Disability Payments Treated the same as Federally Funded Pensions

Ensure that all disability payments are indexed the same as other Federally funded pensions and are included in pension indexation rounds, and in any other lump sum increases that are applied to other Federally funded pension payments.

Disability Payments - Maintenance of Value

Ensure that the value of all levels of disability payments (general rate increments, intermediate rate, special (TPI) rate and EDA rate) are maintained through the continued application of the most beneficial indexation formula.

Veteran Aged Care

Government act immediately to secure and oversee the provision of aged care facilities for Veterans, and provide assistance to Veterans to meet the cost of obtaining retirement village type accommodation.

Mental Health – Condition Acceptance Procedures and Funding

Provide better and simplified mental health assessment, treatment, and compensation regimes, including improving and simplifying psychiatric condition acceptance procedures.

Provide adequate funding to ensure eligible Veterans have timely access to mental health professionals, mental health programs and facilities, including specialist hospital treatment.

Defence Superannuation Fairly Indexed

Immediately abandon the CPI linked indexation of Defence Superannuation payments and apply future increases based on the greater of the increases of the CPI index or MTAWE.

BEST Funding

Ensure that adequate BEST funding is provided to meet, at least, all of the costs of operating the Regional Veterans Centre Project in Victoria.

Pharmaceuticals

Provide free pharmaceutical services for entitled Veterans

Alternative Medicine and Health Services

Provide free access to all alternative medicine and health services for eligible veterans.

Spouse Carer Gold Card Entitlements

Extend gold card entitlements to Carer spouses of gold card holders.

Funeral Benefit

Funeral benefit currently payable under VEA be increased to the same level available to other Veterans under MRCA.

Counseling Access

Remove time limits for access to VVCS Counseling Services for divorcees.

Role of Carers

Give proper recognition to the role of Carers of Vietnam Veterans.

Provide funding and resources to allow access to community health facilities and adequate respite breaks.

Extend Education Support Criteria

Extend eligibility criteria for education support to include eligible Veterans on the General or Intermediate Rate of disability compensation.

Legal Aid

Provide the same legal aid service level through state legal aid commissions to Vietnam Veterans in all States irrespective of the case.

Retrospective Awards

Continue reviews into the lack of bravery awards made to Vietnam Conflict service personnel with the aim of retrospectively making appropriate awards, including allowing foreign awards to be recognized.

Broaden the award of active service medals to include personnel who were engaged in certain logistic support and evacuation operations.

War Graves

Maintain as official war graves, the graves of all Vietnam Veterans who died on active service and are buried in Australia, irrespective of whether the funeral was conducted privately or with Military Honours.

Voluntary Work

Acknowledge the value of TPI Veterans undertaking voluntary work, and ensure that voluntary work is not considered in relation to any compensation or pension payments.

If you would like to download this manifesto in PDF format you may do so HERE