Pensions and help re-entering the workforce were among the concerns that Hunter war veterans raised at a round-table meeting about the challenges that ex service men and women face in regional and rural areas.
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Paterson MP Meryl Swanson and Labor’s defence personnel spokesperson Amanda Rishworth met with RSL representatives from Maitland, Newcastle, Medowie, Raymond Terrace and Kurri Kurri to discuss the issues this week.
Maitland RSL Sub-branch president Eric Bell, who attended the meeting, said concern about veterans’ pensions was a key issue raised.
“The perceived slowness of the turn around of claims going in and being acted on [is a concern],” he said.
“Blokes come in to submit a claim for a pension for injuries or deteriorating health directly relating to their service and you send off [a claim] to a bureaucrat somewhere and they seem to be getting tougher and tougher.
“Things that we used to get, we don’t get now – things like self-paid envelopes to send the applications in – now the RSL has to pay for them. It’s just getting harder and harder.”
Mr Bell said there was also concern about a rumour that veterans would be pushed towards lodging claims through Centrelink offices rather than the Department of Veterans’ Affairs office in Newcastle.
“The veterans area is a specialised area. A bloke of 83 [years old] doesn’t want top go and line up at Centrelink with the unemployed to get their name ticked off, stand there and wait,” he said.
“These blokes have worked all their lives, they have fought for their country.”
The issue of rehabilitation for ex service men and women who want to re-enter the workforce, despite physical or mental illness, was another issue raised.
Ms Rishworth said the forum was “extremely useful in identifying issues”.
“The community awareness of access to mental health services for our veterans and ex-service personnel highlights the issues which regional and rural areas like that of the Hunter and surrounding regions face,” she said.
Ms Swanson said she was grateful that veterans, serving personnel and their supporters had been so frank during the meeting.
“What I heard loud and clear is that, as a society, we have to get better at looking after our veterans,” she said.
“We have to reduce the red tape they face accessing benefits and compensation, and ensure they have good health, and meaningful jobs and lives after leaving the services.”