Families of veterans - Families of Veterans Guild

Standing together for Victoria Barracks

Kelly Taylor — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 04:00:29 +0000

Our community understands perhaps better than most that legacy isn’t only something we remember. It is something we look after.

Victoria Barracks, Paddington is part of that shared legacy. Established in the 1840s, the historic precinct remains an operational Defence site and is deeply connected with Australia’s military history and the veteran community.

With Victoria Barracks identified for potential divestment, veterans and community members have been speaking up about its future.

A community rally will be held outside Victoria Barracks on Oxford Street, Paddington, from 12.45 pm on Sunday 25 October, calling for the proposed sale to be stopped.

We invite members who share these concerns to join the gathering or add their voices to the campaign.

This is not about party politics. Concern for the future of Victoria Barracks has brought together people and organisations from across the political spectrum, alongside veterans and the local community.

For us, the importance of places like Victoria Barracks is also deeply personal. Once places with that connection are lost, they cannot simply be recreated somewhere else.

Community Rally details:
Sunday 25 October 2026 | 12.45 pm
Outside Victoria Barracks, Oxford Street, Paddington.

Add your voice to the campaign to save Victoria Barracks here.

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WE ALL DID IT! We scrapped the cap on Allied Health Care

Kelly Taylor — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:32:02 +0000

For the last 5 months we have been advocating hard against the Government’s policy to introduce a $5,000 cap on allied health care services for veterans, widows and children. As have many others in our sector and beyond.

We stood firm on our position that capping health care for widows and children of deceased veterans is unacceptable and joined with the many other voices arguing against capping health care services for veterans.

Australia promised to look after its veterans and their families – this policy did not uphold that promise and we stood against it from day one. From day one we stood for our widows and families. Not once swayed by the narrative that ‘perhaps this was just communicated wrong.’ That was never the issue – the unintended consequences of a cost saving measure like this was always at the heart of the issue.

Our opposition to this policy was never driven by politics, self interest or winning favour – it was always about all of you – it was about standing in opposition to something that would limit entitlements and make it harder to access healthcare. It was about using our voice to support our community and together with others – it worked.

Thank you to every person who shared their stories and experiences, who breathed life into this issue and made sure it never went away and flew under the radar.

I end with a message to Widows, their Children, families and veterans – this is for you. Your entitlements have been protected, and we will always work to keep it that way.

The post WE ALL DID IT! We scrapped the cap on Allied Health Care first appeared on Families of Veterans Guild.

Standing up for better support for widows & veteran families

Kelly Taylor — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:22:41 +0000

We know from talking with families every day that the impact of service doesn’t end with the veteran. It can be felt across families, sometimes for many years.

That’s why we recently made a submission to a Senate inquiry into DVA-funded health treatment. Rather than revisit issues that have already been resolved, we used the opportunity to highlight three restrictions that are still affecting veteran families today.

First, we want to remove the two-year time limit on additional support for bereaved partners.

Grief doesn’t follow a timetable. For many families, the first few years after a death are consumed by grief, paperwork, financial changes and simply finding their feet again. Support should be available when it is needed, not disappear because a deadline has passed.

Second, we want better protection for children of deceased veterans.

A young person can lose their Gold Card because they leave full-time education, even when their health and mental health needs continue. We’re asking for Gold Card eligibility to continue until age 25 regardless of study status, followed by ongoing access to mental health treatment through a White Card.

Third, we’re asking for better mental health treatment for veteran families.

Open Arms counselling is valuable, but sometimes families need more. Where someone needs psychological or psychiatric treatment, we believe they should be able to access it.

At the heart of all three issues is one simple principle: support should be based on need, not an arbitrary deadline, birthday or administrative rule.

When Australia says it supports veterans and their families, we want to make sure those words are reflected in the support families can actually access.

The post Standing up for better support for widows & veteran families first appeared on Families of Veterans Guild.

Media release – The Families of Veterans Guild responds to ‘Scrap the Cap’ campaign success

Kelly Taylor — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 05:50:47 +0000

The Families of Veterans Guild says today’s backdown on the proposed $5,000 veteran allied health threshold is a direct result of sustained community pressure, but the fight to protect veteran health care is not over.

Sydney, 17 September 2026 – The Federal Government has today abandoned its proposed $5,000 annual threshold on allied health services for Veteran Card holders, confirming the associated increase to allied health provider fees announced in the 2026–27 Budget will proceed without the threshold attached. The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs said the Government had been listening to concerns raised through consultation and was, “taking the proposed $5,000 threshold off the table.”

Alongside many other people and organisations in the veteran community, the Families of Veterans Guild (the Guild) has campaigned against the cap since it was first announced on 12 May 2026, warning it would leave the community’s most vulnerable people, including ageing war widows managing chronic conditions and families of veterans with complex health needs like children of deceased service members, worse off. Since then, the Guild has briefed and met with parliamentarians across the political divide, engaged directly with Senators Jacqui Lambie, David Pocock and David Shoebridge, stood alongside advocates including Phillip Thompson OAM MP, taken the issue to national media including Sky News and ABC Radio Sydney, and written to every member of the House of Representatives and the Senate calling for the cap to be scrapped.

