Press Conference with Invictus Australia

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
PRESS CONFERENCE WITH INVICTUS AUSTRALIA
SCARBOROUGH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
FRIDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2026

SUBJECTS: Invictus Australia Sports Festival, veteran supports, AFL Grand Final

MINISTER FOR VETERANS’ AFFAIRS AND DEFENCE PERSONNEL MATT KEOGH: Today's a great day today to be launching the Invictus Australia Sports Festival to be held here in Perth at the end of October, and it's a great example of the expansion of the work of Invictus Australia. Everyone knows about the Invictus Games, and now we are seeing a regional sporting competition involving competitors from Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea coming together, demonstrating how people can continue to contribute and participate in sport following their Defence service. Invictus is also engaged in the community, though, supporting veterans to connect to their community through sport and especially through adaptive sport, and with this new sports festival happening here in Western Australia, it gives a whole range of new competitors an opportunity to be involved in adaptive sport competition, making sure that more veterans get the opportunity to compete and most importantly to participate and to be able to participate with other countries in our region as well, it's a great opportunity to be having this here in Western Australia. We always say West Coast Best Coast, and we'll be putting that on display as part of the sporting festival run by Invictus Australia.

JOURNALIST: Yeah, so it's such a boom for not just Australia but Western Australia and Perth. It was obviously announced earlier this year, but what does that mean for showcasing Perth and yeah, the talent from across the country being able to get in and get here?

MINISTER KEOGH: I think certainly having this competition here in Perth is a great opportunity to showcase what Western Australia has to offer, and they'll be operating across two venues here at Scarborough Beach and also at the High Performance Centre in Claremont, and so it's a great way of showcasing WA. But most importantly, it's giving that new opportunity for veterans participating in adaptive sport to be able to do that in a whole new way. Everyone knows about the Invictus Games. This provides a new opportunity for people that haven't participated in those games as well to be able to have a crack, to compete against some other countries, but importantly participate with each other. Because what we see with the Invictus Games and with the sporting festivals is it's not just those that are participating. It's also the families that come with them that support them, being able to see success from perseverance and supporting our veterans through that.

JOURNALIST: Sure. How does this event change the landscape for veteran recovery in Australia in the long term?

MINISTER KEOGH: I think it's really important that we provide a full suite of support to our veteran community, looking to recover from injury, rehabilitate, make sure that they're able to go on to great and successful lives and careers after their time in Defence. Being connected to community through sport is a great way for that to occur because it's making sure people don't become isolated. It's making sure they're building new friends, connection, and especially in team sports, building those new teams as well. But even for those participating in the games or in the sports festival in an individual sport, they're part of an Australian team, and they've got that shared connectedness with the other competitors from other countries of all having had military experience.

JOURNALIST: Well, we've got the competitors from the other countries coming in as well. Is there anything that needs to be done from a Government perspective? I guess to welcome those people from other countries, especially given they might have increased needs?

MINISTER KEOGH: I think what's really important about engaging with the competitors coming from the other countries is it's a real solid recognition that we work with these countries in conflicts around the world, and that that connectedness and partnership doesn't end when those conflicts end or our engagement in them ends. We're able to maintain connectedness and that shared background across our veteran communities by engaging in competitions like we're going to be seeing here in Perth, and by having these competitions, and it's really great seeing Invictus globally now getting into the regional competition space like this one being held here in Perth with other countries in our region, is that it gives those additional opportunities for that connection between our veteran communities as well, and they support one another through that.

JOURNALIST: So obviously, Prince Harry is a patron of these games. Do you expect him to attend the games in Perth, and will the Government help with Security?

MINISTER KEOGH: I think everyone knows that Prince Harry has been a great supporter of Invictus globally. You know, really getting behind the establishment of the games and seeing people really get engaged in supporting that. And that came from his own experience, and I've had the opportunity to discuss that with him. And I think what competitors, though around the world, whether it's here in Australia and other countries, for whatever level of competition, whether it's the sporting festival or the games, really impressed about is his commitment, taking his service to supporting organisations like Invictus and Invictus Australia in conducting these competitions, so that veterans have an opportunity to participate, to rehabilitate, to build connection with each other, and also into their communities through the community programs as well. And I think all support is always greatly received.

JOURNALIST: Does the Federal Government invite them to Australia? Is that something you're allowed to do at the moment?

