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The Victorian veterans’ support group wants the government to act urgently on the implementation of Recommendation 88 of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
Vasey RSL Care has responded to the Australian government’s own response to the findings of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, in particular regarding the commission’s call for a national funding agreement on veterans’ wellbeing.
So far, the government has only noted Recommendation 88, a move that Vasey RSL Care CEO Janna Voloshin said “falls short” of the urgent need to address veteran suicide.
“Recommendation 88 is a call to action, not a suggestion to be shelved,” Voloshin said in a December 2024 statement.
“We call on the government to move decisively from ‘noting’ this recommendation to ‘accepting’ it, and follow up by supporting ex-service organisations like ours, who are doing everything we can with limited resources to help veterans who might otherwise slip through the cracks.
“The government must recognise and support the life-saving work being done by community organisations like ours. We have an evidence-based, operational solution to Recommendation 88 in the V Centre’s Veteran Empowerment Program.”
Vasey RSL Care’s Veteran Empowerment Program is based in Ivanhoe in Victoria and offers a place to live for homeless veterans as well as a wide range of support services.
“We are already making a difference, and we are ready to work with the government to deliver on this important recommendation, but we need them to get behind our program. We have reached out to the government to offer our proven solution as a policy sounding board,” Voloshin said.
“We need action, not just words. Accepting 104 recommendations is a good step forward, but supporting innovative projects that deliver front-line solutions is equally essential to saving the lives of vulnerable veterans.”
Recommendation 88 calls on the government to address veteran homelessness, support those who have been or who are currently incarcerated, assist with the school enrolment process for the children of veterans without a fixed address, and develop veterans’ healthcare support networks.
