



Senator Mark Bishop  Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs  Senator for Western Australia

MEDIA RELEASE

14  February  2003              :va.ms04/03



CLARKE REVIEW ON VETERANS’ ENTITLEMENTS WELCOME

The Review of Veterans’ Entitlements by Justice Clarke is a welcome contribution to the complex  area of veterans’ policy, Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Senator Mark Bishop said tonight.

Some ex-service people with service in South East Asia will welcome the recommended extension  of veterans benefits, as will some of those who served in Japan after WW2, and those who served  during the atomic tests - provided of course that the Government accepts the recommendations.

Many other veterans will be disappointed.

The cost of the recommendations will prove a serious obstacle for the Government, particularly  with the Budget still in the red.

A number of recommendations mirror identified needs in the veteran community such as war  widows who are denied rent assistance, and those who have their disability compensation payments  counted as income in the means test by Centrelink. The latter is an ALP initiative rejected on a  number of occasions by the Howard Government.

The retrospective redefinition of some overseas deployments as satisfying the test for qualifying  service under the Veterans’ Entitlement Act, while no doubt welcomed by some, will cause  disappointment for others.

The T&PI community will be devastated at the rejection of their long campaign, but further  examination of the fine detail is needed before a response can be made.

The comments and criticism of the Repatriation Commission on the lack of any credible effort on  rehabilitation of veterans is a condemnation of years of neglect of policy and poor administration

The ALP will be considering the detail of the report as part of its policy review, but notes that the  review was commissioned by the Government to fill a vacuum, and the onus is therefore on it to  clearly state what it accepts and will implement, and the timetable.



Contact :  Peter Reece 0414  677441  Mark Bishop 0419 959892

Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600,  Phone (02) 6277 3101,  Fax (02) 6277 3123  Perth, Suite 31/443 Albany Highway, Victoria Park, WA  6100,  Phone (08) 9472 6177,  Fax (08)  9472 6200  senator.bishop@aph.gov.au

