Taskforce on Wellbeing Agency and Peak Body

The Taskforce on Wellbeing Agency and Peak Body was established in late March 2025 with a clear priority to work with the veteran community to co-design a new agency focused on veteran wellbeing and establish a national peak body for ex-service organisations (ESOs).

The Taskforce are working with Nous Group, ThinkPlace, and consultant Professor Mark Evans to deliver the co-design process. 

Our work has been divided into 3 phases:

1. discovery and insights
2. co-design
3. blueprint and business case

In late May 2025, we entered the co-design phase for both the agency and peak body.

The discovery and co-design phases for the new agency included veterans, serving Australian Defence Force members, families, ex-service organisations, and other service providers.

As part of our community consultation process, we have:

• visited 15 locations, covering all states and territories, and several regional areas
• held 39 in-person sessions
• delivered 3 community-based virtual sessions
• delivered 2 DVA staff virtual sessions
• received 56 community submissions via an online portal
• received 151 completed online surveys

Professor Mark Evans has held 15 individual 1:1 interviews with staff from across the department and with other key stakeholders.  He has also completed an international lessons project, where he has reviewed overseas models to inform the discovery sessions.

The discovery phase concluded on 21 May 2025. 

The community consultation reaffirmed the cultural, system and service barriers to veteran and family wellbeing:

• loss of identity and purpose when moving from a command-and-control culture to civilian life
• challenges with employment, housing, and social reintegration exacerbated by lack of recognition of military skills in civilian industries
• a constant top-down ‘government knows best’ approach
• a complex service system that is hard to engage with and navigate

The consultation process told us:

• veterans and families need connection to the Defence welfare system before separation and then wellbeing support during transition, after separation until end of life
• there are increased difficulties for those with complex needs, and poor physical and psychological health

There are 4 options that have the potential to make a significant improvement for veterans and families:

1. build trust systems through the delivery of services that recognise the sacrifice of veterans and their families, and the promise to support their health and wellbeing from enlistment to end of life
2. the new agency should be independent but work collaboratively with Defence, DVA, communities of practice and mainstream services
3. improve the service experience through new service architecture based on the principles of: 
   • help clients “walk through” the right door
   • trust
   • choice and control
   • a culture that is inclusive, empathetic and accountable
   • best practice driven and committed to continuous improvement.
4. connection to community and to services through Veterans’ and Families Hubs to encourage a sense of belonging post-transition

A Veteran and Family Assembly was hosted in Canberra on 23-24 May 2025. A group of 68 participants came together, representing veterans, serving Australian Defence Force members, families, a small cohort of ex-service organisations and service providers.

The Assembly provided an opportunity for us to confirm our findings from our community consultations and co-design the intent of a new agency.

To be the trusted touchpoint for veterans and families—especially the most vulnerable—through life transitions, offering access to wellbeing information and connection to the services and the community that supports them.

Discovery work for the national peak body consultations included veterans, serving Australian Defence Force, ex-service organisations, organisations that support the sector, service providers and families.

The insights gathered from this work created a framework for co-design workshops to continue the design options for a national peak body.

We have:

• held 32 individual and group online sessions
• facilitated 4 co-design workshops (3 online and 1 in-person) with 38 participants workshops
• received 17 submissions through an online portal

Vision:

There was broad alignment the peak body’s vision should be:

• trusted and independent
• a collective voice for the ESO sector and unify the sector around a common purpose
• representative of the diversity in ESOs and the veteran and family community
• outcomes focused for the veteran and family community

Purpose:

Agreement on the core purpose of the peak body:

• advocate with a collective voice to government
• set service standards and drive accountability
• support collaboration and uplift sector capability
• identity and address existing and future challenges
• enhance coordination among ESOs to reduce service barriers
• evaluate the effectiveness of existing initiatives
• simplify pathways for veterans and families to find the right support

Functions:

There was alignment that the peak body would:

• advocate on policy
• set service standards to drive sector quality and reform
• facilitate communication between ESOs and government
• build trust and collaboration within the sector
• support accreditation or evaluations of ESOs, services or programs (mixed views)
• mobilise funding to meet service gaps and support a demonstration model to inform future policy

Next steps:

The findings from the community consultations and co-design activities will inform the development of a blueprint for the new entities that includes operating models, funding options, governance structures, and accountability frameworks. A business case, including the blueprint, will be presented to government for consideration.

We will continue to work with the veteran community and ex-service organisations as government considers the best way forward for these recommendations.