STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Mr McCORMACK (Riverina) (13:55): Today is Vietnam Veterans' Day. On this day 60 years ago, in a rubber plantation at Phuoc Tuy province in South Vietnam, 108 of our bravest diggers, showing the spirit of the Anzac—showing that great pride, that long line of khaki which stretches from Gallipoli to right now—took on somewhere in the order of 2½ thousand enemy. Eighteen of them fell with their faces to the foe.

Our Australians were led by the late, great Harry Smith. You wouldn't think that the greatest battles in front of our veterans would be after they gave up their military uniform and after they re-entered civilian life, yet, sadly, in 2026 this is the case. What the government can do to rectify this is take away the shame— Ms Catherine King interjecting— Mr McCORMACK: There's no need to interject, Minister, when I am speaking about our veterans.

Seriously! Our veterans deserve better from this government. But that is typical of this government, which has put an allied health cap on our veterans of $5,000, which doesn't enable our veterans to get the care they need—the psychological help, the physical help.

It's on Labor's head that this is the case, and it should be rectified. It should be taken away, and Labor should do the right thing.