MATTERS OF URGENCY

Senator GHOSH (Western Australia) (16:21): Veterans and veterans' health care are incredibly important to the Albanese government. They're incredibly important to the minister, and I'm sure they're incredibly important to everybody in this chamber. Our veterans deserve deep respect.

The respect, debt of gratitude and support that we owe Australian soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen does not end when they take off their uniforms. Anyone who signs up to serve in the military should be confident that they will be well supported not only in their career but also after their service ends. We have an example this week where we're acknowledging that Australia didn't do this as well as it could have done for Vietnam War veterans, because this week, right across the country, we are commemorating Vietnam Veterans' Day.

We remember those who were killed and say thank you to the almost 60,000 Australians who served during our involvement in the Vietnam War. We acknowledge and remember the more than 3,000 who were wounded and the 523 who were killed. Many of them did not get a choice as a result of the conscription policy and many were not recognised properly upon their return.

It is a stain that still sits on this country's history. Across all services, it's estimated that there are currently around 640,000 people or more who have served in the Australian Defence Force in Australia today. That is 640,000 individual stories of service and of men and women across this country who have made sacrifices, including some in this chamber.

I do want to acknowledge and applaud Senator Lambie for her courage in speaking openly not only today but on many occasions about her own experiences in the Australian Defence Force and some of the struggles afterwards with health and support. I also acknowledge Senator McLachlan and all the other senators and members of the House of Representatives who have served in our armed forces.

I also acknowledge that, for a long time, many women who have served haven't been properly acknowledged, and they deserve our respect as well. We need to rectify some of the gender issues that still exist within our armed forces. If I could speak to the rub of this motion for a moment, Minister Keogh has acknowledged that his initial decision not to meet with the groups of veterans, when the request initially came in, was wrong.

He corrected that in that he met with that group and listened to their concerns. Minister Keogh is committed to treating veterans with care and respect. That's reflected in his record in this portfolio.

He has been dedicated in his efforts to improve the system. When you look at the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veterans Suicide and the findings that were handed down, they were, in places, utterly damning. It was a system criticised for complexity, delay and a claims process that too often retraumatised the people who it was intended to serve.

There are a lot of people who were responsible for that over the years, because, when you look at what was actually in that royal commission report, you see that this wasn't a problem that arose overnight. It arose over a very long period of time. Since taking government in 2022, the Albanese government and Minister Keogh, who's been the veterans' affairs minister since 2022, have worked incredibly hard to improve the Department of Veterans' Affairs, to improve its funding and to ensure that it is properly staffed.

That's been reflected across budgetary decisions, but it's also been reflected across the way in which backlogs of claims have been cleared. It's been reflected in changes in the way we process claims in order, as I said earlier, not to retraumatise veterans. That's a result that speaks to substance.

There are also structural problems that have been addressed by the minister and this government, including simplifying veterans entitlements legislation and trying to improve integrity within the system. The changes that came into effect on 1 July this year to simplify the veterans compensation scheme will make it easier for veterans and their families to understand what they're entitled to and shorten the timeframe that it takes for them to get it.

Those changes included the creation of the new Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency, one of the key recommendations that emerged from the royal commission that has now been implemented. The Albanese government and Minister Keogh are committed to supporting those who sacrificed their time and their mental and physical health for their country. Those people deserve our respect.

They deserve our gratitude and they deserve our ongoing support. But I don't support this motion from the coalition because I think the focus should be on working together to improve the lives of those who've put on a uniform for this country, and that goes to the substance of the policies and the support we actually give them. I think that when you look at the record—when you look at what's actually been done across four years and not just the attempt to make an attack here today—you'll see a government that's deeply committed to trying to improve the experience of veterans when they take off their uniform, and it will continue to be committed throughout the term of this government.