Parliament of Victoria | Legislative Council | Adjournment
17 March 2026
David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan Region):
My adjournment is to the Minister for Veterans and concerns the federal Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ updated medicinal cannabis framework introduced last month.
While the DVA claims these resources are intended to safeguard the health and wellbeing of veterans and ensure treatments are safe and effective, the reality is quite different. The new framework severely restricts access to care for many veterans who rely on DVA-funded medicinal cannabis to manage chronic pain, service-related injuries and other conditions.
A major barrier is the requirement for in-person consultations. Restricting telehealth is a huge obstacle for veterans in regional and rural areas, where specialist prescribers may be hours away. Veterans managing PTSD, traumatic brain injury, mobility challenges or severe anxiety cannot access treatment due to the travel requirements.
We heard of one veteran who has a total impairment and is the sole carer of three children under 12. He cannot physically get to the nearest face-to-face clinic with a medicinal cannabis prescriber as it is over 400 kilometres away. Access is further reduced by limiting prescribing to clinicians with specialist Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency registration, significantly reducing the pool of prescribers.
While prescribers may exist on paper, many have closed books, long wait times or require restrictive referrals. Rather than improving care, the framework cripples access to it – and at a time when demand among veterans is increasing and clinical evidence supporting medicinal cannabis continues to grow.
The opioid crisis within veteran communities is well documented, yet veterans who have finally found relief through medicinal cannabis are now being pushed back towards the higher risk opioids as access to a safer alternative has been removed – how ironic.
The DVA cites safety concerns while collecting no data on whether safety issues actually exist. These restrictions are being imposed based on hypothetical risks, not evidence of harm. Although the framework is federal, the Victorian government can still help by improving regional specialist access, expanding patient travel assistance for veterans and increasing clinician education around emerging treatments.
The action I seek is for the minister to urgently lobby her federal counterpart to reinstate the previous model and undertake genuine consultation with veterans, clinics, advocates and prescribers to develop a revised framework grounded in real clinical outcomes, not administrative expectations.
Written Answer
Received: 23 April 2026
Hon. Natalie Suleyman MP
(Minister for Veterans)
I thank the Member for Western Metropolitan Region for his question about the Commonwealth Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) updated framework for medical cannabis and his advocacy on supporting the health and wellbeing of veterans.
I want to begin by acknowledging the service and sacrifice of our veterans. I thank them for their service and the families, friends and community members that support them. As Minister for Veterans, I have a deep appreciation of the impact that service can have on our Defence personnel and the need to for strong health and wellbeing programs to support them to continue to lead successful lives after their service.
Specific questions regarding the DVA updated framework for medicinal cannabis are the responsibility of the Federal Minister for Veterans’ Affairs.
Over the past five State Budgets, the Allan Labor Government’s investment to support implementation of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System’s (RCVMHS) suicide prevention and response-related recommendations has totalled $223.4 million, and a total investment in the mental health and wellbeing system of more than $6 billion. The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing and the Department of Health are working together to identify where the needs and circumstances of veterans can be considered in work undertaken to address the findings of the RCVMHS.
The Victorian Government also continues to work with the Commonwealth Government on the implementation of recommendations from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. Ministers for respective veterans’ portfolios across all jurisdictions meet primarily through the Veterans’ Ministerial Council, chaired by the Hon Matt Keogh MP, Commonwealth Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, to consider issues affecting veterans, their families and their overall wellbeing, including the findings and recommendations from the Royal Commission.
As Minister for Veterans, I will continue to work with veterans’ ministers from around the country to support the best outcomes for Victoria’s veterans.
[ENDS]