“This is what happens when a community refuses to quietly accept bad policy,” said Renee Wilson, CEO of the Families of Veterans Guild. “Veterans, war widows and families told the Government very clearly that a spreadsheet limit on healthcare was no way to decide whether someone could keep seeing their physiotherapist or psychologist, and today the Government has listened. That is a win for every person who wrote a letter, made a call, or shared their story over the past four months.”

The Guild recognises that this outcome reflects the effort of the whole veteran community, including the Coalition of Veterans’ Voices, Senator Lambie’s cross-bench bill, and the many veterans, widows and families who added their voices to the campaign.

Today’s statement leaves open how the Government intends to protect system integrity and manage over-servicing without a numerical cap, and how the removal of the 12-session treatment cycle, which is still proceeding, will work in practice. The Guild will continue to engage with the DVA through the current consultation, closing 30 October 2026, to ensure whatever replaces the cap is simple, transparent, and does not shift new administrative burden onto unwell veterans, widows and families. Furthermore, war widows and the children of deceased veterans must not be overlooked in any future design.

“Scrapping the cap is the right call, and the Government deserves credit for listening,” Ms Wilson said. “But our community will keep watching closely as this policy is redesigned, because the same principle applies: veterans, war widows and veteran families should never have to fight this hard for care they have already earned.”

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Beachside lunch and boardgames for Sydney veteran families

Kelly Taylor — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 05:47:40 +0000

A beachside games afternoon for war widows, defence and veteran families

Notice: Activity has been cancelled.

To find more activities near you, please visit: https://familiesofveterans.org.au/defence-families-wellbeing-events/

Beachside lunch and boardgames

Join us at Coffee in the Park in Dolls Point for a relaxed afternoon at the beach, with plenty of chances to have fun, connect, and enjoy some friendly competition. We’ll have a range of games to choose from, including UNO, card games, Guess the Brand, Categories, Quiddler, Imposter, and Pass the Pigs. Lunch is part of the day too, so there’s time to sit back, share a meal, and spend time together in a casual beachside setting.

Lunch and games are provided, and there is no cost to attend. Children are welcome with adult supervision. One thing to note: beach tables can’t be guaranteed and, where available, don’t have back support — so the group may need to sit on picnic blankets on the grass, or you’re welcome to bring your own chair.

Previous attendees to wellbeing activities said “I just wanted to express my gratitude for being able to connect with such a wonderful group. It was such a great opportunity to do an activity and get to know some of the other attendees at the same time.”

Event information

Closed.

Registration is essential, places are limited. Register below or call us on 02 9267 6577. For more information, please email wellbeing@fov.org.au.

The post Beachside lunch and boardgames for Sydney veteran families first appeared on Families of Veterans Guild.

Reflection on the month that was: the $5,000 allied health cap for veterans

Kelly Taylor — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 03:20:35 +0000

The proposed $5,000 cap on allied health services has dominated conversation across the veteran community this month. Below, our CEO Renee Wilson reflects on the debate, the advocates who have driven it, and why the Guild continues to call on the government to Scrap the Cap.

This month we saw a lot of debate around the unfair proposed $5,000 allied health cap. I want to, once again, recognise the ongoing, tireless work of the Coalition of Veterans Voices, as well as the support of cross-party advocates including Susan McDonald, Matt Canavan, Dr Anne Webster, Michael McCormack, Phil Thompson, Jacquie Lambie, Colin Boyce and David Shoebridge. Thanks to your work, the media cycle has continued to gather momentum around the cap, and our community’s voices have been heard.

A special thank you to Phil Thompson, Michael McCormack and Dr Anne Webster for recognising that war widows are part of this conversation in your statements and questions to parliament.

What has happened this month is a boiling over of the veteran community’s frustration: we’ve had enough of not being heard by our Minister and our government. In my 16+ years working in this space I have never seen our community come together in the way they have around this issue. We are roaring at the government with one unified message: No to this cap, plain and simple.

Alongside the rest of the community, the Families of Veterans Guild has been speaking up about this issue and persistently calling on the government to Scrap the Cap: for the veterans we love, and our war widows who are already struggling to access the critical healthcare they deserve.

We completely agree with David Shoebridge’s reflection on this policy: it is a savings measure, returning cash to the government to compensate for allied health care providers charging closer to the market rate for their services. This is a trade off no one in the sector agreed to and one that breaks Australia’s promise to look after veterans and families.

Recently, the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke of the nation’s gratitude for our Vietnam veterans: he reinforced that the government honours, respects and thanks them for their service.

The clearest way to bring that statement to life is to Scrap the Cap: show our veterans, their families and war widows that you honour, respect and thank them for what they have given to Australia. They have given their health and wellbeing so that the rest of us might prosper. Pay what it takes for their healthcare and Scrap the Cap.

Sign Phillip Thompson’s Scrap the Cap petition here: https://www.philthompson.com.au/scrap-the-cap/

Sign Jacqui Lambie’s Scrap the Cap petition here: https://lambienetwork.com.au/pages/scrap-the-cap

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