A message from our CEO, Renee Wilson.

On Thursday 04 September 2025 The Hon. Matt Keogh MP made this speech to the Parliament, addressing the progress made since the Royal Commission handed over its final report on 4 September 2024.

Minister Keogh used the opportunity to address the Senate Inquiry into the establishment of the Defence and Veteran Services Commission and noted that:

“I want to acknowledge the recent Senate inquiry report into the legislative basis for the commission and thank the senators, for their work, and those that gave evidence. It has always been the government’s view that the commission would be best provided for in its own standalone legislation, something that was not procedurally possible for us to do at the beginning of this year. We will do this. The commissioner will be appointed by the Governor-General, to provide greater independence, and we will ensure there is appropriate inclusion of defence and veteran families in its functions.”

Progress here is positive however when comparing Recommendation 2 from the Senate’s report to the response here we are not confident this will be implemented.

Recommendation 2 says:

“The Committee recommends that the Australian Government considers amending Schedule 9 of the Veterans’ Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Act 2025 to include a reference to veterans’ families for the purpose of the Defence and Veterans’ Services Commissioner’s functions.”

Ensuring there is appropriate inclusion within functions of the Commission doesn’t create the obligation to include them, to investigate matters that affect them nor recommend system changes to better support them.

For families, it means they can expect much of the same. Their needs remain unseen and under-supported. They will remain on the periphery of a support system that expects them to look after our veterans forsaking their own health and wellbeing in the process.

We want to see them included in legislation because this is what creates the duty to support them. Words and promises fall well short of what is required here to build trust within this fundamental element of the veteran community. They need to see real commitment, real progress and real action.

The post Positive progress but defence and veteran families need more than words first appeared on Families of Veterans Guild.

We are proud to announce the launch of our resource hub, a living library built to empower war widows, defence and veteran families with numerous information sheets, webinar recordings, articles, videos and media interviews from us. This hub is a great place for veteran families to find the information they need, when they need it. Whether it’s a practical guide supporting your physical and emotional wellbeing, information on your entitlements and services available, important updates in an article or an interview, the resource hub is here to empower war widows, defence and veteran families by providing them the information, tips and tools so they can look after their wellbeing and stay connected and informed.

Why is this important for war widows and veteran families?

Veteran families are often navigating incredibly complex systems, where finding the information that is relevant to them takes time, research and is extremely complex and at times confusing. Whether they need to understand entitlements available to them, accessing support services, managing care responsibilities, staying informed on what is new in the veteran space, veteran families need to have a place where they can find the information and build their knowledge so they can navigate this system with less difficulty.

Navigating a complex system can be different depending on where families are in their journey: whether it is during service, after service or after the passing of their veteran, the information they need will be different at every stage. By bringing all this content together, we are making it easier for veteran families to find the information they need and we are supporting their physical and emotional wellbeing, every step of the way. 

What is the resource hub?

The resource hub is a location available through our website, all in the one place and easy to navigate. It contains information sheets that include practical information on entitlements, services, as well as practical tips on how to manage different situations veteran families may be exposed to along the way. The hub also includes our media appearances, videos and articles so veteran families can stay inform on important changes and issues affecting them and their families. The resource hub will continue to expand, with new content and media being uploaded on a regular basis.

Explore the resource hub here.

Something isn’t there? We encourage you to share what you’d like to see in the resource hub by emailing guild@fov.org.au

The post Introducing our resource hub for veteran and defence families first appeared on Families of Veterans Guild.

The post Why support for veteran families can’t wait any longer first appeared on Families of Veterans Guild.

We welcome an election campaign announcement from the Coalition, pledging $5 million over four years to expand our programs and services for the families of Australian veterans.

This funding promise recognises the critical role families play in supporting Australia’s defence capability. With more than 700,000 families in Australia managing the impacts of defence service, this investment will enable the Guild to extend trauma-informed casework, wellbeing activities, peer support, and career development opportunities to more veteran families.

Tricia Hobson, Chair of the Board for the Families of Veterans Guild, said, “A stronger, more sustainable and resilient defence and veteran community cannot be achieved without supporting the families of veterans. Families are the backbone of our Defence Force, and we strongly urge the current Government to match this commitment.”

Pru Vasey-Bennett, great-niece of the Guild’s founder Jessie Vasey CBE OBE, added, “For almost 80 years, the Guild has been grounded in the belief that no family should bear the burden of service alone. ANZAC Day is a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by both veterans and their families. Ensuring lifelong support is available to veteran families is fundamental to honouring the service of every veteran.”

