A Remembrance Day service will be held at the Anzac Jawan Cenotaph in Cherrybrook, Sydney, on Sunday 15 November, from 4 pm to 5 pm. The Australia India Cenotaph Committee is organising the ceremony, which will honour those who lost their lives in military service. Veterans and participating groups are asked to gather from 3.45 pm. Community representatives may lay wreaths if they send names and titles beforehand. The event is supported by several local and community bodies, and the public is welcome to attend.
Australian veterans and serving Defence personnel will compete with teams from the United Kingdom and United States at the 2026 Veteran Games Finals on the Sunshine Coast. The two-day event at Sunshine Coast Stadium on October 24 and 25 features physical and problem-solving challenges. The Veteran Games, now in its fourth year, was set up in response to concerns raised by the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. Founder Heston Russell said it helps veterans rebuild the purpose and connection many lose after leaving the military.
Maureen Shelly has celebrated her 100th birthday in Tea Gardens with fellow Legacy members. She was born in Charlestown in 1926 and grew up on land her family was granted near Warners Bay Road. Her husband Jimmy served in the RAAF during World War II, and the couple later moved to Tea Gardens in 2008. After Jimmy died in 2009, Maureen joined the local Legacy group. The local Legacy members held a lunch for her at The Garden Eatery, with birthday cake for dessert. Maureen says she feels more like 50 than 100.
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The Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia is calling on the Australian Government to expand counselling access for veterans. The call follows an appearance by its chief executive, Johanna de Wever, before a parliamentary body.
Townsville Air Force veteran Pete O'Connell has been selected to represent Australia at the inaugural Invictus Australia Sports Festival in Perth. The festival runs from 23 to 25 October 2026 and brings together serving and former Defence personnel affected by injury or illness. Competitors from Australia, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea will contest indoor rowing, pickleball, sitting volleyball and swimming. O'Connell says his training has helped him reconnect with his community since leaving the Australian Defence Force. Public activities, including a Community Sports Expo at Scarborough Beach, are free to attend on Saturday.
Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie has spoken publicly about living with vaginal prolapse and the costs veterans can face when seeking treatment. Labor and crossbench figures backed her after she criticised a One Nation cartoon that mocked her condition. Jean Hailes chief executive Dr Sarah White described such ridicule as unacceptable and said people rarely discuss the condition openly. Vaginal prolapse occurs when the bladder, uterus or bowel pushes into the vagina, most often after pregnancy and childbirth, though heavy lifting, chronic straining and menopause can also contribute.
Sunshine RSL president Charlie Bezzina says the club is rebuilding after a fire tore through its kitchen and bowling club room in March. No one was harmed, but the damage forced immediate demolition. Plans include a temporary gaming area, a reopened bar and a cafe. Bowls, veterans lunches and trivia nights are running again. Remembrance Day will still be held on the premises, and Bezzina wants to attract younger veterans as members.
A group of Australian veterans is suing the federal government, claiming the Department of Veterans' Affairs shared their medical data with a university for research without permission. The case relates to a 20-year research program called MATES, which was closed in 2024 over privacy concerns. An earlier investigation by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner found the department had interfered with one veteran's privacy by sending personal information to researchers. Health data is classed as sensitive under law, and researchers generally need consent, or a narrow legal exception, to use it.
Australian Federal Police have executed four search warrants in an ongoing fraud investigation targeting the veteran support system. Officers searched the Queensland home of The Rosemary Centre owner Josh Tinning and three other locations linked to the business in New South Wales. Sixty police officers and Department of Veterans' Affairs staff were involved. Investigators are examining medical reports the company provided to veterans for compensation claims. Mr Tinning's lawyers say he denies any wrongdoing.
RSL president Peter Tinley will tell the National Press Club on Monday that no single person in the Commonwealth is responsible for making sure the nation is ready for serious disruption. He will call this the missing line of defence. Mr Tinley will outline a national preparedness framework with three measures: a law making preparation a continuing legal duty, an independent commission to assess resilience spending, and a government adviser to judge readiness. He will also urge states and territories to join a National Preparedness Compact.
Thousands of people who served in Afghanistan were honoured at a 25th anniversary service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and former prime ministers attended. Veteran Ben Roberts-Smith, who faces five counts of war crime murder that he has rejected, was granted court permission to attend. Forty-seven Australian Defence Force personnel died and 263 were wounded during the deployment. Private Robert Poate's mother, Janny Poate, spoke of the families left with empty places at home.
The RSL, Legacy and the Australian War Memorial are calling for the release of official histories covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The four Middle East volumes were commissioned in 2015 and completed in 2023, but none have been published. RSL national president Peter Tinley said veterans want the government to honour their service through an official record. The histories must be cleared by government departments before publication, and the process has been slow. The government did not answer questions about the delay.
Special Forces veteran Heston Russell has urged Australian students to show maturity and respect on Remembrance Day, rejecting plans for political protests on November 11. An anti-capitalist student group has organised a demonstration linked to unrest in France, which began in Paris over teacher shortages and school conditions. Russell said the day should transcend politics and honours those who died in wars. He warned the protests could boost attention for One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and urged people not to give the demonstrators the attention they seek.
A class action has been launched against the federal government over allegations of unauthorised sharing of veterans' medical records. The claim, filed by Gordon Legal, alleges the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) and the University of South Australia (UniSA) shared data from around 300,000 veterans without consent. The MATES program, which operated from 2004 to 2024, is accused of accessing and disclosing personal health information, including medications and conditions, to identify and contact GPs about potential health risks. The lawsuit seeks damages for breach of confidence in the Victorian Supreme Court.
Veterans of Australia’s Middle East deployments are invited to a three-day gathering in Bellingen to mark 25 years since the start of the Afghanistan commitment. The Bellinger River RSL Sub-Branch is hosting the event, which includes camping, shared meals, and a dawn service. The weekend is open to all veterans and their families who served in Afghanistan or Iraq, regardless of RSL membership. The event aims to provide a relaxed, informal setting for veterans to connect and commemorate their service.
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The Australian government will issue a formal apology to LGBTQ+ Defence personnel and veterans for historical discriminatory policies. The apology follows a long journey of official acknowledgement, with the ADF banning LGBTQ+ personnel until 1992 and transgender service until 2010. Veterans can now apply to have historical homosexual convictions removed from their service records, with the apology expected later this year.
Australian Army Corporal Brendan Hannam died in a troop carrier rollover at the Mount Bundey Training Area south of Darwin, injuring five other soldiers. The 28-year-old was remembered as a respected leader who served on two operational tours. Veterans say the harsh conditions at the training site are unavoidable for realistic preparation, despite the risks. The Australian Defence Force has committed to a thorough investigation.
