Deputy Speaker,

Every day in this Chamber we have the privilege of speaking on the most pressing issues of our national life.

And it’s one where, I’m proud to say, I not only talk the talk in here, but I walk the walk in my electorate, where I have in the past months gotten three veterans into employment opportunities.

And this motion touches on one of the, to my mind, most important questions that this place can consider.

That of how we assist former soldiers, sailors, and aviators who served Australia honourably in uniform to reintegrate into civilian life with social supports and meaningful work.

This is about more than employment, Deputy Speaker.

This is about the social contract and ensuring that we, the civilians whom they served, fulfill our duty towards veterans.

Because as this motion rightly notes, far too many veterans struggle to find work when they transition to civilian life.

Far too many veterans sleep rough in our streets, live with mental illness, are incarcerated, and struggle to find a job.

And a despicably large number of our military personnel commit suicide after their return to civilian life, which the Government is shining a light on with a Royal Commission.

The 11 August interim report of the Royal Commission reported that a previously disclosed figure of 1,273 deaths by suicide between 2001-2019 didn’t capture the full picture.

I look forward to the Ministerial statement on the interim Royal Commission report later this morning.

We now know that suicides in the cohort of 200,000 veterans who served from 1985-2001 were not included.

And that is before considering the rolling challenges of the transition to civilian life, an often-fraught journey that over 6,000 ADF personnel make each year.

Many transition to our first responder sector, police, fire, ambulance, and emergency services.

However, during this period, many veterans experience feelings of stigma and discrimination in the job market.

Which is outrageous, but it happens.

It’s outrageous because, if you have employed a veteran, you will know that they will often be the most eager, competent, and thorough members of corporate and government teams.

We know this because the private sector shows more and more interest in recruiting veterans who bring highly valued skills that ADF training gives them, such as the Military Appreciation process, risk-assessment, and decision-making.

And the mining industry is also reaching out and creating pathways for veterans.

Still, the battle that is so real for many veterans is often invisible to their friends, families, bosses and colleagues.

This is more than a productivity problem.

This is an equity problem.

The Albanese Labor Government is committed to no one being left behind, and veterans will be no exception to that.

Which is why our Government will deliver a $24 million veteran employment program to better support defence personnel as they make that difficult transition to civilian life.

Getting veterans into good quality jobs that make meaningful use of their skills will help boost recognition of their skills and experience.

And we will also provide support for education and training for veterans wanting to move into the civilian workforce.

The recent Jobs and Skills Summit will also help our veterans by giving veteran pensioners who want to earn an extra $4,000 per financial year the ability to do so.

The Summit also delivered better access to jobs and training for veterans through targets for training places in digital apprenticeships in the Australian Public Service.

I welcome this motion and commend these measures.

They are dear to my heart not just as an Army veteran but as someone who is proud to be the representative of hundreds of successful, talented, and entrepreneurial veterans and ex-service organisations based in Darwin and Palmerston.

I commend this motion and thank Shayne Neumann for his tireless work on veterans’ issues.