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BAE Systems Australia has launched VetNet Australia, while the Australian federal government works to clear a backlog of veteran compensation claims.
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The launch of the veteran support services network by BAE Systems Australia, a subsidiary of British parent BAE Systems, follows the establishment of Employee Representative Group, the veteran advisory committee, and takes inspiration from other BAE initiatives.
Veterans will be able to use VetNet Australia to access one of Australia’s larger member-owned banks (Defence Bank), tailored Recognition of Prior Learning (Aimpoint RPL) and training services, retail shopping discount program (APOD), veteran mentoring program for career transition (Military and Emergency Services Health Australia) as well as Right Management, Soldier On, WithYouWithMe, and Legacy Australia.
“VetNet Australia is an evolution of the work we have implemented globally to ensure BAE Systems is an employer of choice for veterans,” according to Jeremy Satchell, BAE Systems Australia VetNet steering committee chair.
“Our ambition with VetNet Australia is to ensure our business is a familiar, safe, and enjoyable place where colleagues can fulfil their career ambitions after completing service to the nation.”
Veterans are highly valued in the defence industry with many transferable skills including leadership, problem solving, critical thinking and planning, according to Satchell.
Veterans comprise around 12 per cent of BAE Systems Australia’s workforce or more than 700 personnel working across BAE Systems’ Australian operations. The company actively recruits ex-service personnel, was awarded the Veteran Program of the Year by Defence Connect in 2023 and Prime Minister’s Veterans’ Employer of the Year in 2021.
Earlier this week, the Australian federal government announced that the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) is on track to clear a remaining backlog of permanent impairment claims before the end of February.
In the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide interim report, serious concerns were raised about how the claims backlog, which was at 42,000 in mid-May 2022, was detrimental to the mental health of veterans.
After an increase of 500 processing staff and resources for DVA, all new initial liability and incapacity claims are now allocated for processing within a two-week timeframe, effectively eliminating this part of the backlog and a return to business-as-usual levels, according to the federal government.
As at 31 January 2024, the total number of claims yet to be allocated to a delegate has fallen to 3,697.
The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide set a deadline to clear the backlog of compensation claims by 31 March 2024. DVA is now shifting to a new business-as-usual working model, aiming to allocate all claims to a processing officer within two weeks of receipt.
