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 lead the co-design process.  

Our work has been divided into 3 phases: 

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

To date, we have been deep into the discovery phase with consultations sessions run in every state and territory. 

For the peak body consultations, we have:

• held 33 individual and group sessions
• facilitated 4 in-person and virtual workshops
• received 17 submissions through an online portal.

The Wellbeing Agency sessions have included veterans, current serving members, families, ex-service organisations, and other service providers.

We have:

• held over 44 face-to-face and virtual discovery sessions
•  received 151 online survey responses
• received 54 submissions through an online portal

Professor Mark Evans has also held multiple one-on-one 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 sessions concluded Thursday 15 May 2025.  

Summary of emerging themes 

Wellbeing Agency 

• Understand wellbeing and support services across the lifecycle of enlistment to aged care. 
• A new agency should formalise collaboration between Defence, Veterans' Affairs, community of practice, and mainstream services. 
• Improve client experience through a new service architecture that includes Veterans and Families Connect, and local hubs. 
• Build trust through enhancing quality service delivery. 
• Improve communication with the veteran community and use positive storytelling to raise the profile of veterans. 

National Peak Body 

• Require a clear scope, be independent, and represent the voices of veterans and families. 
• Provide a unified voice, enhance governance and service standards of ESOs, strengthen collaboration, and engage and support smaller organisations. 
• Deliver policy advocacy, define service standards, and facilitate communication across all levels of government. 
• Deliver consistent, inclusive, and collaborative engagement to drive improvements for veterans and families. 
• Clear governance arrangements that are diverse, transparent, and efficient. 

The co-design phase of both the new agency and national peak body started in mid-May 2025. That process will contribute to the development a blueprint and final report, which will then form the basis of a business case to government. 

Recommendation 87 – Establish a new agency to focus on veteran wellbeing

DVA is engaging with veterans (currently serving and ex-serving), families, ex-service organisations (ESOs), and veteran community groups to help shape the creation of a new agency focused on veteran wellbeing.

Virtual and in-person collaboration sessions are happening across Australia in April and May 2025, these engagements will leverage participants’ lived experiences.  This co-design process will directly inform options for the establishment of the Agency.

This work also supports Recommendation 80 - The Department of Veterans’ Affairs to take responsibility for supporting members to transition out of the Australian Defence Force (link to full recommendation

Veterans, families, Ex Service Organisations, Veteran Community groups, and currently serving ADF personnel are encouraged to share their views during this consultation period by registering for an engagement session, completing a survey and/or lodging a submission.

Recommendation 89 – Establish a national peak body for ex-service organisations

DVA is engaging with stakeholders from across the veteran community, with a focus on organisations that represent the ESO sector to establish a national ESO peak body. The role of the peak body, and its functions, membership, governance and funding are a focus of this consultation.  

The consultation phase will occur in April & May 2025.

ESOs and the broader veteran community are invited to share their views about the establishment of a national peak body to improve co-ordination and advocacy within the sector by lodging a submission through our online portal. Submissions close at 5:00pm AEST on 7 May 2025.

Full recommendation descriptions

Recommendation 87: Establish a new agency to focus on veteran wellbeing

The Australian Government should establish a new executive agency focused on veteran wellbeing. The new agency should have distinctive branding but be administratively nested within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) to ensure seamless information sharing and referrals.
The new veteran wellbeing agency should have the following functions:

1. Transition – to play a key role in supporting veterans to transition from military to civilian life (Recommendation 80), build relationships and encourage veterans to access early interventions and supports
2. System navigation and connection to wellbeing supports at the individual level – to help veterans to navigate the wellbeing ecosystem by providing clear information online about available services, and by working in partnership with Veterans’ and Families’ Hubs and expanding engagement with veterans through state and territory shopfronts
3. Improve referral pathways and service integration at the systems level by:
   
   1. managing relationships between Veterans’ and Families’ Hubs, ex-service organisations (ESOs), DVA, Australian and state and territory government agencies and non-government service providers
   2. ensuring referral pathways are in place and services are integrated to the greatest extent possible
   3.  advising DVA and state and territory governments on service gaps
4. Co-designing wellbeing supports – to work with veterans and ESOs to co-design new prevention and early intervention wellbeing programs and services at the local level, supported by a dedicated funding stream under the redesigned grants program for ESOs.

The new veteran wellbeing agency should have an ongoing operating budget, and the following capabilities and features:

1. staff who have lived experience of military service
2. offices established in area/s where large numbers of veterans live
3. customer service expertise, including in digital-led solutions
4. a trauma-informed communications and service-delivery approach
5. led by a CEO who reports to the Secretary of DVA
6. adhering to a service charter and associated key performance indicators, supported by regular and transparent reporting requirements.

 (Chapter 24: Empowering veterans to thrive)

Recommendation 80: The Department of Veterans’ Affairs to take responsibility for supporting members to transition out of the Australian Defence Force

Defence should continue to be responsible for supporting members to prepare for and complete separation from the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The new executive agency to be established in the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) (Recommendation 87) should take responsibility for supporting members to transition into civilian life.

Through the new agency, DVA should: (a) establish a meaningful relationship with serving members as soon as they begin a pathway towards transition (b) conduct a transition readiness review prior to separation, which includes the member, their commanding officer and DVA support person (c) lead transition screening and expand it to assess members’ psychosocial readiness for transition, including purpose and connection, help-seeking, beliefs about civilians, and regimentation and adaptability (d) with the consent of the member, share transition screening results (wholly or partially) with the member’s commanding officer and key transition support people within Defence and DVA (with Defence and DVA implementing a proactive process to obtain members’ consent to share this information) (e) proactively reach out to ex-serving members in the 12 months after they leave the ADF to understand their experience of transition, how they are adjusting to civilian life, and connect them with supports delivered by Australian Government agencies, states and territories, and ex-service organisations. (Chapter 23: Transition from military to civilian life)

Recommendation 89: Establish a national peak body for ex-service organisations

The Australian Government, in consultation with ex-service organisations (ESOs), should establish a national peak body for ESOs following a co-design process.

The role, functions, membership, governance and funding model of the peak body should be informed by the outcomes of the business case and agreed between the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the ESO sector. The funding model should not exclude participation of any eligible ESOs, particularly those who operate on a not-for-profit basis.

(Chapter 24: Empowering veterans to thrive)