Media release – 18 February 2025
We commend the Government and Minister for Veterans, the Hon Matt Keogh for driving the Veterans’ Entitlements, Treatment and Support (VETS) Bill 2024 forward and bringing about long-needed reform that will simplify the legislative framework for 581,000 Australian veterans.
The Families of Veterans Guild views the harmonisation of the different pieces of legislation that govern veteran entitlements as a positive first step. However, it is important to note that this legislation does not change the model of care offered to veteran families, it still uses the 100-year-old model which presumes families do not need help and support until a veteran passes away. The evolving needs of veterans and their families, exacerbated by ongoing conflicts, highlight the inadequacy of waiting for crises before offering support. Veterans are living longer and more complex lives, they are now surviving their service and injuries that in the early- mid 1900’s they wouldn’t have, necessitating earlier intervention and support for families. The challenges related to caring for and supporting a veteran during, post and beyond their service are now very visible.
We now need to take the next steps and start including families in the legislative framework that governs support and entitlements. Legislative language needs to be modernised. Archaic terms like ‘wholly dependent partner’, ‘dependents’ and ‘attendants’ undermines the role of veteran families, perpetuates power dynamics and isn’t consistent with contemporary standards.
We need to revisit statutory time limits on entitlements that disadvantage war widows and veterans, and ensuring veteran families are fully integrated into the scope of the veteran support system.
It is vital that the veteran sector, veterans and their families need to remain appropriately engaged and consulted in the redesign of their system of care.
On the 8th of February 2025, our CEO Renee Wilson put out a statement in response to an amendment to the Bill which sought to make significant structural changes to the sector and its governance without being consulted. The rushed establishment of Defence and Veterans’ Services Commission (‘the Commission’) under the Defence Act 1903 troubled us for many reasons, including a lack of clarity in what was being proposed and its impact.
We raised our concerns, and we here heard: an amendment to the addition of Schedule 9 to the Bill, establishing the commission ensures that this amendment is to be fully consulted before being implemented.
Ultimately, we welcome this historical change to the veteran system but remind Australia, this is the first step in what is a very large body of reform work that needs to take place in our sector. We look forward to continuing to work with Governments, veterans and their families to build a system that genuinely provides the support to veterans and their families .
