Senator Wright (SA – Australian Greens) gave this speech in Parliament today in response to Minister Ronaldson’s statement relating to the ANZAC centenary. In her speech Senator Wright reflected on the ANZAC spirit in the 21st century and the need to truly recognise and honour our veterans.
She said, “Bringing the Anzac spirit home also means looking out for one another and, particularly, looking out for those who have served. As a nation, we have been willing to send men and women to every corner of the globe. It is crucial that we honour their service and contribution to our nation by caring for them properly when they return. The real cost of war is much higher than the figure in the defence budget. It is the lives of these men and women, and their partners and children. As happened with those who returned from the Great War, all defence personnel return from conflict zones changed. Some have physical scars and some have mental scars. Veterans support programs must be proactive, ongoing and holistic-dealing with all their needs. Caring for veterans means addressing their physical and mental health needs and helping them to live full lives when they are integrated into a civilian setting.”
We trust that her words will be relected in the Australian Green’s actions in Parliament to support the restoration of veterans entitlements such as military superannuation indexation and veteran’s disability pensions.