Defence veterans based in the Northern Territory are expected to receive more support after the opening of a new wellbeing hub in Darwin.
The Mates4Mates Veteran and Family Wellbeing Centre in Stuart Park has been designed to operate as a one-stop shop for key veterans services, including mental health support, physical rehabilitation, wellbeing programs and legal and advocacy assistance.
The facility is being funded as part of a $5 million federal government grant for veteran support, and will be run by defence community charity Mates4Mates.
Veterans' Affairs Minister Matt Keogh said the hub would provide a wide range of support services as well as referrals to outside services.
"When we've got 7,500 serving personnel and veterans right here across the Darwin region as well as more than 10,000 across the NT, [we should be] making sure that we've got excellent service provision, in terms of health, physically, mentally, providing those rehab services, providing connections to advocacy and legal services," he said.
"But also, in a place like this, just being able to have somewhere where people can come together, share a brew and make connections with one another is vitally important."
The new hub will be the second Mates4Mates veterans wellbeing centre in the NT, after a facility was established in Palmerston two years ago.
Mates4Mates general manager Emma Whitehead said the charity's NT services were in high demand, and it looked forward to expanding those at the new hub.
"Having services co-located in a building with partner organisations that also serve veterans and family members is really important, because it allows people to access a range of services more easily," she said.
"It gives better access to people, and makes service navigation a little bit easier for them."
Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said it was important that NT veterans felt supported.
"The NT has a strong defence presence and we also see veterans decide to stay here with their families, so to provide that ongoing emotional and wellbeing support, as well as physical [support], is really important," she said.
Hub welcomed but more is needed, veteran says
Veterans Australia NT president and Vietnam War veteran Bob Shewring said the facility would go a long way to boosting available support services in the territory.
"This is great at the lower level, where you actually can prevent a lot of the stuff by coming together, meeting in a social and safe environment, where [veterans] can actually talk about what it is that ails them. You can look at mental health or physical disabilities, and all of those things," he said.
"I think it's fantastic they've opened in Darwin."
However, Mr Shewring said there was still a need for more services for veterans experiencing severe mental health issues.
"We still need, in the Northern Territory, we really need a minimum of a 10-bed inpatient facility for high depression and PTSD sufferers, who are really critical, on the critical side of it. We'd certainly have a need for that," he said.
Earlier this month, it was revealed at the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide that there had been 186 suicide-related incidents — including suicide attempts — at Darwin's Robertson Barracks between January 2017 and February 2023.
While Brigadier Nicholas Foxall, Commander of the NT-based 1st Brigade, could not provide specifics on how those figures could be compared to those at other Australian barracks, he said "a number of studies" had indicated the figures were higher for "North Territory-based enterprises".
Mr Shewring said the number of veteran suicides in the NT was extremely concerning.
"That's the reason why we need an inpatient facility here … because when those people are at what I call the sharp end and they're about to self-harm or even commit suicide, we have far too many of them happening," he said.
