Page 5383 - Week 14 - Thursday, 30 November 2017
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the Defence Force. This will allow us to create a better picture of where our veterans are in the community and what services they are accessing, so we can better meet their needs. At the roundtable, the ministers also resolved that a similar question should be added to the national census, to again help to build a better picture of the veterans population across Australia and in each state and territory. We will all be advocating for that once consultations open for the next census.
The round table marked an important milestone in veterans ministers working together and sharing ideas and resources to improve the services and support that all governments provide to the veterans in our various jurisdictions. While I could spend the morning running through each of the agenda items, I will highlight one of the pieces of work that the ACT has taken the lead on. We will be leading work on a review of transport concessions that each of the states and territories offer to their veterans, and exploring a reciprocal scheme that would be received across state and territory borders for all veterans, regardless of where they reside. At the moment, there are differences across the systems and no minimum level that veterans can expect.
Transport concessions such as these are an important mechanism to help prevent social isolation and to promote social connectedness. We know that there have been some veterans whose return to civilian life was not necessarily smooth or well supported and for whom social isolation is an issue. These concessions are designed to provide some small incentive, or at least remove some barriers, to encourage people to get out and remain connected members of the city. Getting these settings right is an important way that we can help those who could use this support to remain connected and integral parts of the city.
This work was already underway by the government. As we looked to bring on a new form of public transport in the territory, it was the right time to assess our concessions regime to ensure that we were targeting it appropriately. As such, I look forward to sharing this work with my other state and territory counterparts and working together to help and honour our veterans in this way.
Closer to home, I have been having productive discussions with my New South Wales counterpart to seek to extend concessions to ACT-based veterans who use the Canberra to Sydney train to seek specialist treatment in Sydney. Many veterans prefer this form of transport, as it is less confining than the bus or a plane. Little things, such as the ability to get up and walk around, or to have an assistance dog comfortably join them, can make a huge difference to those travelling. I thank the Chief Minister for his continued advocacy for improvements to this service, as it will mean a lot to this group of Canberrans.
While I have been minister for veterans for only just over a year, and the portfolio itself is not much older, I feel that we have made a great start. But I assure you that our hard work in this area will continue. I will continue to work to build this city as one that recognises the unique nature of defence service, one that values the contributions veterans can make and one that supports and connects veterans into the community and the city more broadly.
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