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Veterans Affairs committee While in the public service you never get away from who your ultimate employer is. As I said at the start, we have an Australian system that works pretty well. The parliamentarians have a part of that process through the government of the day, and it's the parliamentarians who
December 4th, 2006Committee meeting
Roger Winzenberg
Veterans Affairs committee We have a very good relationship with our colleagues at the Department of Defence. When a veteran applies for a pension or a benefit from us, we make arrangements with our defence colleagues to have their service and medical records shipped over. But in-house, in our department,
December 4th, 2006Committee meeting
Roger Winzenberg
Veterans Affairs committee I think it's true to say there are issues with very old records, but our legislation gives the department the power to use the benefit of the doubt in determining claims. If there were an absence of a record, but the proposition being put was reasonable and made sense in terms of
December 4th, 2006Committee meeting
Roger Winzenberg
Veterans Affairs committee Thank you.
December 4th, 2006Committee meeting
Roger Winzenberg
Veterans Affairs committee Certainly speaking as an Australian citizen, I'd say maybe the ombudsman's office hasn't had the public exposure that it may have had, in the sense that maybe more could be done to make citizens aware that there is that avenue of redress available. In terms of how the governmen
December 4th, 2006Committee meeting
Roger Winzenberg
Veterans Affairs committee No, I don't know.
December 4th, 2006Committee meeting
Roger Winzenberg
Veterans Affairs committee The question arises, and that has to do with the ombudsman office and how they do their work. All I can say is that certainly they have performance standards that they try to meet. However, how the ombudsman has arranged his office clearly is working, given the standards they're
December 4th, 2006Committee meeting
Roger Winzenberg
Veterans Affairs committee Not within the legislation. As I said, all Australian government agencies have to publish a performance or service charter in terms of how they're going to respond. So the ombudsman would have his, and that would be on his website and in his reports.
December 4th, 2006Committee meeting
Roger Winzenberg
Veterans Affairs committee The recommendations go from the principal member, who is the person who runs the board, to the minister, and the minister signs off on that.
December 4th, 2006Committee meeting
Roger Winzenberg
Veterans Affairs committee They're a mixture. They normally try to get members with military experience. It's normally people who have some sort of legal experience. Often there are people who have some sort of medical experience. But I'm not sure that it has ever been mandated that you must have x number
December 4th, 2006Committee meeting
Roger Winzenberg
Veterans Affairs committee I can only tell you how the process works.
December 4th, 2006Committee meeting
Roger Winzenberg
Veterans Affairs committee Often one size doesn't fit all, and it's up to various countries and jurisdictions to work out what best accommodates their needs.
December 4th, 2006Committee meeting
Roger Winzenberg
Veterans Affairs committee Not in recent years, not within my memory.
December 4th, 2006Committee meeting
Roger Winzenberg
Veterans Affairs committee In the main, yes. Most of what we call own-motion are in other areas of government.
December 4th, 2006Committee meeting
Roger Winzenberg
Veterans Affairs committee They're appointed on recommendation by the principal member who runs the board to government, and I think it's the minister who actually signs it off.
December 4th, 2006Committee meeting
Roger Winzenberg