Scott Morrison says spending on wellbeing centres and jobs assistance is ‘about backing veterans and their families’

The Coalition has promised to spend $63m on veterans’ initiatives, including wellbeing centres and employment assistance.

Scott Morrison and the veterans affairs minister, Darren Chester, will announce the funding on Wednesday ahead of a campaign hiatus on Thursday for Anzac Day.

The package includes $30m for veterans’ wellbeing centres, with $5m for new locations in Darwin, Nowra, Wodonga, Adelaide and Perth, and to support the existing Oasis in Townsville.

The employment assistance component includes $6m to Soldier On to deliver veteran employment services in regional cities and $6m to state branches of the Returned and Services League. A further $3m will go to Team Rubicon, which helps veterans gain skills through volunteer participation in disaster response.

Labor inland rail inquiry gives regional voters 'a clear difference', farmers say Read more

Morrison said the Coalition’s package was “about backing veterans and their families to get jobs when they leave the defence forces and to get the healthcare and housing they need”.

“As we approach Anzac Day, we’re focused on honouring and respecting the service of our servicemen and women, veterans and their families as well as delivering practical support.”

In November the Coalition announced plans to spend $498m on a major redevelopment of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra to feature more material of recent wars and peacekeeping in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste.

Labor offered bipartisan support for the upgrade, despite community criticism saying the memorial is already well-funded and the RSL calling for spending to be matched by an investment in veterans.

Both the Coalition and Labor agree that veterans should be recognised by a covenant that states a commitment to give support to serving and ex-service personnel.