Page 5380 - Week 14 - Thursday, 30 November 2017
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Earlier this year, I announced the appointment of a new Veterans Advisory Council. The new council comprises nine diverse and highly experienced community members in the ACT. They have been appointed for their expertise, their willingness to engage broadly and their capacity to bring the voice of the veterans community to government. I believe good policy comes from good listening, and it is for this reason that I am pleased to have this eminent and well connected group of Canberrans advising me. I have recently opened a further expression of interest to fill the three vacancies on the council and I am particularly looking for members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community who are veterans and those who can provide advice on how we can best support the families of veterans to join the council.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing council for their role in providing advice on matters relating to the veterans community. By consistently voicing issues of significance to the veterans community, they have fulfilled an important role in the local commemoration, remembrance and recognition of veterans.
The new Veterans Advisory Council has an expanded membership and broadened terms of reference which will allow it to provide advice on a greater number of issues. The council will be chaired by Brigadier Alison Creagh. Brigadier Creagh has had a long career in the Australian Army, including deployments to Cambodia, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. She is well known in the local veterans community for providing advice on facilitating the transition of exiting Defence Force personnel to civilian employment. Brigadier Creagh is also active in supporting commemorative projects and activities, including her role as the Vice Chair of the Australian Peacekeeping Memorial Project and as a member of the War Memorial Council.
Ms Creagh will be joined by Mr Gerard Pratt in the role of deputy chair. Mr Pratt is a former member of the Royal Australian Navy and his 16 years of service included operational deployments to East Timor and Iraq. Mr Pratt is also a longstanding member of the Returned and Services League and is the vice-president of its ACTÂ branch.
I was delighted to attend the first meeting of the council on 21 November at the Australian War Memorial. That meeting was followed by council members attending the Last Post ceremony, where we had the opportunity to reflect on the contributions that veterans have made to the ACT community and to our nation.
The new Veterans Advisory Council will play a crucial role in providing advice to government on many areas of the veterans portfolio, including issues relating to transitioning to civilian life, health, mental health and wellbeing programs, as well as commemoration, remembrance and recognition for veterans. In this meeting I charged the council to be bold in their advice, to think big and to think creatively to help me to shape this city into one that is welcoming and supportive of veterans.
A key priority area of work for the new council will be consulting and providing advice in relation to the continuing development of measures to support those wishing to transition from the ADF into civilian employment. Securing civilian employment is key to assisting veterans and their families as part of this transition. We know that
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