Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Dan Tehan was encouraged
by progress on how to further improve mental health
support for veterans and their families at the National
Advisory Committee for the Veterans and Veterans
Families Counselling Service (VVCS) meeting held in
Canberra.
“We owe it to the veterans community and
their families to continually build on current mental
health support services, and to provide them with a
range of options to help improve their quality of life,”
Mr Tehan said.
“We can only do this by engaging and working with
both the ex-service community and health professionals.”
The National Advisory Committee (NAC) brings together
mental health professionals, GPs, psychologists and
psychiatrists with former Australian Defence Force (ADF)
members and family representatives.
Mr Tehan said the NAC highlighted the importance of
early access to mental health treatment for veterans and
their families and how much they valued the changes made
in the most recent Federal Budget.
“Last year, the Government made treatment for
post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and
alcohol and substance misuse free for anyone who has
served one day in the ADF without having to prove their
condition is related to their service,” Mr Tehan said.
“This treatment is demand driven and fully funded, so
if someone needs treatment, it is available — it is not
limited by budget. To access treatment is as simple as
contacting VVCS on 1800 011 046 or at
nlhc@dva.gov.au.
“This initiative also provides access to VVCS, which
can link veterans and their families to mental health
professionals with expertise in military mental health
and dealing with the impact of trauma.”
Mr Tehan also attended an event to acknowledge the 35th
year of VVCS services, which was attended by a
cross-section of representatives from the ex-service
community.
“VVCS is the legacy of our Vietnam veterans, who
recognised a need for mental health services
specifically for those who had served in the ADF,” Mr
Tehan said.
“Since 1982, VVCS has provided more than 1.6 million
counselling sessions to more than 300,000 veterans and
family members.
“VVCS today is a specialised 24/7 service that
supports all generations of veterans and their families,
which includes 26 counselling centres, an afterhours
support line and a network of more than 1,100 outreach
clinicians.
“Importantly, this service is able to deliver quality
mental health counselling to veterans and families
wherever they are in Australia, whenever they need
support.
“VVCS has made, and continues to make, a difference
to the lives of so many in the veteran community.”
More information on the NAC can be found on the VVCS
website (www.vvcs.gov.au).