MINISTER KEOGH: Well, that's managed by Invictus as to how they engage with their other supporters globally. Do you want to ask these guys some questions first?

ADAM PINE, INVICTUS DIRECTOR TEAMS: Thanks, Minister. Thanks, Minister, for your kind words and thank you for your ongoing support of veterans. I think the support of veterans in Australia and allowing Invictus Australia to support veterans through sport and using sport to support wellbeing is going really, really well. So the Invictus Australia Sports Festival, presented by ATCO, is going to be here. We're here today so that we can announce Team Australia, we have 30 competitors competing for Team Australia, presented by Austability, and those supporting partners are really helpful to making, making sure that we can create more opportunities like this. So Team Australia is being announced today. We'll have the full details on our website of all competitors. We have a few competitors here with us today joining us, and I'm just excited and honoured to be… My name is Adam Pine. I'm Director of Teams at Invictus Australia. I'm really honored to be able to support the team, support the competitors, and allow us to do more of these opportunities. The Invictus Games go from go on every two years, so every two years we prepare for an Invictus Games. And now we're creating more opportunities through Invictus Australia and our partners and support from Government to ensure that we can get more people involved in more sport and create more opportunities for veterans to use sport as a as a tool for wellbeing. So that's what we're here for today, and I'm happy to hand over to some competitors to talk to talk to them as well.

JOURNALIST: A couple of general questions about the team. Obviously, we can't name everybody right now, but can you give us an overview of what kind of people, where, what part of Australia they come from, what their backgrounds are?

PINE: We have 30 competitors from all over Australia. We've named 18 males and 12 females. The team are coming from all parts and all corners of Australia, from Tasmania, from Queensland, we do have quite a number of local veterans from the WA region, which is important. We don't get to do a number of big activities in WA, and we don't get to do a number of big activities in Australia. Australia hosted the Invictus Games in 2018, and that was a coming together of everyone for that opportunity. So we hope to be able to do more of these opportunities and bring everyone in from all over the place, so we have teams traveling in. We'll be here for three days. We're undergoing a symposium on the day before competition. That symposium will be presenting some research and some other data about the importance of sport and importance of wellbeing and connecting our veteran community. And then we go into sport and the preparation and the training that our team are going through now in their home environments to get themselves ready just provides that motivation. So that motivation gives them an opportunity to train, prepare, have a goal in mind and a purpose for, for that training, and then come together with their teammates that they may have served with or may have not served with, but now share a common bond in using sport as a tool for connection.

JOURNALIST: So why are we here today?

PINE: So, so we're here in Scarborough because Scarborough is the location of a number of our sports. So during the sports festival, we're going to be using the Scarborough Pool, the aquatic center built here by Stirling Council, overlooking the beautiful beach for the swimming competition. We're also going to use the outdoor amphitheater to do the seated rowing. That's going to be on the rowing ergs. The machines are going to be set there, and the community are going to be able to come and watch our veteran community train and prepare, and, and put down their best performance in those events during the Invictus Australia Sports Festival.

JOURNALIST: So, why was Perth chosen? You said that there was the Invictus Games Australia 2018, and we’ve heard about The Hague and Germany. And how often can Australia expect the games, and why is it in Perth this time?

PINE: It's Australia's intention to bid for and host the future Invictus Games, we're still working through that process, and likely that would be in the lead-up to Brisbane 2032 or just after. Around those games is another opportunity for us to host the international veteran and military community in sport. But at the moment, we're focused on these more of these smaller opportunities. This is the first regional opportunity for, for the Invictus movement that in in Australia or in the Asia in the Asia region, which is why South Korea and New Zealand are coming to this event. So we we hope to be able to invite more countries in the future if there's future iterations of the Invictus Australia Sports Festival.

JOURNALIST: Sure, and on the Prince Harry of it all, what's your knowledge of that is he going to come?

PINE: The Duke of Sussex is definitely invited. He did announce our sports festival for us in March when he was here. He loves visiting Australia, and we are hopeful that he, that he may be able to make an appearance. But if not, the the legacy of what he's created with Invictus Games and the Invictus movement does go on and will live on for many years in Australia.

JOURNALIST: Sure. Is there anything else you'd like to add? Great. 
So could you please introduce yourself, your name, and what sport are you going to be playing?

PETER MILLER, COMPETITOR: Yeah. My name's Peter Miller. I'm an ex Army veteran. I'll be doing sitting volleyball, pickleball, and swimming at the upcoming games.

