I write to congratulate you on your election to Government, and your elevation to the office of Minister for Veterans Affairs. Our ex-servicemen and women have demonstrated great courage, sacrifice, and love of country through their service and your success in this role as with your predecessors will be of great benefit to those men and women, and their families.
The Sunshine Coast – and particularly, my electorate of Fisher – is home to one of the country’s largest and most active veteran populations. We have a significant number of younger veterans and their families engaged in ex-service organisations, as well as the Department of Veterans Affairs.
It has been an honour to work with them to secure services such as a National PTSD Centre at USC Thompson Institute, and funding through commemorative grants and veteran support programs. As you may know, the Coalition pledged to build a new Veterans Wellbeing Centre on the Sunshine Coast, to address the unique needs of our ex-service community.
This service would dovetail and bring together the fantastic but, in many cases, limited services on offer, and would provide a one-stop shop for support, advocacy and welfare.
I write to ask that the new government commit to establishing a Veterans Wellbeing Centre on the Sunshine Coast – and particularly in my electorate of Fisher – to ensure that those who have given so much for our country are able to access the services and support they need.
I am sure that we can agree that this is not an issue of party politics, but a shared duty to deliver for our veteran community.
I would welcome the opportunity to share with you about this project and the Sunshine Coast’s veteran community and look forward to speaking with you when Parliament resumes.
Yours faithfully,
Andrew Wallace MP
Federal Member for Fisher
