Corporate Health Management reposted this
New study into the needs of Middle East veterans and families I am so pleased to support an important new initiative from RSL Australia announced this week. The RSL will fund critical research into the impacts on veterans and their families of ADF service since 2002, in particular in conflicts in the Middle East. The project aims to identify and better understand the needs and concerns of contemporary veterans and their families and ensure they are provided with the support and services they deserve. The first phase of the project is the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO) Scoping Study, which will lead into a much broader and ongoing study to examine and assess the issues and concerns identified in much greater detail. This broader study will recommend enhancements and national strategies to improve the range and level of services provided to veterans and their families, and help prepare us for any future conflict. The study is being fully funded by the RSL and is independent of government, but is being supported by DVA, the Department of Defence and the Repatriation Commission and many other ESO's. I, like many of my fellow Afghanistan and Iraq veterans, believe there needs to be a closer examination of the impact of these conflicts, to help us avoid the ‘Long Shadow’ cast by the Vietnam War, where decades went by before anyone began seriously investigating what effect the war had had, and what it meant for meeting the needs of those veteran and their families. As Repatriation Commissioner, I am honoured to be on the Steering Committee for the scoping study. It is vital that collectively we come together to understand the intricacies and the needs of Middle East veterans and their loved ones. The scoping study will be undertaken by an experienced, multidisciplinary consortium led by Gallipoli Medical Research with Griffith University and the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research.