Budget October 2022–23

The Australian Government com­mitted $537.5 million to DVA in the October Budget. In 2022–23, $11.5 bil­lion will be allocated to the veteran support system.

The Budget included a range of measures to support the Government’s response to the Interim Report from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, including 500 new frontline staff to address the compen­sation claims backlog and deliver faster decisions for veterans and families.

Additionally, funding was allocated to modernise DVA’s IT systems and improve the administration of the claims processing system and veterans’ services. The Government is investing in creating a pathway for legislation improvement to address longstanding complexities in the veteran support system. Funding was also allocated to establish the modelling capabilities to better forecast future demand for DVA services and bolster DVA’s capabilities for critical functions.

The Veterans’ Affairs Budget package includes a range of measures to implement and support the Government’s response to the Interim Report from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.

Frontline staff

The package includes an investment of $233.9 million for 500 new frontline DVA staff. The number of claims lodged with DVA has grown significantly in recent years, and the additional staff will help address the backlog of claims and deliver faster decisions on claims for veterans and families.

IT systems

In response to the Royal Commission’s Interim Report recommendations, DVA’s IT systems will be modernised to reduce complexity and improve the experience for veterans and families, with $87 million being invested over two years through this Budget. The improvements to the IT systems will improve administration of claims processing and systems, making it simpler, faster and easier for veterans and families to lodge and track the progress of their claims, and access supports.

Legislation improvement

To address longstanding complexities in the vet­eran support system, $9.5 million will be invested over two years to develop, and consult on, a path­way for legislation improvement. The funding will also assist in establishing a governance and assurance framework to manage the implemen­tation of the recommendations from the Royal Commission’s Interim Report accepted by the Government.

$15.5 million has been allocated to support DVA’s continued engagement with the Royal Commission.

Better forecasting

Additionally, the Government is investing in modelling capabilities to better forecast future demands for DVA services, while also providing additional resources to meet immediate service delivery requirements across functions that have experienced increased demand. This initiative will be funded with $24.3 million invested over the next four years.

Veterans’ and Families’ Hubs

A number of measures have been announced to provide further support for the health and well­being of veterans and families, including the establishment of 10 more Veterans’ and Families’ Hubs across the country. This includes eight new hubs and the continuation of development of hubs in Southeast Queensland and Tasmania.

The new hubs will be located in:

  • Geelong/Surf Coast, VIC 
  • Hawkesbury region, NSW 
  • Hunter region, NSW 
  • Ipswich, QLD 
  • Northern Adelaide, SA 
  • Queanbeyan, NSW 
  • Southwest Perth, WA 
  • Tweed/North Coast region, NSW 

The expansion of the Hubs network will improve access to tailored and localised support services for the around half a million veterans and families in Australia.

For updates on new Hub locations, see the Latest News page of the DVA website.

Veteran Employment Program

A new Veteran Employment Program will be created to help ensure veterans’ skills and expe­rience are understood and valued by the civilian workforce and the wider Australian community. This will support the ongoing contributions of veterans to the nation through the civilian workforce.

TPI payment increase

From 1 January 2023, the Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI) Payment will be increased by $38.46 per fortnight, equivalent to $1,000 per year, which will provide additional financial support for around 27,000 of our most vulnerable veterans.

Veteran homelessness

To support veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Darwin, the Council of Aus­tralian Veterans will receive a grant to develop and establish the Scott Palmer Services Centre, named after Private Scott Travis Palmer who was tragically killed in action in Afghanistan. Private Palmer called the Northern Territory home. The accommodation facility will include a six-unit temporary accommodation facility with office space and will facilitate connections with veter­ans and support services.

Legacy Brisbane headquarters

Legacy Brisbane will receive a grant to support the establishment of their new headquarters at the old Red Cross site at Greenslopes, Brisbane, including a family hub to deliver support services to the families of deceased or injured veterans.

Commemorations

The commemoration of our veterans and recog­nition of their service and sacrifice was another key theme in the Budget, which included sup­porting the continued operation of the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway in Sydney. This is an important commemorative site honouring those who served in the Second World War. The fund­ing will contribute to its ongoing operational and maintenance costs.

Funding has been allocated to continue the research into the Soccer Ashes. This lost trophy was awarded for historical international soccer matches played between Australia and New Zea­land between the First and Second World Wars. The Soccer Ashes, lost since 1954, is a unique part of our nation’s military and sporting history.

To further support the recognition of veterans’ service and sacrifice, funding has been provided to establish an ongoing grants program to mark the private graves of First World War veterans who are not eligible for the Australian Govern­ment’s program of official commemoration.

For more information, visit Budget page of the DVA website.