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide shone a light on the gaps in the veteran support system. It demonstrated that families face a myriad of challenges due to their loved ones’ service and are left to navigate a complex system with little support. The Commission marked the first time Australia has formally acknowledged the sacrifices made by veteran families, making it clear that to truly address the needs of veterans, we must also invest in supporting and meaningfully engaging their families. We know that when veteran families do well, veterans also do well.

The Guild is working with the Labor party to obtain a matched funding commitment that will ensure Australia keeps its promise to acknowledge those who sacrifice so much for our nation’s peace and security.

How you can join our call to match this commitment

The election commitment from the Coalition is significant. It is the first time that an initiative that solely benefits families is being acknowledged and a commitment to funding for this group has been made. This is more than just a funding commitment, it is also a commitment to changing the 100-year-old model of care for defence and veteran families in Australia. A significant change and one that is long over-due.

While we are working hard to seek a matched commitment from the Labor party, there is limited time left and we could use your help. How can you help?

• Email the Minister for Veterans Affairs
• Email your local Federal Member and State Senators
• Email us with your support and we will forward
• Post your support on social media and tag your local federal members, State Senators and the Minister for Veterans Affairs
• Communicate this release to local media outlets

When we work together, we can achieve great things.

The post We welcome Coalition’s $5 million election commitment, call for bipartisan support for veteran families first appeared on Families of Veterans Guild.

Renee Wilson, CEO of the Families of Veterans Guild responds to the Albanese Government’s latest defence budget announcement. Read below to see Renee’s response, bringing attention and advocating for defence and veteran families after another missed opportunity in the current budget.

“There is no greater responsibility for the Albanese Labor Government than keeping Australians safe and securing our nation’s future during a time of global uncertainty.” Said a joint media release from the Minister for Defence, Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for Defence Personnel last night when they announced an additional $50.3 billion into the development of technical defence capability.

Very little was said from the Veteran’s portfolio and perhaps when you do the math its easy to see why. Brining together what has been allocated to the Department of Veteran Affairs both in additional public sector positions (47 million) and 11.9 million in the continuity of a handful of programs that accounts for just 0.12% of what the Government has allocated to the development of technical capability.

In this budget, less than 1% of what will be spent in Defence Industry is being spent on improving the wellbeing of veterans and their families.

As raised by The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, there is systemic underfunding and ongoing failures within the veteran support system, including that there is very little support for the veteran families who are critical to their veterans’ health and wellbeing.

The defence and veteran related focus areas of this budget demonstrate a persistent undervaluing of the long-term impacts of service and needs of veterans and their families.

Hiring more civil servants into government departments alone, as the budget outlines, will not meet the complex needs of veterans and their families. As the Royal Commission proved, Government and its departments simply cannot do everything. There is a role for Government and there is a role for the support sector as well.

Government and indeed the Department of Defence already know this which is why when it comes to developing technical capability, Defence partners with industry. It knows to move quickly it needs non- government support. Yet despite the urgent need identified by the Royal Commission we are yet to see a similar approach when it comes to the lifetime health and wellbeing of veterans and their families.

In addition to the many needs this budget over looks it leaves out those few support.

The families of our veterans.

This budget overlooks the circumstances for widows of the Afghanistan War who remain barred from accessing crisis support and children of veterans who have died and have lost their health care cards. It does not improve the circumstances for partners, parents and children of veterans facing mental health challenges and illness because someone in their family defended Australia. Nor does it improve the circumstances of families struggling under the weight of care giver burnout as they care for their wounded, injured, or ill veteran. It does not improve the circumstances of those bearing the ultimate burden, the loss of a loved one through their service to our country.

Investing in the wellbeing of veteran families is not merely a matter of compassion; it is a strategic imperative for the recruitment and retention of ADF personnel and for national security. We need robust investment into developing the entire veteran support sector. We need the same approach Government takes in developing technical defence capability.

The current budget is another missed opportunity to genuinely acknowledge the role families in enabling the defence of our nation; and make meaningful change for veterans and their families.

The post Another budget, another missed opportunity for veterans & their families first appeared on Families of Veterans Guild.

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 .

The post Media release in response to the passing of the Veterans’ Entitlements, Treatment and Support Bill 2024 first appeared on Families of Veterans Guild.