On 17 Aug 2026, I gave a Speech on Veterans' Allied Healthcare
Transcript:
Ms WATSON-BROWN:
I table Petition EN10124: “Reject the $5,000 DVA allied health cap, and uphold the Veterans’ Covenant”. The petition has been considered by the Standing Committee on Petitions and found to be in order.
Over 5000 people signed this Petition. These are Veterans, family members of Veterans, widows, dependents and people in our community who understand the true cost of serving.
They’ve signed this petition, because they know what these allied health caps really mean.
More bureaucratic process, potentially longer wait times and more frustration with a DVA system that is overloaded and unprepared for these changes.
Veterans rely on allied health services like physiotherapy, psychology, and occupational therapy, to live a decent life despite service-caused injuries. I have heard from a large number of Veterans, from my electorate, about how essential Allied Health is for their wellbeing.
I’ve also heard how frustrated they are with the unwieldy and difficult current system, where every claim feels like another battle. Based on current fees, 5,000 dollars falls well short of the essential clinical needs of many veterans. For some, 5,000 dollars won’t last more than a few months.
This cap ignores the 2019 Veterans’ Covenant where Parliament undertook to support all veterans as respected and valued members of the community. It also ignores the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, which identified financial and administrative barriers to care as major drivers of harm.
Veterans in my electorate and across Australia are extremely concerned about the cap, and rightly so. I’ve heard that for many, under these changes they will be worse off than before the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
Frankly, from my discussions with Veterans it is clear that there is no trust in the DVA, and no trust that the government has their best interests in mind. A pretty fair assessment if you look at the way DVA operates and the findings of the Royal Commission.
Announcing a cap, without consulting veterans first, or publishing specifics of how discretionary expansions work, does little to rebuild that trust.
These are people who have given so much, at great personal cost. They deserve better than these careless cost saving measures by the government.
That’s why I am so proud to support this petition. It was started by Rebecca, a local veteran and former Air Force Medic. Rebecca is a staunch advocate for her community, and for a better, fairer world.
This petition asks the House to reject the cap, or at minimum, exempt Gold Card holders and legislate a detailed, clinical-need override, and defer the measure until these protections are in place.