Speech by Mrs Gina Rinehart AO Opening of the Len Waters Apartments for homeless veterans

Speech by Mrs Gina Rinehart AO
Opening of the Len Waters Apartments for homeless veterans
Sunday 18 October 2026
Brisbane, QLD

Thank you Ben.

Please join me in applause for our brave patriotic Victoria Cross winner, Ben Roberts-Smith VC.

Good evening, and warmest welcome to the naming ceremony of this building for homeless veterans in honour of another very special Australian and veteran, Len Waters.

Len Waters was the very first indigenous pilot in the Australian Air Force. His daughter said, her dad, served many missions and quote, “gave it his all.”

Please join me in very warm applause.

I’m especially delighted to welcome today, Len’s daughter, Di Russell, and her sister. And a friend of mine, whose dad served in the Air Force with Len Waters. They would each understand something of the lives and dedication of their Air Force veteran dads, the fine principles they both held, their patriotism, so I hope they enjoy meeting and sharing special conversations with each other.

And please join me in a warm welcome and thanks to each of the veterans now calling the Len Waters Apartments, home.

People may wonder why I think housing is so critical to veterans when they leave the service. For a start there is far too often an unacceptable time gap before their well-deserved but meagre pensions start, and in that time, they have obligations, perhaps including supporting their family, perhaps a mortgage or being able to afford rent, and or other commitments.

I don’t know all the details of veteran pensions at the time my uncle came out of the Air Force after decades, but my dad bought him a home, in one of the two best Perth suburbs, walking distance from us, and with a nice river view. Plus, spare bedrooms for if his then grown-up children visited. Rent free home of course.

My dad did more than that, he arranged Val get plane flying classifications so he could fly my dad’s different aircraft, he arranged office space, use of a secretary, printing so Val could continue to write about defence matters, and we enjoyed many happy dinners with Uncle Val, usually held at my home, a few times at his home.

I was privileged to know Uncle Val, productively writing in the office, travelling with us for many years, and despite his active service in Malaysia, which sounded truly awful, and decades in the military, I didn’t ever witness Uncle Val, with secure home and gainfully occupied, suffering mental illnesses.

If only this could be so for all veterans, a secure home and productive activities.

I don’t like the path we are on. Pretty but effectively meaningless pollie speeches at veteran gatherings and parades, such bringing photo opportunities for the pollies and others, which do zilch to help the veterans with homes or being permitted to get a job. To me this is a proven path to enable continuing veteran mental illnesses. A path that must be changed.

It should be obvious if a veteran is forced to be homeless, in many cases causing marriage break up, forced to sleep under bridges, in cars or at times friends lounges if fortunate, or in unsafe and very cold or wet or damp conditions, not really knowing where he can sleep night after night, and forced to write the words, “of no fixed address,” on job applications, seeing no light at the end of that desperate tunnel, feeling the government and vet organisations have deserted him or her, is it really too difficult for those responsible for caring for veterans, our government and veteran organisations, to see the terrible effect this strain has on our vets and their mental health.

Are they really so incredibly out of touch, or too uncaring, not to open barracks doors and other scarcely or unused defence accommodation facilities? They know vets in the course of their service have had multi trainings, plumbing, carpentry, welding, even electrical works, and can paint and clean, so I have zero respect for those who claim, can’t open defence accommodation for veterans because of the huge maintenance costs, let the vets provide, and let them come out of the cold, damp and wet, and have a safe place to call home.

And tied to this, what the uni-parties have done with veterans’ pensions, at least in recent years, ensures many veterans can never afford their own home, or even work more than a few hours a week, without jeopardising their hard-earned pensions.

Try to imagine, being sent overseas to do what the government directs, risking their lives and going through terrible hardships, hardships I certainly couldn’t cope with, and then not being able to work as much as you may want, in your own country.

Work you need to enable you to feel useful and involved, and to struggle with the increased cost of living, to be able to provide for your families, pay electricity bills and increasing government charges, mortgages, food, medicines you need or even rent.

Even the most arrogant bureaucrat, should be able to see that this is a very bad road for the mental health of our veterans, and that well-meaning polished pamphlets and visits to doctors or counsellors don’t do one iota to put a roof over veterans’ families or veterans’ heads, can’t help veterans to struggle with the rising costs of living, or be able to provide for their families, pay increasingly expensive electricity bills and government charges, mortgages, food, the medicines they need, or effectively help the huge mental stress all this causes veterans and their families.

Please join me in calling for an end to the proven road towards veterans’ ill health.

It is with pleasure I now introduce briefly, a patriot, one who truly cares about our veterans and their families, please welcome Senator Pauline Hanson!