Community
12 December, 2024
Nashos take advertising into their own hands
A GROUP of south west Victorians behind a veteran’s advocacy group believe the government is relying on veterans not knowing their entitlements to save money – and have taken matters in to their own hands.
Not-for-profit organisation Nasho Fair Go, which advocates for national serviceman who served between 1965 and 1972 to receive medical and dental benefits, launched its own advertising blitz to increase awareness of the Veteran White Card.
The Veteran White Card is a treatment card which proves medical treatment for service-related injury, all mental health conditions, and cancer and pulmonary tuberculosis covered under non-liability health care.
Nasho Fair Go president Geoff Parkes, representing the group’s almost 3200 members, said more needs to be done to alert veterans to their right to claim the card.
He claimed Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Matt Keogh MP, despite numerous attempts, “seems reluctant” to act on pleas from 1965-72 National Servicemen, who did not go to Vietnam, to publicise their right to a Veteran White Card.
“We see it as a disgrace,” he said.
“We have recently been appalled by the disturbing findings of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
“Yet the Minister, it seems to us, refuses to publicise the best tool the government has ready to hand to help veteran mental health - the Veteran White Card.”
Mr Parkes said Nasho Fair Go had begun advertising the Veteran White Card nationally, including in The Age, to help connect veterans with the support they are entitled to.
“In frustration, Nasho Fair Go has been forced to embark on advertising to ex-Nashos about the White Card, how to access it, and benefits they may be eligible for,” he said.
“To support our fellow ex-Nashos, we are forced to do the government’s job.
“It’s not just old 1965-72 Nashos who do not know about the White Card.
“One third of responses to our advertisements are from even older Nashos from the 1951-59 era.”
Mr Parkes said the group had used Freedom of Information data to estimate there were at least 70,000 living veterans, both national servicemen and ex-regular soldiers, who do not have the White Card they are entitled.
“In our view, it shows the government has not yet accepted the distressing findings of the Royal Commission
and the need for practical ways to address veterans’ mental health,” he said.
“We call on Minister Keogh to reconsider the government’s position and to step up to support Australia’s veterans by broadly promoting the DVA Veteran White Card in regular media that veterans understand.
“We can only guess at how many lives such efforts may save.”
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