Williams Andrew: Veterans’ Support Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeWilliams Andrew: Veterans’ Support Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 30 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19712. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ANDREW WILLIAMS (NZ First):I take a call on behalf of New Zealand First as the veterans’ affairs spokesperson for New Zealand First on this very important bill the Veterans’ Support Bill. It is very symbolic that tonight this bill is going through its final third reading in the week leading up to the centenary the 100-year commemoration of the commencement of World War I. Of course all the veterans from that great battle are now long gone. However we still have a number from World War II and of course a great many more from subsequent campaigns in Malaya in Korea and in Viet Nam and in other subsequent engagements.Firstly can I commend the Law Commission for the excellent work that it did 4 years or more ago to bring this bill to the House originally with its report. Its recommendations—some 174 recommendations I think there were—[Interruption] What was that?Louisa Wall: 170.ANDREW WILLIAMS: 170 I am told—170. Those really did bring home to this House and to those involved in veterans’ affairs and the RSA and all veterans around New Zealand what is indeed involved in terms of looking after the interests and the welfare of our veterans. It is most commendable that the Law Commission did such a thorough job to come up with its findings and to make its extensive recommendations. It is somewhat disappointing that it has taken the length of time that it has to get to this final third reading. As we have said before many of the older veterans are not getting any younger. Every year that goes by we lose more and more of them and that is a very sad situation that we face. Therefore time is of the essence to do all we can for those veterans as best we can and to give them just recognition for their services to this country.I have spoken in this House before but I will speak again of how I still have reservations about the full intent of this bill in terms of ensuring that veterans receive the benefit of the doubt in relation to their medical records and their medical conditions. There have been so many cases—several thousands of cases—of claims being turned down by Veterans Affairs New Zealand because of inadequate medical records or medical records that are missing and other such errors. Back in 2008 the then Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae spoke at Tribute 08 for the Viet Nam veterans here in Wellington. He apologised on behalf of the Defence Force to the veterans that so many medical records had been lost had been mislaid and had not been handled correctly by the Defence Force. He apologised and in his speech at the time said that no veteran would miss out be penalised or lose in any way as a result of the mishandling by the Defence Force of the medical records.However this bill does now include some clauses that talk about presumption of injuries and illness and death in terms of qualifying operational service and it does refer to other aspects of that. There is still a lot of legal jargon here that still allows too many loopholes for those whom I would describe as bureaucrats to come up with excuses not to properly pay out to veterans who are in need. In that respect I put forward Supplementary Order Paper 452 which was supported by Labour the Greens and several other parties but which National did not support. My Supplementary Order Paper said: “In the case of doubt arising from missing or insufficient New Zealand Defence Force medical records as to whether a veteran suffered injury illness or death on operational service the injury illness or death is presumed to have occurred while the veteran was performing qualifying operational service.” Had that gone through it would have taken out a lot of the legal complexities of some aspects of this bill and ensured that veterans truly did get the benefit of the doubt.We heard instances at the Social Services Committee for instance of a retired colonel who was declined a disability pension because he had no medical records of the accident happening on operational service and yet so many of his comrades had seen him jump from the back of an army truck with full kit on carrying a weapon and pack. He landed on his feet but he landed badly on his ankles and did considerable damage to his ankles. In those days they did not just hobble off and go to the first hospital and be hospitalised. They were tough tough men these people. These were the guys in Viet Nam. They were tough. This gentleman carried on with very damaged ankles. In later years he now has arthritis and serious pain in his ankles. He has considerable problems with his ankles and yet he has been declined a disability pension for that particular incident because there is no proof that he did it in Viet Nam. All his friends all his mates say that they saw it happen. They saw him receive the injuries. It was there but it does not appear on any of his medical records even though he was treated in Viet Nam.John “Doc” Mountain who was a medevac medic in Viet Nam testified to the committee and also came and submitted. He said he witnessed so much of this going on. He saw many of these men being injured. He also witnessed the fact that subsequently when they came to Wellington many of their medical records a lot of the original records were not transferred correctly. They were on hard copy they were on pieces of cardboard and they were transferred into a more modern system of paper files and more modern transactions. They were not transposed. Information was left off. As a result many of these gentlemen—and women as well—now struggle to prove some of their medical conditions because of the way those records were handled.Can I just assure you that if New Zealand First is in a position after 20 September to address this situation again we will rectify that. What we want to have in this bill is that veterans will get the benefit of the doubt and we will ensure that they will be given that distinction. We will ensure that that is the case. We are talking about a small amount of money in relation to the Government’s Budget. It is a tiny amount of money in terms of the Government’s annual funding but this is a huge amount for individuals—for individuals who are now elderly and need this assistance. Therefore we are doing a great disservice to them by not allowing such payments and such support in their elder years of life.We also agree with the other parties as well. We have said that we do not agree with the declining of the lump-sum payment. We think that should have been put in place. Again families are often the ones who suffer. They are often the ones who have taken care of a veteran in their declining years. They deserve the support as well because many of them have suffered as a result of the military service and the military life of that veteran including their coming back home and having subsequent illnesses. The family suffer and they should therefore also be recognised in that manner.We are coming into a very important period in the next couple of years when we will be commemorating many of the battles that are on the wall plaques here—Passchendaele Gallipoli and many of the famous battles. But at the same time we have living heroes today in New Zealand—living heroes from Viet Nam living heroes still surviving from World War II living heroes who have gone and put their lives at risk in service of this country. I think we all owe a great debt of gratitude to them for their services. This Parliament should most definitely give them every assistance they should receive.New Zealand First continues to always uphold that principle. We were the party that put in place the funding for the RSA social support services—$1 million of funding over a 4-year period or $250000 a year. This Government cut that back to $150000 a year. Again after 20 September we will return that to full funding for the RSA. Again the veterans deserve it; they need it. That social support from the RSA is most important to assist the veterans to get to hospital to get to medical appointments and to have the social support for them. So this has not finished.This bill is a great step. We do commend this bill to the House. We know it goes a long way but we can still improve on it yet.