VETERANS' AFFAIRS

The Hon. L. STEVENS (Little Para) (14:53): My question is to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. Will the minister explain the function of his portfolio and that of the Veterans' Advisory Council?

Mr Venning interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert.

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON (Croydon—Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:54): Not only does this question deal with one of our most recently created portfolios, Veterans' Affairs, but it also comes at a time when we have many men and women serving our nation on operational service overseas. Members of the house may not realise that the last five years of the Iraq conflict created more than 3,700 new war veterans for our nation.

With the continuing conflict in Afghanistan, together with the enormous defence expansion planned for our state, thousands of veterans and their dependants will pass through our state on postings. It is not commonly known that there are more than 40,000 veterans, dependants and associated recipients of commonwealth Department of Veterans' Affairs benefits living in South Australia. There is an equal number of veterans and dependants who do not receive any benefits but who still identify with the well-organised veterans' community, meaning that the veteran community in South Australia is about 80,000. The Rann government wants to ensure their recognition by honouring their service and by raising public awareness of the sacrifice they made in pursuit of the way of life we now enjoy.

The veteran community relies upon many different parts of government, and I know this can be frustrating and confusing for older veterans. The function of the Veterans Affairs portfolio is to allow veterans to communicate directly with the highest levels of government, and the portfolio aims to be a focal point to allow the veteran community a single point of contact with the state government. Indeed, I enjoyed being at the Stirling RSL on Sunday for its eight-ball competition with the West Croydon-Kilkenny RSL.

An honourable member: You lost.

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: We did, but only on the last ball of the last rubber. The portfolio will also liaise with the Department of Veterans' Affairs in Canberra to maximise synergy between the commonwealth's funding body for some services and the state, as service provider for veterans. Although many veterans' matters are controlled by the commonwealth, it is important that we acknowledge our veterans by providing strong support at state level. We cannot guarantee that we will be successful at federal level, but we can be strong advocates and ensure that their valid concerns get an adequate hearing.

One of my first tasks will be to appoint a veterans' advisory council, which will seek to represent the entire veteran community in South Australia. The role of the council is to be a conduit between the veterans' community and the highest level of government. For the first time the veteran community in South Australia will be able to speak with one voice and have that voice heard. The veterans' advisory council will assist a united veterans' community to determine its needs, justify them, and articulate them.

The veterans' advisory council is yet to be appointed, but before I take that step I thought it essential to hear the views of every member of the veteran community. To enable this I convened a consultative meeting that was held at the Drill Hall of the Torrens Parade Ground on 30 September. The response to the meeting was extraordinary. Nearly 700 members of the veteran community attended; the parade ground parking capacity was exceeded, and cars stretched back to King William Street. This response sent a special message that the veterans' community wants to be heard, and I intend that the veterans' advisory council will give them the voice it seeks.

After the meeting I approached ex-service and veteran organisations by letter and advertised widely. I have invited expressions of interest from those who may wish to serve on the council, and these expressions will be received until 7 November, after which time I will make the necessary appointments.

The Rann Labor government values the service of our veterans and understands the sacrifices made by them. I would also like to thank all those I have met and with whom I have held discussions in recent weeks. The warm welcome the veterans' community has given me as I travelled from branch to branch, club to club and memorial to memorial across our state has been tremendous. The establishment of a veterans' advisory council will give a stronger voice to that community and will allow me to make certain that my portfolio works in a way that provides benefits and recognition to all in that community.