PLANNING for the Veterans' Wellbeing Centre in Nowra is progressing with NSW RSL set to lead the local development.
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Nowra was one of six centres announced by the federal government at the last election with $30 million to be invested into a network Veterans' Wellbeing Centres in Darwin, Townsville, Perth, Adelaide and Wodonga.
Each centre is at a different stage of development and a spokesperson from the Department of Veterans' Affairs said the government is committed to delivering centres that meet the needs of the local veteran community.
The Veterans' Wellbeing Centres will put veterans and their families first by involving those organisations who currently provide services and support to them.
Nowra was chosen because there are a high number of veterans and Australian Defence Force members living in the surrounding area and many in the ADF will choose to live in the area when they transition into civilian life.
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"DVA has worked with local groups, including the NSW Office for Veterans' Affairs, the Returned and Services League (RSL) and other ex-service organisations to understand the services currently available and the ongoing needs of veterans and their families in the Nowra region," the DVA spokesperson said.
NSW RSL is leading the development of the Nowra centre, looking at how the centre will operate and what services it will likely deliver.
"A site for the centre has not yet been determined and DVA understands NSW RSL is looking at available options," the spokesperson said.
"All those involved are working to deliver and open the centre as soon as practicable, however, a date for the Nowra Veterans' Wellbeing Centre has not been confirmed."
When the centres were first announced it was stated each would receive $5 million, it was understood that was to establish the actual bricks and mortar of the buildings.
The estimated cost to run the centre each year and where that funding would come from were questions put to DVA, which said it was not aware of any proposal regarding financial commitments from RSL Sub-branches to support the operations.
Individuals or interested parties can provide their views on the centre by emailing veteranswellbeingcentres@dva.gov.au.