Advocacy
The national voice for war widows and veteran families
Service shapes the whole family. We turn the lived experience of war widows, defence and veteran families into evidence, and take that evidence to government to drive lasting change.
28,000+
Living war widows in Australia
580,000+
Australians households include an ADF veteran
80+
years supporting families, since 1946
597
families responded to our 2025 survey
WHY ADVOCACY MATTERS
Behind every veteran there is a family who carries the impact of service.
Veterans have pathways to support, entitlements, and a strong voice in the system. Their families do not. Despite carrying the impacts of defence service, veteran families face unfamiliar systems, limited access to help, and voices that are too easily diluted in a veteran-centric system of care. We exist to change that.
A voice where decisions are made
Veterans have pathways to support, entitlements, and a strong voice in the system. Their families do not. Despite carrying the impacts of defence service, veteran families face unfamiliar systems, limited access to help, and voices that are too easily diluted in a veteran-centric system of care. We exist to change that.
Evidence that cannot be ignored
Our 2025 Veteran Families Survey gives Australia its first clear picture of how defence service uniquely affects families, and a firm base for reform.
THE EVIDENCE · 2025 VETERAN FAMILIES SURVEY
The data behind the need
Conducted independently by YouGov, our survey drew on 597 veteran family members, including war widows. The findings show challenges that consistently outpace those of the wider Australian community.
52 %
experienced mental health challenges in the past year — over twice the national rate.
34 %
faced unemployment or underemployment — more than three times the national figure.
45 %
had difficulty accessing general healthcare services such as GPs, specialists, and hospitals.
70 %
of children in veteran family households experienced personal or emotional challenges.
Source: 2025 Veteran Families Survey, conducted by YouGov on behalf of the Families of Veterans Guild. Sample of 597 Australian adults who are family members of someone who has served or is serving in the ADF. Margin of error +/- 3.9% at the 95% confidence level.
THE AWARENESS-TO-ACCESS GAP
Knowing help exists is not the same as getting it
Families often know that services exist, yet still cannot reach the support they need. Closing this gap is at the heart of why we advocate.
Awareness is high. Access is not.
Awareness of major organisations is relatively high — the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (67%), RSL (53%), and Legacy (50%). Yet usage is significantly lower, and this awareness-to-access gap is consistent across the sector. Family-focused and newer services remain less recognised and under-utilised.
While the most common reason families gave for not using a service was a perceived lack of need, a significant proportion reported real barriers: they weren’t aware of suitable services, weren’t eligible for what they needed, or found services too hard to access. These obstacles are particularly acute for family-focused services.
Among families who did not access support services. The most common reason given was a perceived lack of need (66%). Source: 2025 Veteran Families Survey. Bridging the gap between knowing about and using services requires targeted communication, simplified processes, and a focus on the unique needs of different veteran family cohorts.
WHAT WE DO
Policy and system advocacy,
not claims advocacy
Advocacy is at the core of our work. We work to influence the systems, policy, and legislation that affect war widows and veteran families — we do not represent individuals in compensation claims. Our advocacy is deliberate, structured, and grounded in evidence and lived experience, ensuring veteran families are recognised in policy, reflected in legislation, and supported in practice.
Our focus
Improving the conditions, recognition, and support available to war widows and veteran families. Recent work includes:
- Fairer access to concessions for war widows, including removing income and assets testing for council rate concessions in NSW.
- Contributing evidence to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
- Ensuring families are recognised in the design of the Defence and Veteran Services Commission.
- Improving access to mental health and crisis support for families.
Our role
We are stepping into a national advocacy role, expanding from state-based work to coordinated national representation.
- Representing families in government and DVA forums.
- Developing policy briefs and submissions.
- Leading a national advocacy agenda.
- Keeping families visible in policy and funding decisions.
Our approach
Deliberate, structured, and built on what families tell us.
- Positions built on research, data, consultation, and lived experience.
- A structured process to capture issues, identify patterns, and develop case studies.
- Independent and non-political, focused on system reform.
- Outcomes tracked and measured over time.
How we work
We combine approaches to influence real change.
- Direct engagement with government through submissions, meetings, and consultations.
- Campaigns that mobilise members and build public awareness.
- Member and community voice informing our priorities.
- Partnerships across the sector for a coordinated national voice.
FROM OUR CEO
“For the first time in Australia, we have a picture of how defence service uniquely impacts veteran families. It is now our collective responsibility to listen, learn, and act.”
Renee Wilson, CEO, Families of Veterans Guild
GET INVOLVED
Ways to stand with veteran families
Share your experience
Lived experiences drive our advocacy work, and we are always interested to hear more. Sharing your story helps make sure war widows and veteran families are recognised in policy, reflected in legislation, and supported in practice.
Support our work
Your support helps us turn what families experience into evidence, and take that evidence to government. With your support we can push for change that delivers fairness, dignity, and practical outcomes for veteran families.
Frequently asked questions
How do we approach advocacy, and what makes us different?
Our advocacy focuses on policy and system reform — not claims advocacy. We represent war widows and veteran families in government and Department of Veterans’ Affairs forums, develop policy briefs and submissions, and lead a national advocacy agenda so families remain visible in policy and funding decisions.
Who does the Guild advocate for?
We advocate for all families of veterans — spouses, partners, parents, siblings, children, and carers — including war widows, across every stage of defence service, transition, and life after service.
How do we define a “veteran”?
How do we define “family”?
This includes partners, former partners, parents, siblings, children and extended family, including step and adoptive relationships.
How do you know the number of living war widows in Australia?
As of December 2025, DVA reports 28,698 war widows across Australia. These figures count people who are both entitled to, and actively receiving, a war widow pension at the time the data is recorded.
This provides the most reliable national estimate of how many war widows are currently living in Australia.
How many Australians are veteran families?
There is no single dataset that captures all veteran families in Australia.The most reliable national indicator comes from the 2021 Census, which shows that 581,139 Australians have served or are currently serving in the Australian Defence Force. Each of these individuals is part of a broader family network, including partners, children, parents and extended family.
Based on this, we estimate there are around 581,000 veteran families across Australia.
This figure reflects the number of veterans and the families connected to them, rather than household counts, and provides the clearest national picture available.