Veterans’ and Families’ Hub location process under way

THE Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) has started the process of determining where it will build a $5 million Veterans’ and Families’ Hub in either greater Geelong or the Surf Coast, and what organisation will run it.

The centre is to be a one-stop shop for veterans and their families to access a range of services such as transition, wellbeing support, advocacy, employment and housing assistance and social connection.

A total of eight new hubs are to be built around the country after receiving $46.7 million in the recent federal budget and the DVA expects they’ll be completed by mid-2025.

Corangamite federal member Libby Coker announced her preference for the Hub to be located at the Torquay Bowls Club where the Torquay RSL Sub Branch is co-located, when she announced the Labor policy during the federal election in April.

“I can see an opportunity to build more service facilities, where veterans could join in on some bowling, go sit on the beach, go for a swim, or just have a beer looking over the ocean. That’s what I would call a therapeutic environment,” Ms Coker said.

Geelong RSL president Andrew Hanns said his Sub Branch had also expressed interest in hosting the Hub, and envisaged it would be an extension of the existing veterans support facilities that presently operate at the League’s Belmont home.

Mr Hanns said he understood the Bellarine’s RSL Sub Branch was interested in the proposal as well, but all were awaiting further news from the DVA, which hosted a two-hour online information session yesterday (Thursday, November 24) that was open to ex-service organisations, community organisations and other parties interest in leading the Hub.

Mr Hanns said he welcomed the government’s planned expansion of support services for veterans, but questions remained about their ongoing viability.

“Torquay, Geelong, the Bellarine… at the end of the day, it would be good to have a $5 million building, but you have to have operating costs as well.”

He said the government and department were yet to make clear how the Hub’s operating costs will be covered after they were established.

“You’re looking at half a million a year to run… someone is going to have to operate it, at least if they put a 10-year funding model in place that would help, otherwise it comes back on someone like the RSL Victoria to fund it,” he said.