This bill became law on Jun 28th, 2023.
Defence & foreign affairs
Parliament will now get a yearly public report on what the Repatriation Medical AuthorityThe body that sets medical rules used when deciding many veterans compensation claims. did, adding regular oversight of the body that sets medical rules for veterans’ claims.
Gaps and awkward rules in veterans laws left weak oversight, clumsy claim handling, and uncertainty about insurance and travel payments. The bill fixes those technical problems by requiring annual reporting, letting claims pause for documents, keeping insurance rules running, and aligning travel rates with ComcareThe Commonwealth workers compensation scheme whose travel rate changes are now used to update veterans treatment travel payments. updates.
For years, the Repatriation Medical AuthorityThe body that sets medical rules used when deciding many veterans compensation claims. had been producing annual reports in practice, but veterans law still contained patchy and awkward rules around oversight, paused claims, Defence Service Homes insurance conditions and travel reimbursements. The 2023 bill responded by tidying those gaps across several veterans statutes, and after Parliament passed it and Royal AssentThe formal approval that turns a bill passed by Parliament into an Act of law. was given, the reporting requirement, claim-pause process, continuity of insurance rules and automatic alignment of travel rates with ComcareThe Commonwealth workers compensation scheme whose travel rate changes are now used to update veterans treatment travel payments. were put on a firmer legal footing.
The main reservation was that the bill was only a small technical tidy-up and did not deal with bigger problems in veterans policy, services and recognition. That concern came from supporters of the bill rather than opponents, with Coalition speakers backing it while arguing more substantial reforms were still needed elsewhere.
Hon Matt Keogh MP introduced this bill. It passed on the voices.
Did it become law?
Yes
Became law 28 June 2023
Final passage
Passed without a counted vote
Members called out ‘aye’ or ‘no’ — no individual votes were recorded.
Passage speed
98 days
From introduction to the latest recorded parliamentary step
Meaning
Parliament will now get a yearly public report on what the Repatriation Medical AuthorityThe body that sets medical rules used when deciding many veterans compensation claims. did, adding regular oversight of the body that sets medical rules for veterans’ claims.
Veterans’ compensation claims can now be put on hold while missing documents are provided, instead of being described as claims the department refuses to deal with.
The minister can change or replace the rules for Defence Service Homes insurance, but cannot use those changes to take away a payment someone had already become entitled to receive.
The current Defence Service Homes insurance conditions stay in force until the minister brings in a new set, so cover rules continue without a gap.
Veterans and families claiming travel costs for treatment will now automatically get the same per-kilometre rate updates used in the ComcareThe Commonwealth workers compensation scheme whose travel rate changes are now used to update veterans treatment travel payments. workers compensation scheme.
Item 1 inserts a new Division 4 to Part XIA of the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA). This new division provides that the Repatriation Medical Authority (RMA) must prepare and give to the Minister (with administrative responsibility for the VEA) a report on the RMA’s activities during the financial year. This report is to be prepared as soon as practicable after the end of each financial year and presented to the Parliament by the Minister.Veterans’ Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) explanatory memorandum
Items 1 and 2 omit the current reference to “refuse to deal with the claim”, under sections 330(3) of the MRCA and 58(3) of the DRCA. The items replace these references with “defer further investigation of the claim” until a claimant gives the Commission or the relevant authority the requested information or copy of document. The purpose of these items is to use language that better reflects actual practice.Veterans’ Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) explanatory memorandum
The new provisions continue to ensure that any revocation or variation of the Statement of Conditions must not remove the right of a person to receive a payment to which the person had become entitled before the revocation or variation took effect.Veterans’ Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) explanatory memorandum
Item 2 provides for a transitional provision to provide that despite the amendments made under Item 1, the Defence Service Homes Insurance Scheme (Statement of Conditions) Variation 2019 continues to be in force, until such time as a new Statement of Conditions is made and commences under subsection 38A(3).Veterans’ Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) explanatory memorandum
The repealed definitions are substituted with a new one that provides that a specified rate per kilometre means the rate per kilometre specified in an instrument made under subsection 16(6) of the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (SRCA), as the instrument is in force from time to time. This amendment means that for the purposes of both the MRCA and the DRCA that the specified rate per kilometre under the SRCA is automatically adopted when there are changes to that rate.Veterans’ Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) explanatory memorandum
Context
For years, the Repatriation Medical AuthorityThe body that sets medical rules used when deciding many veterans compensation claims. had been producing annual reports in practice, but veterans law still contained patchy and awkward rules around oversight, paused claims, Defence Service Homes insurance conditions and travel reimbursements. The 2023 bill responded by tidying those gaps across several veterans statutes, and after Parliament passed it and Royal AssentThe formal approval that turns a bill passed by Parliament into an Act of law. was given, the reporting requirement, claim-pause process, continuity of insurance rules and automatic alignment of travel rates with ComcareThe Commonwealth workers compensation scheme whose travel rate changes are now used to update veterans treatment travel payments. were put on a firmer legal footing.
