Senate Inquiry into the TPI Payment (Special Rate of Disability Pension)
Commencing in March 2021, the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee (the Senate Committee) conducted an inquiry into the Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI) Payment (Special Rate of Disability Pension).
The Senate Committee delivered its report on 1 July 2021.
Background
On 18 March 2021 the Senate referred the following matter to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee for inquiry and report by 24 June 2021, subsequently extended to 1 July 2021.
The Senate Committee held a public hearing in Canberra on 20 May 2021 and received 21 submissions.
The Senate Committee's report on the Inquiry was tabled in Parliament on 1 July 2021. A link to the report is provided below:
The Senate Committee's report contained a single recommendation that the Australian Government consider an increase in the TPI Payment.
Government Response
The Australian Government's response to the Senate Committee Report, TPI payment (Special Rate of Disability Pension), was tabled by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs on 7 October 2021. A link to the response is provided below:
In its 2021 response the Government agreed to take into account the recommendation when considering future policy options for support to TPI.
In the October 2022-23 Budget the Australian Government delivered $97.9 million over four years from 2022–23 (and $28.7 million per year ongoing) to increase the TPI Payment under the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA) and legislatively linked payments, including the Temporarily Totally Incapacitated (TTI) Payment and the Blind rate of Disability Compensation Payment under the VEA and the Special Rate Disability Pension (SRDP) under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA). From 1 January 2023, eligible veterans received a $1,000 increase to the annual rate of their payment.