Veterans' Treatment Cannot Be Limited by Cost or Number of Visits
Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Veterans' Healthcare Without Caps) Bill 2026
Private Member's BillSenate
House of Representatives
Assent
Introduced by: Senator Jacqui Lambie (JLN)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The Debate
What different members said when this bill was debated:
Jacqui Lambie JLN
“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I seek leave to table an explanatory memorandum relating to the bill. Leave granted. Senator LAMBIE: I table an explanatory memorandum and seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted.”
Jenny McAllister ALP
“Later today, this chamber will have the opportunity to consider two bills which substantially advance the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.”
Michaelia Cash LIB
“I too rise to speak on the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Veterans’ Healthcare Without Caps) Bill 2026. At its heart, this bill is about the principle. When an Australian veteran has an accepted service related injury or disease, access to treatment should be determined by clinical need, not by an arbitrary monetary or numerical cap imposed by the government.”
Ross Cadell NAT
“We’ve had the announcement this morning that the government will no longer hurt the allied health provisions for our veterans, but it needs to go further. Part of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Veterans’ Healthcare Without Caps) Bill 2026 is going further. It’s about helping them. Not hurting is not good enough. We have gone through this process.”
David Shoebridge GRN
“It’s pretty extraordinary that we need a piece of legislation that says the government can’t put arbitrary caps and ceilings on the legitimate health services for veterans. It is extraordinary that we have to come in here and legislate to say, for any class of Australians who need allied health care and medical help, that the government can’t put an arbitrary dollar cap on it.”
“The Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Veterans’ Healthcare Without Caps) Bill 2026 will ensure that eligible veterans can access treatment for accepted service related injuries and conditions based on their clinical needs rather than on the arbitrary monetary or numerical limits that this uncaring Labor government was trying to introduce.”
Sean Bell PHON
“I rise to support this incredible and timely bill, the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Veterans’ Healthcare Without Caps) Bill 2026, from Senator Lambie and I want to thank Senator Lambie for bringing this to the floor of the chamber. Isn’t it absolutely wonderful to see a united Senate—a united parliament—on this?”