APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO THE VETERANS’ REVIEW BOARD

MEMBERS of the Veterans' Review Board (VRB) have been appointed by the Governor-General, His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Ret'd), the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Darren Chester announced today.

There will be 17 members of the Board appointed for a term of five years and two members reappointed until 11 November 2020 to mentor and develop the skills of the new appointees. 

The 11 senior members appointed will be Mr Gary Barrow, Dr Peter Habersberger AM RFD, Mr Douglas Humphreys OAM, Ms Louise Hunt, Mr Christopher Keher, Mr Michael Kelly, Ms Hilary Kramer, Associate Professor David Letts AM CSM, Mr David Thomae, Ms Susan Trotter, Mr Leslie Young OAM.

Captain Steven Coghlan, Brigadier Alison Creagh CSC, Colonel Robin Regan, Commander Sophia White, Colonel Warwick Young will be appointed as the five services members.

Ms Mary Desses, Dr Bernard Hockings and Professor Robert McLaughlin will be appointed as the three members of the Veterans’ Review Board.

“These appointments ensure the Board will have relevant experience suitable for deciding applications for review of decisions of the Repatriation and Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commissions,” Mr Chester said.

“The members have outstanding experience and achievements in their fields and I am confident that each member will serve the veteran community with distinction in this important role.

“I congratulate all the appointees and look forward to their contribution to the important work of the VRB.”

The VRB is part of the veterans and military rehabilitation and compensation determining systems. It is a tribunal created by Parliament to review decisions about disability pensions, war widows’ and widowers’ pensions, and attendant allowance under the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 and rehabilitation, compensation and other benefits under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004.

Biographies of the appointees are available on the VRB website.