JOURNALIST: Are they sports you normally play, or you got into them for the games?

MILLER: Some I've gotten into for the games. Like pickleball is a new sport I've just taken up, which has been very exciting, very fun game, and yeah, met a great lot of people in the community.

JOURNALIST: And you were medically retired from the Defence Force, and now you're a teacher. How does Invictus Games fit into your life? What does it give you?

MILLER: Yeah. Okay. So when I joined the Invictus Games, I think after my injury in the Defence Force, I had a had a spinal injury on a training operation, which stopped me from being able to do a lot of things. I loved a lot of sports. I loved to play, and what the Invictus Games and adaptive sports has shown me is that I may not be able to do things the way I used to do them, but I am always able to find a workaround and find new ways to do things. Which is something I can transfer into all aspects of my life. The people that I've met through Invictus as well, being put in with a group of people with such high self-efficacy, has sort of helped me prove that I can overcome any sort of challenges and obstacles in my life. And since I started with the Invictus Australia, back in 2020, I've still stayed close, stayed in close contact with people from those those games and built some really long-lasting friendships.

JOURNALIST: Yeah, because this isn't your first games, so you've traveled?

MILLER: Yeah, I was lucky enough to be selected to compete for Invictus Australia: The Hague in 2022. It was delayed because of COVID, but yeah, that was excellent opportunity to trial some new sports and meet some great competitors from around the world who have all gone through similar types of things through their service life.

JOURNALIST: You told me an anecdote about meeting Prince Harry at the Hague Games? Can you recap that for us?

MILLER: Yeah, so we were lined up to go into the auditorium for the indoor rowing. We're all lined up, and everyone was sort of cheering each other on and psyching each other up. And I had a tap on my shoulder. Gentleman behind me, I thought was just saying to me, "Good luck out there”. And I just, yep, no worries, mate, thanks. And just sort of bypassed it, trying to keep myself in the zone. And then Prince Harry walked past me and did the same thing to the next person in front of me, and then I realized that I just sort of snubbed off Prince Harry as he was trying to have a chat with me.

JOURNALIST: But I guess that shows that the heart of it, everybody that's supporting the games, your whether you're the Duke or you know whoever you are involved in it, it's everybody comes together for this.

MILLER: Yeah, that's it. It's a it's a great sense of camaraderie and the community. Like I said, everyone I've met, I've stayed in contact with, and they're always there. I've still got friends that I just need to talk to someone, no matter what I'm going through, I'm able to just pick up the phone. And yeah, the friendships I've made through Invictus are definitely going to be lifelong.

JOURNALIST: And what does it mean for you to be in your hometown? And do you have a message for people who are coming about how great Perth is?

MILLER: Yeah. Look, this is my... I've, I've moved to Perth three times now in my life, and this time I've definitely brought my family with me, and we're staying here. If you want to showcase Australia and show it to the world. What better place than Perth? We've got the beautiful beaches, the most laid-back, perfect lifestyle. There's nothing more you can really want out of life. This is definitely the place to be.

JOURNALIST: Awesome! You're off the hook now. 
Can you please introduce yourself, your name, and what sports you're playing?

KIRSTEN FUNSTON, COMPETITOR: Hi, I'm Kirsten Funston. I spent 30 years in the army before being medically retired, and I'll be playing pickleball, sitting volleyball, swimming, and ergonomic rowing.

JOURNALIST: Sure. And how did you get involved with Invictus?

FUNSTON: When I when I medically separated, I didn't do any sports. Where I used to play three or four sports in a season. Then I did a come and try wheelchair AFL day with Invictus, and got hooked. And since then, I've been able to get out, play sports, and and join the Invictus movement.

JOURNALIST: And obviously, we want to encourage everybody to come and support all the sports. But if you had to pick one, what do you think is the best spectacle for people to check out?

FUNSTON: Oh, sitting volleyball, pickleball. They're my two. They're my two team sports are my thing, so that'd be the two that would be best, most fun to watch.

JOURNALIST: Yeah, and what does being involved in Invictus give to you?

FUNSTON: It gives me a sense of being able to get out and play adaptive sports again. The camaraderie with the other your fellow fellow veterans, the camaraderie that you make with the international veterans that come across and play-it's just yeah, it's all about just being one big happy team and supporting each other and getting out there and doing what you can do with, with your circumstances.

