M r NEUMANN (Blair) (15:46): [by video link] I rise today to speak on the fifth annual ministerial statement on veterans and families. As the shadow minister, I'm pleased to have the opportunity to reply to the statement of the minister. I congratulate him on his service and his elevation earlier this year. I acknowledge the contribution of his predecessor, the member for Gippsland. It's disappointing that we are onto the sixth veterans' affairs minister in eight years under this Liberal Party and National Party government. That aside, I want to join the minister in recognising the sacrifices of those currently serving and their families, and of those who have served previously and the families that support them. I acknowledge the service of the 39,000 men and women who served in Afghanistan over the two decades which confronted them and their families. I acknowledge what they endured and the work they've done, and acknowledge the contribution they have made. I honour their sacrifice and the sacrifice of those 41 ADF personnel who died. We pledge to their families our continuing support. Over the weekend, I had an opportunity to think about and attend events. It really influenced me in my thinking to make this speech today. On Saturday I, along with the Governor of Queensland, Her Excellency Dr Jeannette Young, and civic leaders in Ipswich, attended the centenary of the Ipswich Soldiers Memorial Hall. In the hall, in the main area, is a photograph of a group of men—the executive council—in 1921. What strikes me is that they're young faces, they're determined faces, yet they're old faces of men who faced war and endured shellshock—we would call it PTSD. Yet they turned that work they undertook in that great war—the war to end all wars they thought at the time—into service in our local community, in the Ipswich and West Moreton region. For 100 years that hall has stood. Yet, across the whole country, there are similar halls and similar places where RSLs and ex-service organisations meet and continue to deliver service, help and welfare to those in need. I wish them all the best and thank them very much for the work they undertake each and every day to help people in rehabilitation and compensation, to provide fellowship and friendship, and to give a helping hand to those in need. We should support them, and I want to reassure them that Labor is on their side. I want to make mention of a number of things I want to thank the government for. I thank the minister specifically for responding when I asked him to have his department contact those who had been doing it tough after the fall of Kabul, in Afghanistan. I thank the minister for taking up the opportunity and taking that phone call. I also want to thank the government for responding to Labor's call to put a question in the census about military service. That's a good thing, and we need to identify who and where our veterans are. But I want to take the opportunity today to remind the parliament and the people of Australia of the failures in the Department of Veterans' Affairs— though there are many things that we agree on—because there is a sad litany of delivery failings, mess-ups and broken promises over this term of government and the previous one. I will run through a few. Firstly, there is the botched rollout of the Veterans' Covenant, including dodgy lapel pins and a trouble-prone and paltry discount scheme. Rather than a bona fide recognition program, many veterans felt this looked like tokenistic policy thought bubbles. Going back to the previous election, the Prime Minister said to those people in the total and permanent disability community of ADF personnel that they had a compelling case for an increase in the TPI pension. He also said to those people who were recipients of the Defence Force retirement and death benefit—the DFRDB military superannuation scheme—that they had a case. He raised their expectations and hopes that if re-elected he would do something better, only to dash them during this term of office. Of course, the Prime Minister said—and the minister has alluded to the fact—that about 10 per cent of TPI veterans will receive some benefit from the extra assistance if they're privately renting, with the legislation before the parliament presently. But many feel disgusted that they've been left out. Despite the 2019 review of the DFRDB scheme and the government finding the department provided dodgy advice to ADF members about their retirement options, the government has failed to provide any compensation to veterans or make any changes to the scheme. Labor set up two Senate inquiries into both issues this year so veterans could have their say. The government couldn't effectively defend their position in relation to either inquiry. The inquiry into the TPI pension recommended the payment be increased, and the government ignored this. That is a slap in the face for many disabled veterans. The DFRDB inquiry also recommended support for DFRDB members. The government still hasn't responded. And who could forget, last year, the Prime Minister caving in and eventually agreeing to Tasmania war hero Teddy Sheean being awarded the Victoria cross, after ignoring the advice of the independent umpire, the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal, and costing the taxpayer tens of thousands of dollars in setting up yet another review before eventually caving in? In yet another broken promise, the government committed to the rollout six veterans wellbeing hubs around the country by 2020. Only half of those have been completed, and the other half will not be up and running until next year, most likely after the election—a full two years late. And who can you forget their broken promise to my electorate. Having committed to a veterans hub in 2016 in Ipswich, they have yet to deliver that. In last year's delayed October budget, the former minister for veterans affairs failed to deliver on a promise to increase fees paid to the Department of Veterans' Affairs health providers for physiotherapy and occupational therapy, which made accessing these services harder for many veterans. In this year's budget the government increased fees for podiatry and occupational therapists but once again left out physiotherapy. The government has continued to cut access and entitlement to vital veterans' health services, like physiotherapy, exercise physiology, hearing aids and robotic surgery