The government is “deeply engaged” with the concerns of veterans, Health Minister Mark Butler has insisted, as a group of veterans prepare to lay down their service medals outside Parliament House in a new escalation of their campaign against the Albanese government’s changes to veterans’ healthcare.
The Coalition of Veterans’ Voices is demanding the government abandon plans for a $5000 annual cap on allied health treatment, end what it describes as “low-balling” in the veterans’ health system and establish an independent inquiry into the handling of claims by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
Veterans John Armfield, Dr Tim Nelson, Ian Lindgren, Melanie Annand, Gordon Traill and Sean Smith will lay down their medals during a protest at Parliament House.Alex Ellinghausen
“I know how important veteran services are to people who’ve put on our uniform, and I know this is an issue deeply felt in the veterans’ community,” Butler told ABC radio this morning.
He said the government was making several “substantial” changes to healthcare access for veterans, but he understood “concern and anxiety” over the $5000 annual cap on allied health treatment.
“There is … a consultation process open till the end of October. The minister’s been deeply engaged in that. These changes aren’t scheduled to take place until mid next year, and we want to make sure that the changes operate in the best interests of veterans.”