MOTIONS

Mr McCORMACK (Riverina) (11:06): I move: That this House: (1) notes: (a) the Government's proposal to introduce a $5,000 annual cap on allied health services for veterans, which has caused significant concern amongst veterans, allied health providers and veteran advocates across Australia; and (b) that on 8 September 2026, the Senate passed amendments and resolutions opposing the Government's proposed $5,000 allied health cap and calling for veterans' healthcare to be determined by clinical need rather than budgetary considerations, with Government members voting against those measures, both in the Senate and the House of Representatives; (2) recognises many veterans rely on allied health services, including physiotherapy, exercise physiology, occupational therapy, podiatry, chiropractic services, psychology and other treatments, to manage service-related physical and mental health conditions; (3) acknowledges veterans have expressed concerns that the proposed cap may lead to reduced access to essential healthcare, increased out-of-pocket expenses and poorer health outcomes; (4) further notes: (a) that RSL Australia, based on data from the Department of Veterans' Affairs, estimates approximately 25,000 veterans spend an average of $9,700 per year, well above the proposed $5,000 annual cap; (b) the Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs has undertaken a national listening tour to meet directly with veterans, ex-service organisations, healthcare providers and community groups, from every state and territory, to hear firsthand their views on the proposed changes; and (c) that participants in these forums and meetings have unanimously called for greater consultation, transparency and engagement before any changes to veteran healthcare arrangements are implemented; (5) further recognises the contribution and sacrifice of Australia's veterans and their families, and the nation's obligation to ensure they receive the healthcare support they have earned through their service; (6) calls on the Government to: (a) suspend the proposed allied health cap until meaningful consultation has occurred with the veteran community; (b) publicly release the evidence and modelling underpinning the proposal; (c) listen to the concerns raised by veterans and healthcare professionals; and (d) guarantee no veteran will be worse off as a result of changes to allied health arrangements; and (7) notes that if the phrase 'for what they have done, this we will do', the concluding line of the Australian Defence Veterans' Covenant Oath, is to mean anything, the cap must be scrapped.

Since this notice of motion was submitted, the government has backflipped, but the elements of this private members' motion and the circumstances around it are still very relevant to this parliament and specifically to our veterans, who number more than half a million across the nation and who have families who are still worried. Yes, the insidious $5,000 allied health cap which was placed during the budget on our veterans has been apparently scrapped, but what will replace it?

What will this government do as far as that situation is concerned for our veterans who put on a uniform and went to serve our nation to protect our people? At the bottom of the white and gold card our veterans carry is the phrase 'for what they have done, this we will do'. It's also the concluding line of the Australian Defence Veterans' Covenant Oath.

If this means anything, then the government must come clean on what it is proposing to do for allied health for our veterans. The minister unfortunately has form in this regard. You only have to look at the funding for the Invictus Games, where $3 million has been backflipped upon.

Doug and Kaye Baird's travel entitlements to go around to RSLs and schools to talk about the legacy of their fine son who was posthumously awarded a Victoria Cross, Corporal Cameron Baird VC, MG—again another backflip. For the time limitation placed on medallic recognition—again another backflip, and, for the allied health cap, there's another backflip. Only late last week we saw that Rifle Company Butterworth's veterans were coming to this place to rally outside this Wednesday, and after years of procrastination the government again backflipped.

They've changed the service classification. The next backflip that must occur is with the sell-off, the fire sale, of defence assets. Yesterday, at both HMAS Penguin in Mosman and Victoria Barracks in Paddington, in Sydney, there were more than a thousand people rallying to tell this government no.

Why would the government want to sell off these heritage sites, these important sites? Rest assured that their value as a strategic asset for defence may well come into play. I hope it does not, but they're still used by cadets, they're still used by reservists and they're still very much needed for our defence of this nation.

The figure $44,294,000 should strike fear amongst our veterans. Yesterday many, many people gathered at the Australian War Memorial. It was a fantastic commemoration for 25 years since we sent troops to war in Afghanistan.

That is our longest ever conflict that this nation has participated in: 2001 to 2021. Those veterans there at that service at that sacred place were there with pride. They were there, some with tears in their eyes.

And there were families there at last night's last post remembering the 47 whose names are on the roll of honour at the Australian War Memorial because they lost their lives in the service of our nation during the Afghanistan conflict and since. Yet that figure I mentioned, more than $44 million, is going to the Office of the Special Investigator in the 2026-27 budget to investigate Afghanistan veterans' conduct in that conflict.

This is an unnecessary witch-hunt. That money could be far better used for the service, the health, the mental health and the physical help of our veterans, yet this government is overseeing a witch-hunt against our Afghanistan veterans. If their service in Afghanistan means anything, then we should make sure we say, 'Lest we forget,' but we shouldn't go on a nationwide, special investigation witch-hunt of our brave and courageous veterans who went and did what this nation and this parliament asked of them.