In a ‘covenant’ with defence personnel, Labor will commit ‘to look after those who have sacrificed for our nation’

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Labor has promised to introduce mandatory reporting of health and social outcomes of veterans, as part of a “covenant” with defence personnel.

Bill Shorten will make the policy commitment in Townsville on Wednesday, promising to formalise Australia’s “commitment to look after those who have sacrificed for our nation”.

If elected, Labor will draft a non-binding symbolic statement of principles, based on the United Kingdom’s military covenant, which promises British soldiers “fair treatment, to be valued and respected as individuals, and that they (and their families) will be sustained and rewarded by commensurate terms and conditions of service”.

Guardian Australia understands the announcement pre-empts a move by veterans affairs minister Darren Chester who has drafted a covenant with ex service organisations, to be released in coming weeks.

Labor will also create a law to require future governments to report annually to the national parliament on how they are best meeting their responsibilities of support to our serving and ex-service personnel.

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Reporting would include details of Department of Veterans’ Affairs claims-processing times, mental health support and suicide prevention, and efforts to improve employment outcomes.

There are currently 300,000 veterans who access benefits through the department, but processing times for some claims don’t meet targets. For example, the processing time for permanent impairment claims in 2016-17 was 148 days, 28 days over the target.

The availability and waiting time for counselling services will be measured, along with the implementation of veteran suicide prevention pilot. In 2002-2015, the suicide rate among ex-servicemen was 14% higher than for all Australian men, adjusting for age.

Veterans’ unemployment currently sits at 30%. The rate for those not medically discharged is lower at 11.2%, but is still double the national rate.



Disaffection by veterans has been a driving force in minor-party politics, helping to propel former Australian army corporal Jacqui Lambie into the Senate before she resigned due to holding dual citizenship.

In August 2017, then veterans affairs minister Dan Tehan gave a ministerial statement to parliament on veterans and their families, but Labor believes reporting should be regular.

Tehan said that “some in the veteran community” found the department to be “adversarial, slow or bureaucratic”, pointing to satisfaction surveys showing a decline in satisfaction from 93% in 2010 to 83% in 2016.

In a statement Shorten said: “Australians who serve in our armed forces often require specialised health and social services assistance – this is about making sure those needs don’t slip through the cracks.”

He said the covenant would formalise the “bipartisan commitment to giving the best possible support to our serving and ex-service personnel”.

“Those who put their lives on hold to serve their country deserve to know ... that we acknowledge the sacrifice they and their families have made in service to our nation, and that we are committed to being there for them now and into the future.”

In the most recent budget the Coalition spent $100m to upgrade the department’s claims and information technology systems. Personnel are now automatically registered with the department after service in the military.

In November 2016 the Turnbull government established an advisory body to encourage private businesses to do more to recruit veterans.