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The federal government has backflipped and will fund injured and disabled veterans to compete at the Invictus Games.
Funding for Invictus Australia was scrapped in the May 12 federal budget, but under widespread pressure from the public and veterans groups, Veterans’ Affairs Minister Matt Keogh backflipped and reinstated funding on Thursday.
Invictus Australia’s $3m-per-year federal government funding has been reinstated for three years.
Invictus Australia chief executive Michael Hartung said the weight of veterans sharing their stories and community support were the reasons funding was approved.
“The past few weeks have highlighted the strength of the community – it has been their advocacy, sharing their stories and articulating so well the impact of the Invictus movement on them that has been incredibly powerful,” he said.
“We thank the federal government for reviewing the decision to discontinue funding for Invictus Australia and are delighted that veterans and their families will be able to continue to benefit from our world-leading program in the years ahead.”
About 30,000 former defence personnel have been supported by Invictus Australia, which uses sport to help their mental and physical recoveries.
Mr Keogh said the new $78m Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency, which begins operating July 1, would address four recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
“As part of standing up the agency, the government is transitioning funding for a broad range of existing wellbeing support for veterans and families into the new agency,” Mr Keogh said.
The funding for Invictus Australia is now the responsibility of the new Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency.
The new agency was designed to address four recommendations of the royal commission, related to a new body within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to help people navigate government systems and transition out of defence.
Mr Keogh’s office declined to explain why the Invictus funding was cut and then reinstated in the space of two weeks.
The funding will help send a team to the next international Invictus Games in Birmingham in 2027.
Invictus Australia sent 33 athletes to the 2025 Games in Canada. Invictus Australia was created for the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 event.
Prince Harry, himself a defence veteran, created the Invictus Games in 2014,
Two weeks ago, the Invictus Australia boss said he only learnt the $3m-a-year funding had been cut as the federal budget papers were released.
“We found out about it on Tuesday evening (budget night) … as they were going in, we had a little heads up, but that was really the first we’d heard of it,” Mr Hartung said at the time.
“It has certainly come as a shock.”
The 30,000 former Australian Defence Force personnel who have engaged with Invictus Australia received important rehabilitation and recovery but also preventive support, Mr Hartung said.
“That was one of the key elements of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide that more needed to be done in that space, and that’s what we’ve been doing,” he said.
Former Australian defence personnel are more likely to die by suicide than the general population.
A female Australian veteran is almost twice as likely to take her own life than a general civilian woman.
Men who have left Defence are 25 per cent more like to die by suicide, Australian Institute of health and Welfare data shows.
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