Mr SLIPPER (11:33 AM) —It is not often in this place that I rise to quote from Labor prime ministers but Ben Chifley, at the conclusion of the Second World War, said:

Nothing can fully repay the debt we owe them, nor can history record in adequate terms their deeds from the black days that followed September 1939, and December 1941, until this moment.

This has, of course, been a bipartisan approach largely observed over the last 50 years whereby a grateful nation is prepared to repay the debt that we owe to those who risked so much to ensure that our generation can enjoy the freedom, stability and way of life that has made Australia the envy of the world.

This is a very important initiative and I think it is vital that we congratulate the Minister for Veterans' Affairs (Mr Bruce Scott) on the Veterans' Entitlements Amendment (Gold Card) Bill 1998 . This bill ensures that a further 50,000 veterans will become eligible for full health care entitlement from 1 January 1999, at a time in their lives when this assistance will be of very great benefit. It is interesting to note that half of the beneficiaries are expected to be veterans who currently do not receive any pension or benefits from the Department of Veterans' Affairs. So this is not a reshuffle of entitlements, this is a genuine extension of access to the gold card to people who are not currently within the system, and it will provide them with much needed care. Everyone knows that ex-service organisations have long campaigned for this change and I believe that it is a real credit to this government that, at last, people in this situation will now have access to the gold card.

Other members have pointed out that the average age of World War II veterans is now over 76 years and, therefore, most World War II veterans will meet the age criterion. Some people have asked, `Why is it that the extension of the gold card will take effect from 1 January 1999?' It is clear that, given the large number of additional people who will now be eligible, it will take some time administratively to work out eligibility and to implement the new system.

This is an important change. It demonstrates that this government believes very strongly that, although more than 50 years have elapsed since the end of the Second World War, we ought to continue to repay our debt and upgrade the benefits available to veterans as they approach a stage in their life when they need greater assistance.

I have also been very pleased with the way in which this government has been prepared to assist veterans on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland—an area of Australia which I am very pleased and proud to have the opportunity to represent. It is a couple of years ago now since the Minister for Veterans' Affairs attended at Maroochydore to open the Veterans' Affairs office. This office has been of tremendous assistance to local ex-service men and women. There are some 14,000 veterans on the Sunshine Coast who will continue to benefit from the presence of this office in our local community. This is the government taking services to regional Australia; and the presence of the Veterans' Affairs office in Maroochydore has been a focus for ex-service groups which ensures that local people can access this area of government in their own community. I believe that that is very important.

It should also be noted that, at that time, when the office was opened, the Veterans Advice Network services and the Vietnam Veterans Counselling Service were combined in the one purpose-built office with ramp access and disabled parking for veterans. Other offices have also been opened recently by the minister and by the government, indicating that, far from taking the view that the former Labor government at one stage advanced—namely, that the Department of Veterans' Affairs ought to be rolled into the Department of Social Security—this government is expanding rather than contracting services to those who have made such a contribution to the quality and standard of life that we have in Australia.

The government continues, therefore, to give timely access to fair compensation. It delivers innovative and coordinated health care services, and it stimulates the community's commitment to commemorating the service of veterans. The bill currently before the chamber, indeed, is another building block in providing services to these people to whom we owe so much.

The honourable member for McPherson (Mr Bradford) referred to the plight of British Commonwealth and allied veterans and, certainly, other groups who would like to have access to the gold card. The minister has said that the government will continue to look at the situation of other groups of veterans who would like to receive the gold card, but to whom at this stage it has not been possible to extend the benefits.

In my own office, quite a substantial number of Commonwealth and British veterans have contacted me. Many of them have been in this country for more than 50 years, and some of them, in fact, were here prior to the war. On occasions people even attempted to enlist in the Australian armed forces, but they were put into the UK armed forces instead. The minister has stressed that the government will continue to look at the possibility of extending the gold card eligibility, and I, therefore, would like to commend him for this.

It would be very interesting to know just what it would cost to extend the gold card to veterans from the Commonwealth and Allied services who, over the last 50 years, have lived in Australia and continued to pay their taxes and be good citizens. Of course, their service during the Second World War also contributed to the freedom, stability and way of life that we as a nation have. It ought to be recognised and ought not to be forgotten that service in Allied forces was part of a coordinated effort by the free world to repel the enemy.

The minister does point out that, generally speaking, it is the responsibility of the country in whose armed forces a person served during war to provide repatriation benefits. I do not think anyone would argue with that. However, I believe that British Commonwealth and Allied veterans are a special case worthy of consideration, given the fact that many of them have been in the country for many years.

I listened also to what the honourable member for McPherson said about a large number of other groups who would like to gain access. The government, again, would like to do something about that, but it ought to be recognised that this particular bill extends the expenditure of the Commonwealth by a figure of more than half a billion dollars over a period of four years. It is obviously something that the government has to look at very carefully and very closely. Half a billion dollars is a lot of money and, while we would like to make other people eligible, at the end of the day we really have to look at what we can afford to do.

The gold card will provide treatment to veterans as a private patient with choice of doctor and other benefits. I must say that, given the predicament of many of these people, it will be very welcome. In fact, the financial impact will be $70 million in 1998-99, $153.8 million in 1999-2000, $145.3 million in the year 2000-01 and $132.9 million in the year 2001-02. The government must have responsible economic management and, while we would like to extend benefits, there clearly is a limit.

