As the NSW Minister for Veterans, I am committed to supporting veterans and their families, especially as they transition into civilian life. I am proud that NSW was the first jurisdiction in Australia to develop a whole of government and community Veterans Strategy. One pillar of the strategy is to support and develop education and employment opportunities in order to assist veterans finding meaningful ongoing employment post their military service.
As part of the NSW Government support to veterans, we developed the Veterans Employment Program (VEP) and committed to hiring 200 veterans into the NSW Public Sector during the Centenary of Anzac. The program was successful with 831 veterans being employed during the Centenary, therefore the NSW Government extended the program for a further four years with a new target, set by the Premier, to employ 1000 veterans by 2023. As at 31 March this year, 1094 veterans have found employment within the NSW Public Sector, 18 months ahead of schedule. This has brought the total number of veterans employed in new roles in the NSW Public Sector to 1925 since commencement of the program.
I am proud that the VEP continues to assist our veterans, being a national leader in veterans’ employment.
