Federal Member for Gippsland and Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Darren Chester says he is looking forward to working closely with the Returned and Services League (RSL) to ensure veterans and their families are recognised and properly supported when they leave the Australian Defence Force.
Mr Chester met with the incoming Victorian RSL state president, Dr Mark Schroffel, and parliamentary colleagues Mary Aldred and Wayne Farnham to discuss issues impacting veterans across Gippsland.
“It was great to have my ‘neighbours’ Mary Aldred and Wayne Farnham join in the conversation with Dr Schroffel as we work together to make sure veterans across our region have access to services if they ever need them,” Mr Chester said.
“The RSL across Australia has a proud history of advocating on behalf of veterans, and in Gippsland, we have many incredible volunteers at sub-branches who do tremendous work on behalf of current and former service personnel, and their families.
“A former Army captain, Dr Schroffel, replaces Dr Rob Webster OAM, who announced he wouldn’t be seeking re-election earlier this year. Rob has served the RSL with integrity and decency and was a trusted source of advice when I was Veterans’ Minister.”
Mr Chester said he would be focused on the positive aspects of military service, which were often overlooked in media coverage.
“The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide has helped to promote a false and dangerous narrative that everyone who serves in the Australian Defence Force will end up broken and in need of lifetime medical support for physical or mental injuries,” Mr Chester said.
“By providing a platform to focus on the real and perceived deficiencies in our system of support for service personnel and veterans, the positive story of military service and the benefits it provides to the individual and the nation were completely lost in the public debate.
“At a time when the ADF is desperate to attract its fair share of the brightest and most capable young Australians, the ‘busted veteran’ myth is a barrier to achieving recruitment targets.”
Mr Chester said the Victorian RSL had a critical role to play in advocating on behalf of veterans and their families while also dispelling some of the myths.
“We can work together to demonstrate that our veterans have a great deal to offer the community when they leave the military,” Mr Chester said.
“It is undoubtedly true that the unique nature of military service exposes ADF personnel to risks during training and deployment, which are unmatched in the civilian world. It is equally true that a grateful nation owes our veterans the care and support they need if they are harmed during that service.
“But it’s completely untrue to imply that everyone will need medical help after ADF service, and feeding veterans a diet of helplessness and hopelessness is damaging to both them and their loved ones. It’s also a barrier to future job opportunities if potential employers think they are recruiting damaged goods.”