There has also been some comment over the fact that we have an age limit of 70 years and that veterans who are younger than 70 years will not have access to the gold card. Again, the government had to make an on balance judgment, and it was felt that, given the average age is now more than 76 years, most veterans would benefit. When the younger veterans attain the age of 70 years, they clearly could be considered for the gold card.

The minister's administration of this portfolio has been quite proactive over the years and he has gone out into the veterans community in the same way as the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Tim Fischer) did when he was shadow minister. The minister has also visited the sites of overseas spheres of conflict to indicate that the government very strongly supports the right of veterans to be recognised by the community.

This is an initiative of the government which has received very strong support and it indicates that, as a government, we are particularly interested not only in young people—and we have obviously created the economic situation where employment will grow and where many people will get the opportunity to put one foot on the employment ladder—but also in older Australians, people who have worked and people who now, of course, need assistance from the general community.

This package is part of a $1 billion funding boost for the aged. It is an initiative of the Howard government which has been very strongly supported throughout the community. The states do not hesitate to criticise the federal government. This decision will be fully funded by the federal government and that the states will save some $80 million per annum, or $323 million over the next five-year period of the Australian health care agreement, because the Commonwealth will meet costs which previously would have been the responsibility of the states.

I strongly support this piece of legislation which shows the government is listening to what the community is saying and responding in a very positive way. It is all about the fact that we are a government which consults, a government which is prepared to take into consideration the views of interest groups representing the veterans community, and that is why we have received unanimous support, particularly from ex-service organisations, for this very important extension of the gold card which builds on the earlier widening of eligibility for this card.

As I said before, some other people would like to have access to the gold card as well, but at the end of the day the government must take a balanced approach and what we do must be consistent with financial responsibility. The minister will continue to look at applications for access from other groups, and I believe the concerns raised by the member for McPherson will be addressed by the government from time to time as we move forward.

There was widespread backing from editorial writers when the announcement was made to extend the gold card to an extra 50,000 veterans who previously were not eligible for it. It is interesting that the Canberra Times, the Age, the Financial Review, the Courier-Mail and many other papers which have not always supported the government were fulsome in their praise for the extension of the gold card to people who would not previously have had access to it.

It has been a priority of the government and it is another promise which the government has delivered. It shows that we are serious about our election commitments. It indicates that when we seek a mandate from the Australian people, we are prepared to deliver, unlike those opposite when they were in government, who were prepared to lie, rob and cheat their way into office. They would do anything and say anything to gain the support of the Australian people. Once they got elected, they shredded those promises because, at the end of the day, they felt they were not able to afford them. When this government makes a promise, we deliver on our promise. The bill that is currently before the chamber is a very clear indication that this government is prepared to do the right thing by veterans, to whom we owe so much.

As I was saying, the new gold card arrangements will come into effect on 1 January 1999. That is not very far away; it is a matter of about six months. Various people have asked me questions concerning eligibility for the gold card. I have been asked: is it necessary for there to be a war-caused disability for entitlement to the card? The answer to that is no. There is no need for the injuries to be war caused and the gold card will be available regardless of whether or not the disabilities are war caused.

Some people have asked: will the gold card just arrive through the mail or is there a need to apply for it? Some people may not need to apply for the gold card, but some people may. There is a gold card hotline and we would encourage any veteran who believes that he or she may be eligible for the gold card to contact the hotline or his or her local member of parliament, because it is absolutely important that all of those veterans who are entitled to the gold card gain access to it. The benefits contained in this bill will not extend to people if they do not actually receive the gold card to which they are entitled.

I have been concerned that only about half of those eligible for the Commonwealth seniors health card have actually applied for it, and this is even before the government's extension of the Commonwealth seniors health card to another 220,000 retired Austral ians—a wonderful decision in the budget. So it is important that people who may be eligible for the gold card check that eligibility and make sure that they are able to obtain it and access it from the date from which they have this new entitlement—that is, 1 January 1999.

Some people have said that they may have World War II qualifying service but do not get a service pension and they wonder whether they would be eligible for the gold card. The answer is that this is not means tested. If a person is aged over 70, he or she will be eligible for the gold card and under these new arrangements financial circumstances will not affect entitlement to the gold card. Some people have said that maybe there ought to be a means test. The government very strongly believes that we owe a debt to all veterans in this situation, regardless of their circumstances. This is not a social security measure; this is a recognition of what we as Australians collectively owe those people who went to war and risked everything. I will not apologise for the fact that all veterans aged over 70 who come within the criteria will be able to receive the gold card.

The gold card is a gold coloured repatriation health card for all conditions, issued by the Department of Veterans' Affairs. The card will enable the holder to access the full range of repatriation health care benefits. The health care benefits include private patient hospital care, choice of doctor, pharmaceuticals at the concessional rate, optical care, physiotherapy, dental care, podiatry care and products, and chiropractic services, for all medical conditions irrespective of whether or not they are war caused.

The bill before the chamber is a very positive initiative. It is a recognition that the government appreciates that we owe a lot to those people who joined our country's services, people who were prepared to risk their health and their life to make sure that Australia remained the wonderful and free country that it is. It is an important step. We are moving forward to provide new benefits to veterans at a time in their lives when they need those benefits. The Minister for Veterans' Affairs and the government general ly are entitled to the congratulations of the Australian community because of this excellent new initiative. I commend the bill to the chamber. (Time expired)