RSL AUSTRALIA UPDATE National President Greg Melick

At 11.00 am on 11 November 1918 the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous war. The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month attained a special significance in the post-war years and is now known as Remembrance Day when we honour all those who bravely served our country and continue to serve our country.

Please join us in honouring our veterans this Remembrance Day. Whether it be attending a service, wearing a poppy, observing a minute’s silence at 11 a.m., or donating to the Poppy Appeal . Your support allows the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) to continue to support veterans and their families.

One of the ways that the RSL supports veterans and their families is by advocating for veterans’ benefits and welfare.

This year we’re pleased to report that strong progress has been made in the key areas that the RSL has been focused on. Though much remains to be done, we have seen the Government commit to:

• demand-driven funding for DVA,

• the harmonisation of the veterans’ entitlements legislation,

• more funding for DVA to reduce the claims backlog,

• and a review and uplift of the DVA fee schedule.

Each of these things RSL Australia advocated for before the release of the 2023-24 Federal Government Budget.

The RSL has also been present at each of the Hearings of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, listening and learning as the Commission proceeds.

We have seen that there is a need to bring together Ex Service Organisations (ESOs) and work together to address the Commission’s emerging findings and ensure that the recommendations of the Royal Commission can lead to a real improvement in the health of the men and women who serve and have served our nation.

The RSL has proactively taken action, and facilitated three National Forums for ESOs which have brought together over 70 organisations from across Australia.

Together we are working towards establishing a peak body for the sector to represent and advocate for the needs of ESOs – both large and small –as well as for veterans, and their families. The National Forum process has been supported by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and participants have heard from the Royal Commissioners into Defence and Veteran Suicide at each forum.

In addition to this, RSL Australia is calling on the Government to establish a peak body headed by an Independent Commissioner to lead the implementation of the forthcoming recommendations of the Royal Commission to ensure there is a mechanism to keep a permanent watch on the issue and continue to hold Government, Defence and others to account.

Did you know...

The current Royal Commission marks the 58th inquiry into Defence and veteran suicide by Australian Governments. Australia must seize this opportunity to, once and for all, provide real improvement in the health and wellbeing of the men and women who serve and have served our nation.

The cost of not doing so is too high.

Another strategic priority for RSL Australia is advocating for increased defence spending, particularly for the Army in response to the Defence Strategic Review, to ensure that our nation’s Defence Forces are balanced and appropriate for our region’s current unstable strategic environment.

Advocacy is a continued focus for RSL. We will continue to advocate for funding to enhance the Advocacy Training and Development Program to ensure that veterans have access to free, trained advocates to assist with claims.

In addition to some great progress made in advocating for veterans, we’ve also been fortunate to receive grants from the government to establish veterans’ hubs in locations across Australia. These hubs allow veterans to access one-stop-shops of services within their communities.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to follow RSL Australia on social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter) to stay abreast of initiatives that RSL is working on and how we are supporting veterans and their families.