RSL Australia welcomes the appointment of Western Australian MP Matt Keogh as Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel. It looks forward to working with Mr Keogh, the Government and indeed the Australian community as it seeks better outcomes for those who are serving and have served our nation in the armed forces.

Australia’s 1,150+ RSL Branches and Sub-Branches around Australia will mark the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, Patron of the RSL of Australia in June by lighting up in royal purple, hosting high teas, conducting tree plantings, and other promotional activities.

Cherisa Pearce is full of enthusiasm and passion for bettering the lives of veterans. Her impressive military career began at 21 years of age, involved three deployments to Timor Leste and spanned over 21 years, retiring as Second in Command of the Royal Military College. As the 5th generation to serve in her family, daughter of a Vietnam Vet, and with a currently serving partner, Cherisa is well informed on the issues facing the veteran community and their families.

As a kid, I was a Legacy ward and the RSL was always there to help my mother. We survived on a war widow’s pension and my mother did it hard. I will never forget how appreciative my mother was for someone to talk to that understood the complexities of being a war widow and an ex-military family.

In April 2022, a ceremony was held in South Korea in which students from Gapyeong High School and Gapyeong Middle School received scholarship grants from RSL’s Jubilee Commemorative Fund. These Scholarships serve as an enduring memorial to honour Australians who fought and lost their lives in the Korean War (1950 – 1953).

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide completed its fourth Hearing Block in Canberra, in early April. This was attended by RSL’s Ambassador Pete Rudland. You can read a summary of the key themes in this report.

RSL has welcomed the increased funding for veterans promised by the Labor Party as part of its Federal Election package released on Sunday. The funding commitment will assist in redressing many of the difficulties now confronting veterans and their families.

RSL has called on the next Australian Government to commit to funding of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) to a level sufficient to meet the needs of the Australian veteran community. This funding must be demand-driven and not held prisoner to annual budgets or three-year election cycles.

Today, RSL announced the recipients of the 2022 RSL ANZAC of the Year Awards. The Awards are made annually to recognise the efforts and achievements of up to seven Australians.

Each year, RSL creates special limited edition ANZAC biscuit tins, with unique designs that are available to collect from major supermarkets around Australia.  This year there are seven different tin designs to collect. Different designs are exclusive to different supermarkets, so here’s the scoop on where you can find them. 

The Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL) is introducing a pilot program to enable veterans and their families to more effectively access vital services and support to improve their lives.

The RSL has welcomed the federal budget funding announcement to increase staff to process veteran support claims.

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide has completed its first three Hearing Blocks, with two Hearing Blocks in Sydney following the opening in Brisbane. Read a summary of the key themes explored in these hearing blocks.

Today is International Women's Day! RSL Australia Ambassador CJ Pearce talks to three friends she made at Royal Military College almost 28 years ago about what International Women's Day and breaking the bias mean to them.

Just before 10am, on 19 February 1942, World War II forced itself onto Australia’s mainland for the first time, when formations of 188 Japanese aircraft mounted a deadly air raid on Darwin and the terrible sound of whistling bombs rang in the ears of allied troops and civilians alike.

RSL Ambassador CJ Pearce describes her experience fighting Covid 19. The year, 2022 did not start off quite as I expected. When we got the text to say we tested positive for COVID the first thing I did was laugh; that sounds strange, I know, but I didn’t know what to think. I think there was a little bit of fear, not knowing what would happen next.

RSL Australia has welcomed changes to the way veterans can access income support from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. RSL Australia recommended changes to improve access to rental assistance in its submission to the 2021 Senate inquiry regarding TPI payments.

Interview with Nick Kaldas, Chair of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, provided by Communications and Community Engagement team at the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.

The Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL) is pleased to announce that veteran, former Australian Defence Force member and RSL ambassador Pete Rudland will represent the organisation and act as its primary spokesperson at the upcoming first hearings of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide in Brisbane.

The Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL) says the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide represents an opportunity to address this devastating impact on veterans, serving Defence Force personnel and their families.