Page 3755 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 26 August 2009
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Following the model of the other States, I have been greatly encouraged by the way in which State-based Veterans Affairs Minister can, indeed, maintain the profile of veterans’ issues within their respective States. There are, of course, a range of concessions and benefits made available exclusively to veterans in each of the States. In addition, there is the issue of memorials and commemorative activity which deserves special recognition at Ministerial level. Further, most of the States now run school programs with a strong focus on military history and awards which are made to those who excel, including overseas visits to well-known Australian Battlefields.
In due course I would hope that the ACT Chief Minister might reconsider his position, and I will propose that he do so when I next have a chance to speak with him.
As you can see, overwhelming support for the institution of a minister for veterans’ affairs is coming not only from the grassroots but from the president of a peak body. The idea of a veterans affairs’ minister in the ACT is not to duplicate the roles that are held at the national level but to focus on the issues that are affecting veterans locally, including ACT memorials and public education. It is about making sure that we deliver to veterans their full range of entitlements.
There are a number of ongoing federal issues, including the CPI indexation of defence pensions and other issues to do with a review of military compensation arrangements. I note the good work that has been done by many organisations in that regard. We should certainly endeavour to support those organisations in highlighting issues to the federal government. I particularly recognise in this regard the role of the Veterans Advice and Advocacy Service. I speak regularly with Louise Markus, the shadow minister for veterans’ affairs, and Bob Baldwin’s office to make sure that those issues are being taken up.
But the focus is on local issues. There is a great deal that could be done locally, if we saw better engagement with the veterans community. The veterans community have an organisation called the Kindred Organisations Committee. Basically, each of those ex-service organisations has a member to form a group of ex-service organisations. I would like to read to you some of the issues that they are facing at the moment which are not being addressed by the government. In a letter from the Kindred Organisations Committee to me they say they want to see a Chief Minister’s veteran advisory council—and they say this has been requested by many ESOs for a number of years—so the veterans can hope to obtain the ear of government on many issues. Clearly, there is a feeling that they are not having the ear of government.
They say they want to see a war widows rental rebate. Again, this has been submitted to both Mr Stanhope and Mr Hargreaves for many years. They go through the issue in detail and say:
This has been ignored, to date, by both Mr Stanhope and Mr Hargreaves and many War Widow’s are still missing out on the rental rebate.
They want to see a southside Vietnam community centre. Again, this has fallen on deaf ears with the ACT government. They call for toilets on Anzac Parade and state
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