Veterans' Charter

124 Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (12 August 2014). (First Session)

In reference to 2014-15 Budget Paper 4, Volume 1, page 107, Program 4: Veterans' Affairs—What is the current status of the Veteran's Charter?

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Minister for Investment and Trade, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs): I have been advised:

As part of its work on behalf of the veterans' community in South Australia, the Veterans' Advisory Council (VAC) created a Charter for Veterans that was endorsed by Cabinet in January 2014.

Creation of the document was initiated in December 2010 and was done in consultation with the broader veteran community.

The Charter is intended to provide government agencies with guidance on how they should act when veterans are involved and enunciates a number of principles that acknowledge:

government services should consider the cultural, economic, social, emotional, physical and pastoral needs of veterans; and

veterans should be involved in consultation about services that affect them and their community.

Services that directly impact veterans should aim to provide timely, appropriate and adequate assistance to veterans and take into account:

the benefits of early intervention;

the susceptibility to social exclusion experienced by veterans from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities;

the barriers to access to services faced by veterans in rural and remote communities;

the complex needs of allied veterans from culturally and linguistically and diverse communities;

the needs and role of carers; and

the core of the veteran culture lies in the bonds of mateship, commemoration of the sacrifice of those who died, and support for the dependants of deceased comrades and all those impacted by military service.

A communications strategy is currently being prepared to distribute the Charter to government agencies and the veteran community.