PRIME MINISTER

COALITION EXTENDS VETERANS RECOGNITION, CARE  AND COMPENSATION

Today the Government reaffirms its commitment to the nation’s veterans.

As Australia readies itself for the fight against international terrorism, we are inevitably  reminded of those who fought earlier wars. Our sense of gratitude is reflected in the world’s  most comprehensive repatriation system. The policy I release today, Supporting Those Who  Served, is designed to protect and extend this system.

In recognition of those veterans who were exposed to the unique hardships and deprivation of  combat in conflicts after World War Two, a re-elected Coalition Government will extend the  Gold Card to include comprehensive free health care for all Australian veterans of 70 years of  age or over with qualifLing service.

We will also scrap Labor’s decision to freeze the war widows’ Income Support Supplement  (ISS) at $124.90 per fortnight. Since 1986, this freeze has adversely affected 85,000 war  widows on income support. A re-elected Coalition Government will index the ISS to  increases in Male Total Average Weekly Earnings or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is  greater.

Our commitment to index the ISS, together with our policy announced in the last budget to  restore the pension rights of war widows who had their pensions cancelled when they chose  to remarry, will remedy Labor’s ungracious treatment of war widows.

I am also aware of concerns among some groups of ex-servicemen and women that they may  have a claim to entitlements under the Veterans’ Entitlement Act but are currently denied  access to these generous benefits because of perceived anomalies in the determination of  qualifying service.

These groups could include some World War I1 Veterans without qualifLing service, Veterans  of the British Occupational Force of Japan, participants of British atomic testing in Australia  and servicemen engaged in counter terrorist and special recovery training.

www.pm.gov.au

Accordingly, a third tern Coalition Government will initiate an independent review to  consider anomalies within the eligibility criteria for veterans’ entitlements. This review will  be conducted in close consultation with the ex-service community.

Supporting Those Who Served will ensure our Repatriation System remains the most  generous in the world.

Impact on the Forward Estimates 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Total

Unfreezing the Income Support 2.5 12.5 25.3 30.0 70.3

Supplement

conflicts aged 70+ and with  qualifling service

Gold Card to ADF in post WWII 15.7 17.8 20.0 20.0 73.5

Total 18.2 30.3 45.3 50.0 143.8

13 October 2001

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