Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Indeed. For them to be treated in that way, I still believe, is a matter of deep national shame. We have 60,000 young men and women who have served in the last 20 years returning to this country. They are going to require this nation to support them for at least the next 70 years. Honourable senators might not be aware that the youngest client of DVA is under 12 months of age. This nation is going to have to support those young men and women and their families for many, many decades. If we as a nation forget what the uniqueness of military service is and, if we as a nation stop supporting and reflecting on the sacrifices those young men and women have made, then we will repeat the mistakes of Vietnam. This nation cannot afford to do so. This nation owes these young men and women for their service to this country. We cannot continue to slash those support mechanisms, such as this funding, which is about— (Time expired)