The federal government has cut funding for Invictus Australia in the budget, prompting warnings that veterans could harm themselves without the support of the organisation.
“It can be life-threatening if I’m going to be brutally honest,” Invictus Games athlete Vanessa Broughill told ABC Sport.
“We lose six veterans a month to suicide and a lot of the time that can be taken back to the fact that they feel like they have no support.
“There are so many people out there that rely on organisations like Invictus Australia to help them through all the things that they’re going through, whether it be PTSD, anxiety, depression.”
Vanessa Broughill celebrates a medal win at the Invictus Games. (Supplied)
Invictus Australia is a non-profit organisation that supports veterans with injuries and mental health conditions to participate in the Invictus Games and community sport.
The games have been held seven times since they were launched by Prince Harry in 2014, including the 2018 edition in Sydney.
“To have this support removed in full, with no transition or alternative funding pathway, is a devastating blow, not only to our organisation, but to the veterans and families who depend on these programs to stay connected, well and alive,” said the CEO of the Invictus Games, Michael Hartung.
The Invictus Games were launched by Prince Harry in 2014. (Reuters: Valentyn Ogirenko)
The federal government provided $9 million over three years for the games beginning in the 2022-23 budget.
The funding was extended last year but cut altogether in last night’s budget.
Hartung said he found out only hours before the budget was tabled in Parliament.
“We really only found out yesterday evening and that has left us with a fair degree of shock,” Hartung told ABC Sport.
“For many veterans, Invictus Australia is not a recreational outlet. It is a lifeline, supporting people to manage PTSD, anxiety and depression, rebuild purpose and routine, and reconnect with their communities.
“Removing this funding removes access to a proven pathway for recovery.”
Hartung said Australia normally sent around 50 athletes to the Invictus Games, which have been held roughly every two years.
But he said the bulk of the organisation’s work involved connecting tens of thousands of veterans to community sport every year.
He said about three-quarters of the organisation’s funding came from the federal government.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry were both on hand when Australia hosted the Invictus Games in 2018. (Getty Images: Karwai Tang)
Broughill is one of the veterans who said she had benefited from participating in the Invictus Games.
She began her military career in the army before joining the navy as a cryptologic systems operator, specialising in electronic intelligence.
“In 2015 after what felt like a good solid couple years of what I would call suffering and silence, I was finally diagnosed with both generalised anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder,” she said.
“I worked in a room inside a room without any windows.
“Everything had to be done yesterday. Everything was, you know, important and often related to life or death situations.
“So therefore, there’s a lot of pressure that builds up over time.”
Broughill was medically discharged in 2022, but by then had already participated in her first Invictus Games in 2020, winning a gold in the long jump and also competing in other athletics events as well as swimming and indoor rowing.
“When I found Invictus, that was the catalyst that sort of headed me in the right direction,” she said.
“During that time of having really poor mental health, I’d gained a lot of weight, and I’d stopped doing all those things.
“I’d stopped going to the gym, I’d stopped working out, I’d stopped being the healthy, happy version of myself.
“And then having a goal and having a reason to get back into sport and being supported on that journey, then led me to a place where I was more confident and more capable of integrating back into the greater community.”
The Minister for Veteran’s Affairs and Defence Personnel, Matt Keogh, thanked Invictus Australia for its “effective work supporting the veteran community”.
“While the funding for these specific grant programs has now concluded, the Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency will provide future opportunities to work with the sector to develop a competitive program to deliver wellbeing initiatives that support veterans and families of veterans,” he said.
Hartung said the budget cut meant Australia may not be able to send a team to the next Invictus Games in 2027 in Birmingham.
“We would ideally love for the government to reconsider, particularly in light of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide,” he said.
“We know that there were many recommendations in that report that sport could play a role, and through our own work we know the contribution it makes to people’s mental health.”
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