Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (11:42):

Our veterans have given so much for our country, and in return they deserve to be looked after. As a government it is our responsibility to make sure that when our servicemen and women return home they are supported to help them live the best life they can. One of the ways veterans can be supported to live their best lives is through access to education and employment. Study is one of the best ways to make sure veterans are equipped for a civilian workforce, which is no doubt in many ways an entirely different world to the one which they have become so used to during their service to our country.

Those opposite have stood in this place and made a lot of claims but make no mistake, this government supports veterans and their families, completely and unconditionally. The Incapacity Payments for Veterans Studying Pilot program was established with the aim of encouraging veterans to undertake full-time education as part of their rehabilitation program by maintaining their incapacity payments at the level of their prior salary at 100 per cent while participating in such full-time education to enhance their employment prospects. We did what the previous government did not do, despite saying they would, and extended this program to 30 June 2023. In making this extension, it was made clear this was only until 30 June, and in February 2023 all pilot program participants were again advised that it would end on 30 June 2023.

It's very important to note that the end of this pilot program will not affect other forms of education assistance from the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and it will not prevent veterans from continuing their studies. What it will mean is, after 45 weeks on the incapacity payment at 100 per cent of their previous earnings, veterans will have their incapacity payments decreased to 75 per cent of their previous earnings, just as is the case for veterans not in the pilot program.

We want to help veterans and their families, but it is vital to make sure that we are providing the help that is needed and that the help that we are providing is effective and having a real impact in assisting veterans. In extending the pilot program, we were able to look at how effective it is. Approximately 600 veterans, of approximately 6,000 eligible veterans, have taken up the opportunity through this pilot program since 2018. This means that the take-up rate has been about 10 per cent, which is similar to the proportion of veterans that were undertaking full-time study as part of a rehabilitation program before this pilot program. We know that this pilot program has been of benefit for recipients, but the reality is that it has not achieved significant improvements to veterans' employment prospects when compared to those of eligible veterans who did not take part in the pilot program. It would be irresponsible for any government, and it would not be fair on veterans, to allocate money and resources to a program which does not adequately provide the assistance which is needed.

There is an alternative approach for supporting veterans' employment, and this approach will have real impacts. In the October budget, this government committed to and funded a $24 million veteran employment program which seeks to build on existing initiatives to raise awareness, highlight the benefits of employing veterans and veterans' families, provide support to businesses to attract, recruit and retain veterans and provide support to transfer veterans' military skills and experience to the civilian workplace. This program will support veterans to recognise and communicate the value of their skills gained in service—skills like leadership, teamwork, agility, discipline and the ability to work under pressure, which are all critical skills in the modern economy and which all employers are demanding currently. The skills of our veterans are so valuable, and it's important that employers know this. The program will also develop pathways for vocational education and qualification providers, as well as universities, to recognise and give credit for skills learned and experience gained through defence service.

In ending, I just want to say thank you to our veterans and their families for all they have sacrificed for this country. The government and our nation as a whole are in debt to you, and I assure you all this government has your back and we will always fight to make sure that you have effective assistance when you need it.