Newsroom

July 16, 2024

The Katter's Australian Party (KAP) has proudly pledged its support for The Oasis Townsville (The Oasis) and the valuable work they do in our garrison city to support our large veteran community and the plans they hold for the future to incorporate first responders to their services.

Recognising the invaluable contributions and sacrifices of our veterans, the KAP is committed to ensuring they receive the respect, care, and support they so rightly deserve. Townsville hosts Australia’s largest army base and according to the 2021 Australian Census, one in every six Townsville households is home to a veteran.

The Oasis Townsville provides a lifeline of support and assistance for veterans and their families, offering vital services that address the unique challenges they face. From mental health support and employment assistance to community integration and family services, The Oasis Townsville plays a crucial role in improving the quality of life for those who have served our nation and now they are valiantly seeking to bring first responders under their wing.

KAP Candidate for Mundingburra, Michael Pugh, who has worked directly with The Oasis through the Townsville Hike and Explore Group, said their work was so incredibly important to the veteran community and should be commended for now trying to expand these services to first responders as well.

“What a lot of people don’t realise is, The Oasis is the overarching support organisation for our veteran community and their families, and they run over 100 events every month out at their centre in Oonoonba. More than 1,000 people partake in these events each month which are crucial to the mental health and wellbeing of our veteran community,” Mr Pugh said.

“Townsville is a garrison city and I’m very proud to represent the KAP and to pledge my support to The Oasis and commit to being an advocate for the funding that will be critical to their ongoing success.

“I would encourage both of the major parties to jump on board and commit to delivering funding to what could only be described as the backbone of mental health and wellbeing for our veterans and hopefully also our first responders and their families.”

KAP Candidate for Townsville, Margie Ryder said that for the past three years The Oasis has provided evidence based and consistent data.

“This is a prime opportunity for the Queensland Government to add value to an existing organisation that has good governance and good branding,” Ms Ryder said.

“But you can’t rely on volunteers to run organisations like this. You need operational funding and a long term commitment based on consistent evidence, and that’s what we have here.”

The Oasis Townsville Chairman, General John Caligari, said they sought to implement three main priorities.

“Firstly, we want to bring first responders into our community, which we have been planning carefully for a few years. The second thing we want to do is significantly enhance our connections program to support the new Queensland Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. And thirdly, we want to go to the next level of getting more veterans and partners into meaningful work.” Mr Caligari said.

“A Queensland Mental Health Commission study by KPMG in 2018 demonstrated a strong return of eight dollars for every dollar spent on prevention. This means a community centre that aims to connect veterans, first responders, and their families, integrate them into the wider community, and find them meaningful work, will save the economy money and provide long-term mental health benefits.

"Our ambition is for our Veteran Community Homebase to also support first responders and their families and enhance our efforts to focus on preventative health measures to protect them from experiencing mental health problems."

Hinchinbrook MP and KAP Deputy Leader Nick Dametto said there was a shared understanding between veterans and first responders around things such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the importance of keeping people in valued roles post their original service careers.

“KAP is committed to seeing The Oasis receive the funding necessary to continue on with their great work for veterans and also expand that service to first responders.

“The Oasis needs $9 million of operational funding over four years to deliver this vital service and the evidence clearly demonstrates that in addition to the personal individual benefits, the economic benefit to our community as a whole is inarguable.

“As a North Queensland political party based in Townsville, we are very proud to stand alongside The Oasis in their mission."

Photo 1: John Caligari, Michael Pugh, Margie Ryder and Nick Dametto MP.