Veterans warn Invictus Australia budget cut could risk lives, ABC reports
Australian veterans have warned that the federal budget's cut to the Invictus Australia programme could seriously disrupt veteran health and support services. The criticism has shaped the budget debate.
Funding for Invictus Australia, the programme that offers sport and community reconnection projects for veterans, has been reduced by 40% in the federal budget. Programme managers said the move would limit access to therapy and rehabilitation services for more than 1,500 veterans.
Veteran representatives met the Minister for Veterans' Affairs in Canberra to ask for the cut to be reconsidered. Officials stressed that the programme is an important pillar of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the cuts were temporary and that overall veteran-health funding had been increased by 6%. The opposition said it would keep pressing until the figures are reviewed by an independent commission.
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