for prostate cancer. I recall, too, the former minister committing to delivering a new Veteran Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and National Action Plan by the end of 2019, but, spectacularly, missing this deadline. After sustained pressure from Labor, DVA quietly released a strategy on its website in May last year, almost six months late. The document itself was very short on substance and concrete action—more of a marketing exercise and a laundry list of existing programs. The government's failed to adequately respond to the 2019 Productivity Commission report on veterans support schemes and systems, which has left many veterans disappointed, disgraced and disgusted. All up, the government's only addressed 34—or less than half—of the 69 recommendations of the PC. Given the landmark report was delivered in July 2019, veterans should have expected a more comprehensive response than this. Despite loud calls from Labor and the veterans community, the government has consistently failed to address the terrible plight of homeless veterans. We know homelessness is a significant factor in veteran suicide. One in 10 people sleeping rough or homeless tonight in any regional city, country area or capital city is a veteran. That's a national shame and disgrace. That brings me to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, the other event I attended over the weekend. Last Friday I had the honour of standing with three brave women—Karen Bird, Julie-Ann Finney and Nikki Jamieson—all of whom tragically lost their sons, who had served this country in uniform, to suicide. These brave women advocated and irritated and annoyed the government, urging the government to have a royal commission into defence and veterans suicide, along with many others. These included including members of the RSL and Labor, who in 2019 urged the government to do so and said that, if the government weren't going to do that, we ourselves, under an Albanese Labor government, would have that royal commission. The government was forced to abandon its national commissioner legislation, which was friendless in the Senate. It was rejected by veterans and families as a marketing exercise and failed to get the numbers to pass the Senate. The national commissioner role lacked resources, independence and transparency. While we have no qualm or quibble with the integrity or the capacity of the individual person, Dr Bernadette Boss—and we thank her for her report, now with the royal commission—the government should have handled this situation much, much better. Make no mistake: the Prime Minister fought against a royal commission all the way, only agreeing to it after overwhelming support from the veteran and wider community and after a backbench revolt, with concurrent resolutions of the Senate and the House and with backbenchers in his own government threatening to cross the floor. It was only then that the government eventually wilted and had to agree to a royal commission. Going forward, it's important that the royal commission be a bipartisan issue and that veterans and families be at the centre and their voices be heard. We broadly welcome the appointment of the royal commissioners, and we are pleased that Labor has had a briefing with the royal commissioners. We support them and wish them well in their endeavour. It's disappointing that the government didn't consult with the opposition on the terms of reference and the commissioners' appointments and that it failed, indeed, to appoint any of the individuals we suggested. But we do not have any doubt that the current commissioners will do their work to the best of their abilities. I was pleased to be there, after that press conference with those three brave women, at the opening of the royal commission and to hear the passionate and determined speeches of the royal commissioners, Commissioners Kaldas, Douglas and Brown. We thank them. No-one could be under any illusions about the fact these people are determined to do the right thing and to look at this issue in a systemic way. I thank them for their service and I look forward to their recommendations. Labor will have their backs in making sure that the government is held to account in this way. I am pleased also that the royal commission has extended the period of time for people to make submissions until October 2022, and I urge the veterans community and the wider Australian community to lodge submissions with the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. Have your say. Tell of your experience. Have your voice heard. This is the only way we'll get systemic change and improvement in the veterans system in this country. Ultimately, we want deliverable and enforceable recommendations. This is a one-in-100-year opportunity to fix our broken veterans support system. I note that the minister himself called it an inefficient system and talked about the backlog of claims. I note also that, in a 12-page speech that the minister has now tabled, he could only refer to six lines dealing with the Department of Veterans' Affairs, because he knows the system is broken and the government has failed to deliver a key commitment to cut waiting times for processing claims through the Department of Veterans' Affairs, with veterans continuing to experience long delays in receiving their entitlements. These dangerously long waiting times are having impacts on the mental health of veterans, and the government department's own research shows that. You only have to look at coronial inquests to know that that's the case. You only have to speak to veterans in communities like Mates4Mates in Townsville, where I was recently, or Ipswich, my home city, Adelaide, Tweed Heads or other places where I have done forums to know that the travails and troubles of the Department of Veterans' Affairs have caused problems for the veteran community. It was interesting that, the day before the opening of the royal commission, a Senate finance and public administration committee tabled in parliament a report showing that the privatisation of Public Service capability in the Department of Veterans' Affairs and elsewhere is responsible for problems with the department's public service delivery, including the Department of Veterans' Affairs waiting times and reduced services for veterans. The report found that the Abbott government's 2015 cap on public sector hiring had forced the department