Mrs WEST(4.21 p.m.) —I thank the House for the opportunity to speak on this subject as it is one which affects some people in my electorate of Bowman. I have listened to the needs of certain individuals who have brought their concerns to me in my electorate office. Most Australians take public transport for granted. It may be inconvenient and crowded but it is always there when the need arises. You may not feel comfortable with the person you are sitting next to, but you know that this trip will soon be over and you will be able to get on with your day.

Just for a moment imagine, if you can, that you suffer from a psychiatric disability—one which leads to panic attacks whenever you are in a crowded place—then imagine yourself on a crowded bus or train. Unfortunately, for many people in our society this situation is a daily occurrence. For these people, having to travel on public transport is one of the hardest things in the world to do. This leads to social isolation, which in turn can have a detrimental effect on the future wellbeing of the sufferer.

It is also unfortunate that a large number of our returned service men and women suffer from some form of psychiatric illness. Veterans can also demonstrate extreme social withdrawal as part of conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder or clinical depression, as has been previously mentioned. A large number of our veterans have simply withdrawn from society rather than confront the problem.

This government recognises the need to ensure these veterans lead a healthy and fulfilling life, which includes getting out into the community and socialising. As previously mentioned by the member for Petrie (Ms Gambaro), the government already has in place a number of programs to help veterans. There is a joint ventures program run by the Department of Veterans' Affairs which helps other organisations run social functions for disabled veterans. Through this program, funding has been provided to purchase vehicles to transport veterans to these functions. It is encouraging to note that a substantial amount of this funding has gone to functions organised by veterans who are long-term sufferers from psychiatric illnesses and who fully understand the problems of social isolation.

There is the highly successful Veterans' Health Week, which encourages veterans and their families to get involved in a variety of activities. Many of the activities offered during the week would usually never be accessible to people with psychiatric disabilities. Not only does this program give veterans the chance to socialise, but it also gives them a sense of achievement.

The community care seeding grants program, through which the department provides funds to assist veterans and war widows live independently in the community, has also proven successful and is contributing to the quality of life of a great number of people. So you can see that the government does consider social isolation as a serious problem and is taking steps to ensure the impact is lessened.

However, while the government is already actively involved in a number of programs which give assistance, the Minister for Veterans' Affairs (Mr Bruce Scott) has indicated he is always willing to consider improvements to those programs which will further enhance the quality of life for veterans. The minister has given an assurance that he will have his department review the recreational transport allowance, taking into account the suggestions made by the member for Lyons (Mr Adams) in his motion moved in this House. I conclude on that note: that the minister will take up any suggestions and look at them for approval.

Mr SPEAKER —The debate is adjourned. The resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.