Veterans.
The backlog is over.
Every Australian who has served in the defence forces receives a guaranteed compensation pathway. The historic backlog of veterans' claims has been settled through a one-time payment from the Sovereign Wealth Fund's $17 billion legacy-clearance allocation. Going forward, veterans access services through Healthcoverall with priority pathways for service-related conditions.
The legacy backlog of veterans' claims is the kind of obligation that successive budgets pretended did not exist. The Sovereign Wealth Fund's first-year clearance pays it down in one move. Going forward, the system that delivers care to every Australian — Healthcoverall — also delivers care to veterans, with priority for service-related conditions and a single point of access. There is no separate eligibility tier and no separate documentary regime.
The Defence Tort Liability provision within the SWF's $17 billion legacy line covers claims that fell outside the previous compensation regime. Decisions on those claims are settled by the same arbitration framework that handles other Commonwealth liabilities — fast, final, and out of the courts.