Repatriation Medical AuthorityThe body that sets medical rules used when deciding many veterans compensation claims. begins annual reporting in practice
A later House speech said the authority had already been producing an annual reportA yearly public report on what the Repatriation Medical Authority did during the year. since 1994, even though the requirement was not yet clearly embedded in legislation.
Hansard ↗Government introduces a bill to fix awkward veterans law rules
When introducing the bill, the minister presented it as part of improving support for the veteran community by making technical amendments to oversight, claims, insurance and payment settings.
Hansard ↗House passes the bill
The bill cleared the House after debate in which government and opposition speakers described it as a minor, bipartisan clean-up of veterans entitlements law.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Parliament passes the bill
The Senate passed the bill in the same form, completing Parliament's approval of changes that regularised reporting, clarified claim handling and preserved insurance continuity.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Royal AssentThe formal approval that turns a bill passed by Parliament into an Act of law. turns the bill into law
Royal AssentThe formal approval that turns a bill passed by Parliament into an Act of law. made the amendments law, giving statutory force to the annual reporting requirement and the other machinery fixes across veterans legislation.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Referred to Federation Chamber
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Second reading agreed to
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Reported from Federation Chamber
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Third reading agreed to
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Second reading agreed to
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Third reading agreed to
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary passage.
Finally passed both Houses
The Governor-General gave Royal AssentThe formal approval that turns a bill passed by Parliament into an Act of law., turning the bill into an Act.
Key criticism
The main reservation was that the bill was only a small technical tidy-up and did not deal with bigger problems in veterans policy, services and recognition. That concern came from supporters of the bill rather than opponents, with Coalition speakers backing it while arguing more substantial reforms were still needed elsewhere.
No significant public case against the bill itself is recorded so far.
Too limited to fix bigger veterans problems
The bill was criticised only in a limited sense: supportive speakers said it made minor administrative improvements but did not address broader concerns such as veterans' wellbeing services, cabinet-level attention to the portfolio, or better transition support after service.
Further sources
Votes
The bill passed both chambers on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage.
House agreed to the bill's third reading on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage in that chamber.
Passed on the voices
In a voice vote, members call out Aye or No and the presiding officer judges which side has it. Individual names are only recorded if a formal division is called.
Senate agreed to the bill's third reading on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage in that chamber.
Passed on the voices
In a voice vote, members call out Aye or No and the presiding officer judges which side has it. Individual names are only recorded if a formal division is called.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Keogh supports the bill and says it delivers practical, overdue fixes to veterans' legislation, including clearer wording, corrected references and more efficient administration.
Read in Hansard ↗Andrew Wallace says he supports the bill and treats it as uncontroversial.
Read in Hansard ↗Rob Mitchell supports the bill because he says it will make it easier and quicker for veterans to have their claims handled and their needs met.
Read in Hansard ↗Sam Rae supports the bill, saying it makes small but important technical fixes that improve veterans' claims processes, clarify legislation, and better support veterans and their families.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
3 speakers · 4 contributions · 3 support
Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Matt Keogh on this bill. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.
