Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Veterans' Healthcare Without Caps) Bill 2026
Senator CASH (Western Australia—Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) (09:10): I too rise to speak on the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Veterans' Healthcare Without Caps) Bill 2026. At its heart, this bill is about the principle. When an Australian veteran has an accepted service related injury or disease, access to treatment should be determined by clinical need, not by an arbitrary monetary or numerical cap imposed by the government.
That brings me to what has just occurred, and that is the announcement by the Albanese Labor government that the $5,000 cap on allied health will no longer be proceeded with. Let's just remember, though, how we got to this stage and, in particular, why Senator Lambie has today brought this bill before the Senate. Sadly, this is not because the government listened.
This is because the Australian Senate, the Australian people and veterans across Australia shouted their disgust at what this government had proposed. For over two weeks now in this place, the Australian Senate, the opposition and the crossbenchers—not the government side—have made it clear to the government that we are opposed to this disgraceful treatment of our veterans.
In fact, the Australian Senate—again, not the government senators but the entire opposition and crossbench—united to amend a bill, the Statute Update Bill, to scrap this $5,000 cap. That was last week. On Monday, that bill was presented to the House of Representatives.
Instead of acknowledging the pain and suffering that they had caused our veterans; instead of acknowledging that veterans had travelled to Canberra and had laid down their medals at the front of Parliament House; instead of acknowledging the will of the Australian Senate, on behalf of the veterans of Australia, in saying that this $5,000 cap was nothing more and nothing less than cruel and, what's worse, a budget saving by the Albanese government, who've lost control of spending—do you know what the Prime Minister and the Minister for Veterans' Affairs did?
They said, 'We'll deal with it at another time.' Instead of owning their mistake—we'll go through the number of mistakes that this government has had to own when it comes to our veterans—they didn't have the guts to deal with it there and then. They didn't have the guts to deal with the fact that the Australian Senate—again, not the Labor senators; they'll go down, don't worry; it's recorded in Hansard where their vote went—the entire opposition and crossbench, united to say this is wrong.
We amended legislation and sent it to the House. The government didn't have the guts to deal with it. Then the government today—not because they listened, but because of the political pressure that has been put on the Minister for Veterans' Affairs yet again—has had to stand up and say they won't proceed with the $5,000 cap.
But, as with anything that this government does, I suggest you listen to the announcement and then you read the press release because, whilst they may not be proceeding with their cruel $5,000 cap on our veterans' allied health, the press release makes pretty clear they've still got to look for savings. What a total joke. So this government hasn't actually made a considered policy choice today.
It's backflipped because the Australian people yet again united against Mr Albanese and Mr Keogh. They stood up and they said, 'We have had enough,' on behalf of the veterans of Australia. The veterans stood up.
Let's not forget how Minister Keogh treated them when they came to parliament. He didn't want to meet with them. He was then forced to meet with them.
When they arrived at his office, he didn't shake their hands. The minister for veterans didn't shake the hands of men and women who have actually fought for this country, men and women who protect our freedoms on a daily basis. He didn't want to shake their hands.
It's been reported by veterans that he rolled his eyes at them. What's worse is he crossed his arms and then said: 'I could have been down at drinks with the blasted Governor-General.' You've got to be kidding me. That's how the Minister for Veterans' Affairs treats our veterans.
The veterans stood up. Their families stood up. The Australian people stood up.
Veteran advocates stood up. Allied health professionals stood up. The Australian Senate—minus, of course, the Labor senators, and, as I said, don't worry; you can make as many excuses as you like today but your vote is there on the Hansard record—all stood up.
Australians who simply believe—and this is what this bill that Senator Lambie has brought before the Senate does today—that the men and women of our country who served our country deserve better stood up. Today we've seen the end result of what happens, Australia, when you stand up and you speak with one voice against the government. The government hasn't made a considered policy decision, sadly, but it has been forced to backflip.
The message I think that all of us here today have for the government is: 'Don't think you're getting off the hook. There's a bill before the Senate here today that you could support.' What we've just heard from the government is that they won't be supporting it. Why don't you show the veterans here today that you stand with them?
Why don't you support Senator Lambie's bill? You're happy to come here and congratulate Senator Lambie on what she does each and every day for our veterans, but then you won't support her bill. So we put the government on notice that we will watch them in this space, because they have a pattern of behaviour here, sadly, of making decisions that are not in the best interests of veterans and then, because of public pressure, they have to back down.
Look at the pattern. On retrospective honours there was a retreat. There was the Baird family.
I have to say, coming from Western Australia, in particular, where we are the home of the SAS, that decision to take away the funding that was given to Cameron Baird's parents so that they could travel around our great country and just remind people of what our veterans do and why people like their son are actually awarded the Victoria Cross—a measly few thousand dollars—I will never understand.
I will never understand how the Minister for Veterans' Affairs signs off on a brief that says, 'Take that money away.' On taking money from Invictus Australia they've retreated. On refusing to meet with veterans who came to the parliament they retreated. And now there's the $5,000 allied health cap retreat.
Sadly, as so many now say, the minister for Veterans' Affairs in this country doesn't deserve the privilege of being this minister. It doesn't really matter what he says today or what the Prime Minister says today because of their actions and the pattern of behaviour that they have indulged in since they have been in government, taking decisions that are actually not in the best interests of our veterans.
We'll remind the Australian people of them each and every day—don't worry about that—because they know that you are not dinkum when you stand up today and you say that you're backflipping on the $5,000 allied health cap. Let's see what else you do to your veterans, and we will hold you to account. The Senate spoke, the veterans spoke, the Australian people spoke.
We have Senator Lambie's bill that is currently before the Senate. As I said, it's a very simple proposition in terms of what it actually does. We should never forget why we are today in the position that we are (a) as a Senate debating this bill but (b) listening to the minister make the backflip.
Veterans fought, families fought, Australians fought, and the Australian Senate minus every one of those Labor senators fought. They stood up and they said: 'We're going to hold you to account, Mr Albanese. We're going to hold you to account, Minister Keogh, for your disgraceful behaviour when it comes to the veterans of Australia.' Our veterans fought for Australia.
They should not have to keep fighting their own government. They deserve better, and I commend Senator Lambie for bringing this bill before the Senate today.