The not-for-profit service Veterans Centre Australia closed its doors on Tuesday after nearly 12 years of operation, becoming insolvent after its major funder withdrew support.
The service handled up to 600 clients at a time across Australia, advocating for veterans and helping them and their families navigate the often complex bureaucratic processes to access healthcare, financial support, and employment support.
The closure comes as veterans say they are increasingly struggling to access subsidised healthcare for often complex medical conditions. Assisting veterans to apply to the department of veterans affairs for subsidised medical care was among the services offered by the centre.
Veterans Centre Australia CEO, Nikki Noakes, said the service is funded through donations and competitive grants, and had been unable to secure the $300,000 required to see out the financial year.
The department of veterans affairs often refers people to the centre, she said. The centre had applied through a competitive funding process to the department for funding to continue its work, but was not successful.
“I am devastated, and I am exhausted,” Noakes, who served with the navy for 10 years and is now a reservist, said.
“We’ve done everything humanly possible to keep the doors open, but it’s been a hard fight. We are now doing all we possibly can to make sure that our clients have been well supported transitioning to other services.
“But it is a dangerous time. Because how can you just close when you have 500 clients? And all while there’s a royal commission going on highlighting the challenges veterans face accessing services and their suicide risk. It doesn’t make sense. But we have absolutely no choice. We need to close.”
The major funder of Veterans Centre Australia was the Dee Why RSL located on Sydney’s northern beaches, but the RSL disinvested from the centre in 2022. The branch has been contacted but declined to comment.
Veterans Centre Australia director, Rob Conway, said: “You’ve only got to look at the self-harm and suicide rates to understand how important it is to provide this service.”
“But it takes meeting with these folks to understand their situations and needs,” he said. “It was a privilege for myself and the team to be able to do that.”
The staff have been working with the department of veterans affairs and the RSL to transition clients to other support services. The partner charity of RSL NSW, RSL LifeCare Veteran Services, has offered to take on clients of Veterans Centre Australia, including 25 high-need clients.
RSL NSW and RSL LifeCare Veteran Services saw an 86% increase in demand for services from veterans and their families in the last 12 months compared with the previous year.
But the retired army major Stuart McCarthy, now an advocate for veterans affairs, said in a statement written to the minister that these other support services cannot fill the gap.
“Veterans Centre Australia has set the highest standard of care for vulnerable, injured or disabled veterans and their families in urgent need of complex medical, psychological and social support,” he wrote. “It has literally saved the lives of many veterans who have fallen through the cracks and might otherwise have succumbed to suicide, homelessness, destitution or incarceration.”
He has called on the minister “to urgently intervene and provide whatever funding or other resources are necessary for Veterans Centre Australia to continue its operations”.
“Lives are at stake and any failure to act would be unacceptable,” he said.
Matt Keogh, the minister for veterans’ affairs, said while it is “very disappointing” the centre is closing its doors, costs could not be covered through the department alone.
“Since 2017 Veterans Centre Australia has received more than $825,000 in grant funding for programs from department of veterans’ affairs to support the work it does supporting veterans’ and families’,” Keogh said.
“However, it needs more funding for operating costs and these cannot be covered through grant funding.”
Conway described the department’s contribution, however, as “not significant” given the operational costs of the centre are $600,000 each year, and given the funding was spread over six years.
Veterans’ support is available 24 hours a day: 1800 011 046 or OpenArms.gov.au
Crisis support services can be reached 24 hours a day: Lifeline 13 11 14; Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467; Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800; MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78; Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