to replace thousands of public servants with temporary labour hire contracts. The report case study on DVA found that it had the largest proportion of labour hire contractors of any government department—33.4 per cent of the total department workforce as of April 2021. Evidence given to the committee found that DVA used 46 separate labour hire providers in 2019-20 at a cost of $82.1 million to the taxpayer. At that stage, 41.6 per cent of the department's workforce was labour hire, including over 50 per cent of frontline claims-processing staff. The report found that replacing experienced public servants with external labour hire contractors has had a disastrous effect on service delivery for Australian veterans and that the high rate of labour hire contractors has led to unsustainable caseloads, higher staff turnover and the need to constantly retrain new staff, creating significant delays in processing times. Waiting times for many claims have blown out to up to 18 months, while 68 per cent of veteran disability pension claims and 42 per cent of claims for war widow and widower benefits were yet to be finalised by April this year. A Senate inquiry found that the average processing time for initial claims is now 192 days, more than double the 90-day deadline outlined in the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act, while for some claims it's up to 218 days. It is simply not good enough. Additional use of labour hire to process some of the most vulnerable and complex cases has caused concern that veterans are not receiving the quality of services they need. This sensitive work requires a well-trained, informed and stable workforce that is not undermined by short-term contract staff. That's why the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide is expected to look closely at the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the impact on the mental health of veterans caused by these delays. What's more, the labour hire arrangements in DVA cost taxpayers more money than employing permanent APS staff, while labour hire workers typically receive worse pay and conditions. The government needs to do the right thing and abolish the department's staffing cap so DVA can hire the permanent staff it needs and give our veterans the services they deserve. Veterans and ex-service organisations are simply fed up with the delays, denials and dysfunction of DVA and feel taken for granted. Report after report, including of coronial inquests, have shown delays and poor services are having a terrible effect on veterans' mental health and wellbeing. That is why Labor called for the royal commission—to look at a systemic approach. The minister can say the government's provided extra funding for staff in the budget, but that is smoke and mirrors. It's a short-term political fix designed to get through the next election. The reality is that these are only temporary jobs, terminating in two years. A small increase in the department staffing cap was used to transfer hundreds of existing labour hire staff onto a two-year contract, which means there will be no net increase in staff as the government claims. Even DVA have admitted that these staff will not be enough to reduce the huge backlog of claims and that they need more labour hire workers. It is a cruel hoax on veterans and their families, who continue to experience dangerously long waiting times for assessment. After eight years, it's clear this tired government has no real plans. What they're going to do is, of course, outsource yet again, with McKenzie to provide an action plan by Christmas. This government cannot stop outsourcing to external consultants, privatisation and labour hire. Once again, they're outsourcing responsibility. This new review is not good enough. It's a clear admission of failure by the government on the eve of an election. What they should do is listen to Labor's policies in this area, of making sure that we minimise the number of people involved in labour hire and rebuild the Public Service. What we need is same job, same pay and secure Public Service jobs by ending inappropriate temporary contracts. The government, as Labor has said repeatedly, should be a model employer and only utilise non-permanent employment where it's essential and not as a way of simply minimising permanent workforce numbers. Labor in government would legislate to ensure that workers employed through labour hire or other employment arrangements such as outsourcing will not receive less pay than workers employed directly. The explosion of labour hire contracted staff in government departments has not only cut jobs; it's wasted vast amounts of taxpayer money. So much for this government being better economic managers. The government's Public Service staffing cap has resulted in paying exorbitant fees and premiums for labour hire companies and tax-evading multinationals in an effort to stealthily privatise the Public Service. That's what they are doing: privatisation by stealth. This ideological opposition by the government towards the Public Service needs to stop. Departments can save money by converting labour hire workers to permanent staff where it makes sense and, in fact, stop the waste and provide more transparency when it comes to Public Service employment. After eight long years, the Liberals and National Party still have no plans to fix the Public Service and DVA. Finally, I want to reiterate that Labor strongly supports the Australian War Memorial redevelopment project, which will help modernise and contemporise the War Memorial to tell the stories of our contemporary veterans of recent conflicts and peacekeeping operations. We have provided bipartisan support in relation to this development, which will expand the exhibition space of our younger veterans. We expect the memorial to tell the full story of Australia's wartime history and to recognise the physical and mental suffering of returned servicepeople and the impact on families and loved ones. It's clear veterans and their families are being left behind by this government. We have a Prime Minister and a government that are completely out of touch and take veterans and defence personnel for granted. It just goes to show that this is a government all about announcements and never about delivery. They continue to fail veterans and their families. It's not good enough. Our veterans and families deserve so much better.