JOINT MEDIA RELEASE
RICHARD MARLES MP
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
MINISTER FOR DEFENCE
and
THE HON MATT KEOGH MP
Minister for VETERANS’ AFFAIRS
MINISTER FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL
SUPPORTING AUSTRALIA'S VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES
The Albanese Labor Government is investing an additional $477 million to increase our support to the more than 340,000 veterans and dependents accessing services through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA).
The Government is delivering on its commitment to implement and deliver simplified and harmonised veteran compensation legislation, which was the first recommendation of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
The 2024-25 Budget includes $222 million additional funding for veteran and family entitlements and supports to be made available through the new simplified veteran compensation legislation, ensuring veterans and their families can better understand, and access the support they are entitled to faster.
The Albanese Government recognises the important role that the Australian Public Service plays in delivering services for Australians, and in the 2022-23 October Budget we invested more than $233.9 million to engage 500 new frontline staff at DVA to eliminate the veteran compensation claims backlog.
Thanks to the hard work of those additional staff, that backlog has now been cleared, delivering on our commitment and ahead of the deadline recommended by the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
Now we’re investing further, with $186 million towards the employment of an additional 141 staff, to ensure backlogs don’t re-emerge and to process claims faster.
This Budget will boost Veterans’ Home Care and Community Nursing Programs, with an additional $48.4 million funding to ensure there are no gaps in service delivery. These investments ensure funding for DVA remains at a record high, now better funded than it has been in three decades. The Albanese Government is committed to delivering a better future for Defence personnel, veterans and families, by ensuring they can access the services and supports they need and deserve.
TUESDAY, 14 MAY 2024
Media Contacts:
Deputy Prime Minister’s Office: dpm.media@defence.gov.au
Minister Keogh’s Office: keogh.media@defence.gov.au