card holders and legislate a statutory clinical-need override with published criteria, mandated decision timeframes and merits review by the Veterans' Review Board; and (c) defer commencement of the measure until these protections are legislated and operational. from 5,751 citizens (Petition No.
EN10124) Petition received.