Page 3705 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 28 October 2014
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After a period of representing only Vietnam veterans, the organisation expanded to accommodate veterans from all conflicts and peacekeeping missions, as well as serving and ex-serving personnel.
In the ACT the organisation was formed in 1994 and aims to look after the wellbeing of veterans and their families. To achieve this, the organisation runs several programs, including a gardening service for aged veterans and war widows, a weekly walking group meeting every Tuesday which walks around various scenic locations in the ACT, a food van which they use to fundraise for the organisation, a weekly golfing group who tee off each Monday at the Duntroon golf club, and various other leisure activities including a choir, a cooking group, a guitar group, a computer training centre, and a metal and wood workshop.
Perhaps most importantly, the organisation also helps veterans to lodge claims to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs in relation to pension and military compensation claims. In this sphere the organisation also provides legal assistance to members at both the Veterans Review Board and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Given the good work of the organisation, I would like to congratulate the current committee. The current committee comprises the president, James Wain; the senior vice president, Ian Thompson; the vice presidents, Danny Burton and Gerry Mapstone; the treasurer, Peter Olson; the secretary, Terry Lawler; and committee members Bob Jones, Len Little, Bob West, John Kearns, John Sainsbury, John Pandovan, Brian Agnew, Geoff Bolwell, Trevor Goodhew, David Tonacia and Rachel Ingram. I would also like to thank the staff of the Vietnam Veterans and Veterans Federation, including the office manager, Karen Toscan, the office assistant, Leannda Mackie, and the general counsel, Fergus Thomson.
I would like to thank Mr Wain for his hospitality when Mr Hanson and I recently visited their facility in Page. The association has established a wonderful facility with very welcome opportunities for the broader veteran community. The opposition supports their concept for further facilities at the site.
I commend the work of the Vietnam Veterans and Veterans Federation ACT to the Assembly. For more information about the federation, including their upcoming events, I encourage all members to visit their website at www.vvfact.org.au.
Employment—paid domestic violence leave
MS BERRY (Ginninderra) (4.49): It is with great hope that I learned today that the Australian Council of Trade Unions is lodging a claim in the Fair Work Commission to secure 10 days of paid domestic violence leave as a minimum entitlement for all employees. If this is adopted, casual employees will also be eligible for the 10 days leave.
Currently, there are nearly two million Australians who are covered by domestic violence leave, but it would be a wonderful thing if every employee had access to this leave if they were in the unfortunate and very terrible situation of being involved in domestic violence.
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