The Albanese Government has been forced to abandon its plan to impose a $5,000 annual cap on veterans' allied health care.
Minister for Veterans' Affairs Matt Keogh announced this morning that the cap, first flagged in the May Budget and due to start on 1 July 2027, will not proceed.
The decision follows months of campaigning by veterans, families and advocacy groups, who laid down their medals outside Parliament House, petitioned the government and gave evidence in Senate hearings against the policy.
The Greens will be legislating to fix this with Senator Jackie Lambie through the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Veterans' Healthcare Without Caps) Bill 2026. Drafted before this mornings announcement this Bill would abolish the cap and will be voted on today in the Senate.
As stated by Greens spokesperson for Veterans Senator David Shoebridge:
"This is a win for decency and the thousands of veterans who pressured this Parliament to do the right thing.
"This cap should never have been proposed, and today the Government has admitted as much.
"To every veteran, widow and advocate who trusted the Greens to carry this fight into the Senate, thank you. You did not back down, and today the government had no choice but to follow.
'We'll keep pushing for genuine consultation on any future changes to veterans' health funding.
"This must never repeat and we will continue to press for strong legislative protections for veterans so that no future government can try this on again. This is why we are pushing for a vote on the Bill this morning."
As stated by Greens assistant spokesperson for Veterans, Elizabeth Watson-Brown MP:
"I was proud to introduce a petition to Parliament opposing these cuts. It was launched by Rebecca, a local Brisbane veteran, and it achieved more than 5,000 signatures.
"This is a win for Rebecca and all veterans, this is a win for families, this is a win for common sense and common decency.
"My electorate is home to the Enogerra Barracks, and a large community of veterans and their families. I hear from them all the time about how difficult it is to get support from DVA, with claims often taking years to be processed.
"The notion of taking away vital allied health access that our veterans need and deserve was cruel, callous and unjustified. Veterans told me it would have meant choosing between psychological care, occupational therapy or physiotherapy. Our veterans deserve better than that.
