Data boost for veterans
INCLUDING veterans in Census data will lead to better funding of services and help prevent future suicides, a Townsville MP has said.
The Census and Statistics Amendment (Statistical Information) Regulations 2020 was passed at the end of last week and will be introduced next year as part of the 2021 Census.
Herbert MP Phillip Thompson said the inclusion of a specific question asking whether someone has served in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) would better help governments distribute veteran support funding in future.
“The simple fact is we don’t know how many veterans we have in Townsville (or Australia),” Mr Thompson said.
“We know how many people are clients of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs but that doesn’t count the many thousands of people who aren’t and it’s important to know that because there are so many services that we now have available for every person who served and their families.
“This will give a gauge on if we need to increase services.”
Australia has never held an official register of suicides that were associated with military service.
Mr Thompson, who is a veteran and campaigner for suicide prevention said having a national Australian Bureau of Statistics data set for the first time could provide valuable information to help stem the issue.
“Veteran suicide is a national disgrace and having a register on people who have served could help target prevention support,” he said.
“We always need to do more in suicide prevention and it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure there’s support mechanisms.
“There’s never a time when we should say there’s enough support in this space because that can never be quantified, we always need to strive to do more.”
Department of Veterans Affairs Minister Darren Chester said his department had been pushing for this change since 2017 and recognised the benefits the data inclusion would have for future government planning.
“Historically, just because a person served in the ADF doesn’t mean they required services or support from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA), making it hard to give a definitive answer on how many veterans are in Australia,” Mr Chester said.
THERE’S NEVER A TIME WHEN WE SHOULD SAY THERE’S ENOUGH SUPPORT IN THIS SPACE BECAUSE THAT CAN NEVER BE QUANTIFIED, WE ALWAYS NEED TO STRIVE TO DO MORE
HERBERT MP PHILLIP THOMPSON