JOURNALIST: Yeah, absolutely. What would you say to someone sitting at home right now that might be watching this that is a veteran. Would you encourage them to get involved?

FUNSTON: 100% I would encourage any veteran to get involved, even if even if they don't normally do sports or never have done sports. I know a lot of veterans that haven't, but being able to come and play adaptive sports-it's a whole new ball game, and it is really inclusive. The communities are really supportive around you, and you-you know-you meet more people, and it's awesome.

JOURNALIST: Can I just grab the Minister without everybody? If that's all right, so recently, the $5,000 cap on the veterans' allied health payments was scrapped. You know, how has have veterans reached out to you personally? Like, how can you sort of how do you feel being involved in these sort of efforts and about mental health when that is really a controversial topic for them at the moment?

MINISTER KEOGH: Well, certainly, since the Government announced that it won't be proceeding with the $5,000 threshold. I've heard from lots of veterans and veteran service organisations about that. Many veterans are happy with the decision we've made, and they're also very happy that we were able to secure passage of legislation that supported the implementation of 20 recommendations of the Royal Commission and support the implementation of a further 20 as well. But I think across the veteran community and veteran service providers, people we're all committed to getting better wellbeing outcomes for our veterans, whether that's in allied health, mental health more broadly, in other wellbeing areas. So, you know, supporting organisations like Invictus and supporting veterans with adaptive sport and engagement with their community is incredibly important. Making sure that veterans are getting the right type of care to support their needs, whether that's in you know surgery or allied healthcare, is incredibly important. And making sure that they can get their claims processed quickly and access to the care that they need, and frankly, that they deserve to be able to get in a quick way is very important, and that's what we've been designing all of our reforms around, and in particular implementing those recommendations from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide in a prompt way. We can see that in having set up the new Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency in the middle of this year, establishing the Defence and Veterans Service Commission as a statutory oversight body, looking at our implementation of the broader suite of recommendations as well, investing in treatment for veterans, whether they're still in service or in have already left service, to make sure that they're getting better overall wellbeing outcomes, improving rehabilitation, for example. All of these things are important so that our veterans, once they leave service and are coming back into civilian life, are best supported, and especially at that time of key risk, where we see when they're doing that transition from Defence life into civilian life, making sure they're supported then and know how to and are able to access the supports they may need into the future.

JOURNALIST: Sure, my understanding is WA only recently just opened up a private its first veterans dedicated allied health bricks and mortar service, and most dedicated ones are telehealth, and a lot of providers aren't keen to get on board with veteran payment support services because of the extensive paperwork it basically bolsters to jump through and the bulk billing caps haven't kept up, does WA need more physical resources for veterans to access this help?

MINISTER KEOGH: So Western Australia is well serviced with allied health service providers broadly and supporting the veteran community, but what Government has been responding to, in part, has been that allied health service providers across Australia have been saying that they were looking to withdraw service from veterans because of the rates that they were being paid by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. So, as part of our changes, we announced that we'd be increasing the fees that DVA pays to those allied health providers. Now, with that not proceeding with those changes, we're still keeping the fee increase to make sure that we are maintaining that allied health service provision for our veteran community, which is so terribly important. It's the biggest increase in fees to allied health providers in some 20 years.

JOURNALIST: Sure. Yesterday, the Memorial Drive. Have you heard about that homeless camp in Rockingham?

MINISTER KEOGH: I'm aware of it.

JOURNALIST: It was cleared the official reason being given was antisocial behavior. But is there any connection to accommodation for AUKUS and the Defence precinct that's going to be down there.

MINISTER KEOGH: No,

JOURNALIST: It’s got nothing to do with it at all?

MINISTER KEOGH: It's a it's a State government reserve.

JOURNALIST: Yep. Okay, so Dockers or Brisbane?

MINISTER KEOGH: Look, I am a solid West Coast supporter, but I am absolutely behind the Dockers for the grand final this weekend as a good Western Australian.

JOURNALIST: Yeah, and what are you going to do for the grand final?

MINISTER KEOGH: I'll be watching the grand final with family. We'll be absolutely rooting for our team from Western Australia. It's going to be a hard ask any grand final, but we hope that WA comes through with the goods with the Dockers win.

JOURNALIST: Yeah, it's a shame that we don't have AFL in the Invictus Games. Awesome! Thank you so much. Appreciate that.

ENDS

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