Minister's second reading speech
Keogh supports the bill and says it delivers practical, overdue fixes to veterans' legislation, including clearer wording, corrected references and more efficient administration. He presents it as part of the government's broader commitment to improving support for veterans and their families.
“The amendments contained in the bill, a number of which are long overdue, demonstrate the government's ongoing commitment to implementing practical support measures to better support defence personnel, veterans and their families.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
Second reading speech
Keogh supports the bill and says it delivers practical, mostly technical improvements to veterans legislation while the government pursues broader reform. He argues it will better support veterans and families and commends it to the House.
“This bill is just one of the many ways that the Albanese Labor government is working to better support veterans. We came to government with a commitment to invest in a better future for defence personnel, veterans and families, and we've been delivering, both on our commitments in the federal budget and in responding to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. This government is committed to implementing practical support measures to better support defence personnel, veterans and families. The amendments contained in this bill, while modest, demonstrate our government's ongoing commitment, while we also work on the consultation pathway for our veterans legislation reform. We want our service personnel, veterans and veteran families to know that they will get the support that they not only need but deserve. I commend the bill to the House.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
“It's about making sure that we, as a parliament and as a government, do the right thing by our veterans. Sometimes that means we've got to go the extra mile or we've got to change things, but we've got to do things collaboratively and accept that none of us come here with the perfect solution. We've got to work to make sure that we do things better.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“This bill makes minor and technical amendments to existing veterans affairs legislation. These measures will address anomalies and make improvements to the operation of the legislation to better support veterans and their families. The bill comprises amendments in five key areas.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
6 speakers · 6 support
“I rise in support of the Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2023. I do so noting that this bill is uncontroversial, but I never miss an opportunity to jump up when I can and speak about veterans and veterans' welfare.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“The purpose of this bill is to deliver minor and uncontroversial amendments to ensure that consistency of veterans compensation for medical travel across the various acts facilitates an annual report from the Repatriation Medical Authority. It modernises some language within acts, it updates references to some superseded acts and it clarifies powers of the minister in relation to the Defence Service Homes Insurance Scheme. Generally speaking, it tidies up miscellaneous measures, and that is why we need to pass it and that is why we will pass it.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“There's nothing controversial about this bill. It fixes up some things that we can all agree on, and that happens from time to time. But these are often useful occasions to acknowledge the people who have come before us and sacrificed—not just them but their families—and we do appreciate it in this place. It has multipartisan support, and this nation has come a long way in making that distinction.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“The measures in this bill are largely uncontroversial. There are minor amendments that will ensure, for example, consistency of veteran compensation for medical travel and the preparation of an annual report on the Repatriation Medical Authority. The bill modernises some of the language that is in older acts and updates references to some superseded acts. I commend the bill to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I rise this afternoon to briefly support this movement by the government. It is minor change and, as such, we need not delay the House. The purpose of the Veterans’ Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2023 is to deliver minor and uncontroversial amendments, ensuring consistency of veterans' entitlements across acts. It facilities and makes compulsory an annual report, which, by the way, we've being doing since 1994—the annual report of the Repatriation Medical Authority. It modernises some language and updates references to some superseded acts. We are just sweeping up.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“This bill makes technical amendments to four sections of the veterans' affairs legislation to clarify, improve or streamline its delivery. While the amendments are minor and, in effect, tidy up several piece of legislation, they will make our veterans' interactions with the department a more transparent and hopefully a more positive experience. That's why the coalition will be supporting this legislation.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
House · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
House · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Referred to Federation Chamber
Referred to Federation Chamber
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading agreed to
Second reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
House · Reported from Federation Chamber
Reported from Federation Chamber
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Third reading agreed to
Third reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Senate · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Senate · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Senate · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Senate · Second reading agreed to
Second reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Senate · Third reading agreed to
Third reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Parliament · Finally passed both Houses
Passed both houses
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary passage.
Assent · Assent
Assent
The Governor-General gave Royal AssentThe formal approval that turns a bill passed by Parliament into an Act of law., turning the bill into an Act.
