Anzac Day leads me to reflect on the thousands of young veterans from Afghanistan, and other conflicts, who have submitted compensation claims that continue to pile up on desks in the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Some time ago the then minister responsible, Darren Chester, promised to solve the problem by employing 400 new staff to deal with the backlog. The current minister, Andrew Gee, said pre budget that he would resign if this was not resolved but nothing seems to have happened and meanwhile the applications keep increasing – now reported to number 50,000
The applicants are young men and women who in many cases having served in multiple tours of Afghanistan and as a consequence are under extreme stress. They need their claims settled immediately to prevent further deterioration of their health status.
As a former young conscript one of the reasons I felt confident about going to Vietnam was because I believed that DVA benefits would cover me if I was injured, contracted malaria or was confronted by other health issues.
If the Department of Veteran Affairs continues to stonewall claims not only will this send a very negative message to veterans and their families, but it will deter other young Australians from deciding to join Australia’s defence forces in the future.
John Bugge, Portarlington
We were delighted to attend the Acoustic Festival at the Ocean Grove Pavilion last Saturday evening.
The weather was fine, there was a great atmosphere, the music was very enjoyable and it was well attended by all ages.
It was wonderful to see and hear the local artists.
As people were asked to bring along a picnic tea, it was refreshing to see very minimal litter at the end.
Well done to the City of Greater Geelong for making this happen.
We look forward to more of these in the future.
Gerald Cornish and Robyn Grossman, Ocean Grove
