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The federal Labor opposition has pledged over half a billion dollars to streamline access to veteran support services.
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Labor leader Anthony Albanese has pledged to invest $519.2 million to improve the delivery of veteran support services if elected to government.
The plan aims to “repair” what Albanese has described as a “decade of damage and neglect”.
Initiatives include:
- cutting waiting times by investing $226.3 million in 500 additional staff at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA);
- investing $42.9 million in the establishment of 10 new Veteran Wellbeing Centres;
- committing $60.1 million for the Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme;
- providing $97.8 million to increase the annual rate for the Totally and Permanently Incapacitated Veterans Pension (TPI) by $1,000 for disabled veterans;
- investing $24 million for the development of a Veteran Employment Program aimed at educating businesses about the benefits of employing a veteran; and
- devising a Defence and Veteran Family Support Strategy to design better posting cycles, housing solutions and transition services.
This new plan is expected to build on $30 million previously earmarked for emergency housing for veterans experiencing homelessness, and $38.1 million for veteran-led disaster response organisation Disaster Relief Australia.
“The crisis in Veterans’ Affairs is a national disgrace,” Albanese commented.
“For so many of our veterans, the war does not end when they leave the battlefield. Just as they stepped up for us, we must step up for them.”
Shadow defence minister Brendan O’Connor noted the importance of extending ongoing support to the veteran community.
“They need to know that the respect and support they get during their service years doesn’t disappear the moment they transition to civilian life,” he said.
“Labor’s comprehensive package will allow our serving men and women today to focus on their jobs today knowing they don’t have to worry about tomorrow.”
Labor’s announcement came just days after Prime Minister Scott Morrison unveiled a $70 million investment in the development of 14 new Veteran Wellbeing Centres in NSW, Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland, and the ACT.
The centres would be designed to support veterans, defence personnel and their families by serving as a “one-stop-shop”, streamlining access to support services, with a focus on health and wellbeing.
The initiative is expected to foster collaboration between ex-service and community organisations, which could be granted up to $5 million to establish Veteran Wellbeing Centres.
[Related: Government boosts investment in veteran support services ]
