Radio Interview - ABC North Queensland Mornings

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC NORTH QUEENSLAND MORNINGS
WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2025

SUBJECTS: Veterans Legislation Reform (VETS Act); Veterans’ Acute Housing Program; Marking (First World War) Private Graves Grants Program; Federal Election

HOST, SUSAN GRAHAM-RYAN: Thank you for being with me this morning. Now, at the moment, veterans face a painfully long and complicated process for accessing different supports. Many veterans have told me the hurry up and wait approach sort of adds insult to injury, and they've long called for a simpler and fairer way to access the support that they need. But new legislation could change that. To explain the changes and what they mean for veterans, I'm joined by the Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel Minister, Matt Keogh. Thank you for your time this morning.

MINISTER FOR VETERANS’ AFFAIRS AND DEFENCE PERSONNEL, MATT KEOGH: Hi, Susan. Great to be with you.

GRAHAM-RYAN: This new legislation passed Parliament last week. How will it make things easier?

MINISTER KEOGH: So, this legislation will see us move from the current arrangements where there are actually three different systems that veterans can fall into, and indeed some veterans will fall into two or all three of those systems, which makes it hugely complex, difficult to understand. And the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide said this is inducing anxiety, it's contributing to suicidality. And that's why they recommended that we needed to simplify and harmonise this system. And what this legislation does is means that for new claims going forward from when it commences, all claims will be dealt with under one scheme only. So, it's easier for veterans to know what they're entitled to, but it's also easier for the Department to process those claims and get veterans what they need more quickly.

GRAHAM-RYAN: So, the full transition to this new system won't be complete until next year. In the meantime, and right now, what support is available to veterans to make sure that they're getting the help they need right now?

MINISTER KEOGH: So, absolutely, we've been taking action from when we were elected in 2022. What we inherited was a situation where there were some 42,000 veteran claims that have not even been looked at by the Department of Veterans' Affairs. And we have employed an additional 500 claims processing staff in the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to work through that backlog and process veterans claims more quickly. And so now for someone who lodges a claim, now for initial liability, they'll be looked at within a couple of weeks. And those claims, on average last year, were being processed within just a few months. So, we've moved from a situation where people were taking years and years to now claims being processed more quickly. Now some claims are more complex and the system that we've got with these three different schemes makes it more complex and they do take longer. So, that's why it's important that not only have we provided the additional resources, but we also simplify the system.

GRAHAM-RYAN: Matt, months and months is better than years and years, but is months good enough?

MINISTER KEOGH: Well, certainly you've got to recognise that some of these claims are historical. Some are processed much more quickly where they are more recent claims. And the information and the medical reports are already available, but the average is taking a few months. So, some do go through quite quickly. And I've been really happy as I've moved around the country, visiting RSLs, visiting veteran groups, in fact, even visiting a Defence base just the other day where people were telling me that in their own experiences they've had claims processed very quickly and they've been really happy to see that. And veteran advocates are giving that feedback that they are seeing these claims being processed more quickly now there's more to do. And of course, this legislation, simplifying the process going forward is a key component of that.

GRAHAM-RYAN: You're hearing from the Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel Minister, Matt Keogh. You were in Far North Queensland yesterday with the announcement around tackling veteran homelessness $1.65 million through Access Community Housing, delivering the Veterans Transitional Housing Program with some new units to be built at Edmonton. Will some of these added supports be extended to other regional Queensland centres too?

MINISTER KEOGH: So, yeah, this is part of a $30 million package of veteran housing support for veterans that are homeless or at risk of homelessness. And it's about making sure that there's more units or accommodation available to support veterans, but also funding wrap around support services to be able to provide veterans with the additional support to get them back on their feet. Because we know that veterans are three times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population. But we also know that when they are provided the appropriate support, making sure they are getting what they deserve through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and other supports from other organisations, we can get them back onto their feet, into employment, into more regularised housing more quickly. And so that's what this program, the $30 million is about, making sure that the accommodation is available, but also the wraparound supports. And in Queensland - so there was obviously the program in Cairns that we announced yesterday, $1.65 million for Access Community Housing. They are also supported by RSL Queensland in providing those services. And RSL Queensland itself received $2 million, or just over $2 million for some of the supports that they provide into these accommodation Programs for veterans across Northern Queensland and also into the Northern Territory. But there's Programs across the country that we've funded through this Program throughout Queensland that are around Australia to make sure that we are supporting veterans that are experiencing homelessness.

GRAHAM-RYAN: Minister, another announcement today around Marking War Graves Grant Program. What's latest with that? How many? What are some of the statistics that you're seeing there?

MINISTER KEOGH: So, people may not know, but there was some 270,000 veterans that returned to Australia after the First World War, and many of them ended up, when they did pass away, passed away and were buried, but without any markers on their grave. Some of them had been disconnected from family, some were suicide, some ended up in pauper graves. And it meant that those grave sites weren't marked and it meant that their service to Australia wasn't commemorated there. And so our program of commemorating the marking of these graves is what we've announced today and that's provided some $107,000 worth of funding to organisations around the country. And it means that 182 grave sites will now be marked as obviously having their name and their details, but importantly recognising their service during the First World War. And in Queensland in particular, Queensland actually has a large number of these, so, Lutwyche Cemetery has got 84 of these sites that will now become marked. Gympie has one, Longreach two, and Toowong Cemetery in Brisbane also 42. So, you can get a sense of just how many of these First World War veterans that ended up in unmarked graves, which we're now, through this Grant Program funding volunteer organisations that do great work in researching and understanding who these people were and finding their military records and their cause of death so that we can now make sure that those graves are properly marked.

GRAHAM-RYAN: Now, Minister, you were in Cairns yesterday, which I mentioned and I've been noticing, and maybe it's just a coincidence, but there's lots of federal politicians of all persuasions going here and there right across regional Queensland in the last month or so. A lot of speculation that there's an election coming up, perhaps before Easter. Have you got a date to announce for me this morning?

MINISTER KEOGH: Well, no, I don't get to announce those dates, funnily enough, I heard there was a rumour election will be around the corner at some point. You've obviously heard the same thing.

GRAHAM-RYAN: Before Easter?

MINISTER KEOGH: I have no idea as to when it will be. That is in the hands of the Prime Minister. But certainly it is the case that Queensland has a very high number of veterans and serving personnel across many different bases. And it's been a great opportunity for me to meet with people that have been engaged in finding these unmarked graves and to meet with them, which I've been doing today, but also to be up in Cairns and meet with the service providers that are going to support our homeless veterans and also meet with our serving personnel up in Cairns who do very important work in our Navy. So, in my role, I find myself in and across Queensland quite a bit because of the very important and significant role it undertakes for our Defence Force. So, many people being located here, but also so many veterans being located in Queensland as well.

GRAHAM-RYAN: Lots of veterans around the State and we do thank them for their work and nice work dodging that question, Veterans Affairs’ and Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh, I had to ask, thank you very much for your time this morning.

MINISTER KEOGH: Thanks, Susan. It's been great to be with you.

END 

Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling provides 24/7 free confidential crisis support for current and ex-serving ADF personnel and their families on 1800 011 046 or the Open Arms website. Safe Zone Support provides anonymous counselling on 1800 142 072. Defence All-Hours Support Line provides support for ADF personnel on 1800 628 036 or the Defence Health Portal. Defence Member and Family Helpline provides support for Defence families on 1800 624 608