RSL Australia welcomes additional $328M committed to veterans in federal budget

The Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL) has welcomed the 2023-24 Federal Budget and the more than $328 million in funding that has been allocated to veterans and their families through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA).

RSL Australia National President Greg Melick said it was encouraging to see a significant injection of funding to support those who have served our country.

“This commitment to the health and wellbeing of veterans, in addition to a substantial investment to address key recommendations from the Interim Report for the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, is incredibly promising and addresses a number of challenges experienced by veterans,” Greg Melick said.

While supportive of the commitment of funding to DVA, Greg Melick said RSL Australia looked forward to engaging with the Federal Government on additional measures to support the more than 581,000 veterans and their families across the country.

“We acknowledge that the economic environment is uncertain and fiscal conditions are tight, but for these reasons, we made extensive calls on government for sustained funding to address the inequities and barriers that continue to be experienced by the veteran community,” he said.

Read Full Statement from RSL Australia

RSL Australia has responded to the 2023-24 Federal Budget summarising how the budget accounts for implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide and explaining which measures will focus on veterans and their families. The report's final page summarises what RSL has been lobbying for vs the budget response.

Download the report