A national veterans’ advocacy group has accused the federal government of neglecting South Australia’s Vietnam War veterans, leaving many to live in shocking conditions without adequate support. The group claims the government has missed crucial warning signs, resulting in elderly veterans suffering in isolation and squalor.
Salute for Service, a not-for-profit organisation supporting veterans in their own homes, has revealed harrowing cases of former soldiers living in filth, with some surrounded by rubbish, rodent infestations, and human waste.
Chief Executive Marc Diplock has directly criticised the My Aged Care programme – funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care – stating that it has failed to provide proper in-home support for these veterans, many of whom suffer from severe PTSD.
Shocking Cases of Neglect
Mr Diplock described one particularly disturbing case of an 82-year-old veteran who was found living among towering piles of rubbish, a kitchen filled with used plastic milk bottles, and a floor covered in inches of rat faeces.
“When we first walked in, we thought it was just dirt,” Mr Diplock told The Advertiser. “Then we realised it was rat faeces – everywhere.”
The veteran had been a client of My Aged Care but had continued to deteriorate over the years, particularly after the death of his mother, his primary support, two decades ago.
In another case, a female Vietnam veteran with no family or community connections was discovered in such extreme squalor that forensic cleaners were required to completely replace her furniture and deep-clean her home.
Mr Diplock also revealed that at least four other veterans in South Australia were found in similar or even worse conditions.
A System Failing Veterans
The primary concern raised by Salute for Service is the lack of proactive care and proper outreach. Many of these veterans receive only Telehealth consultations rather than in-home visits, meaning that obvious red flags – such as extreme hoarding, self-neglect, and hazardous living conditions – go unnoticed.
“They are suffering, they are isolating themselves due to depression, and agencies aren’t seeing the warning signs,” Mr Diplock said. “They’re not getting the right care before we step in to help them.”
Former police officer Bill Bates, founder of Operation Unity (SA), which supports veterans and first responders, agrees that the system is failing those in greatest need. He emphasised that many of these veterans have lived in isolation for so long that it can take weeks to build enough trust for them to even allow support workers inside their homes.
Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia (SA) President Robert Shahinger described the state in which some veterans are living as “disappointing” but acknowledged that it is a complex issue.
“There’s a lack of communication between the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and My Aged Care,” Mr Shahinger said. “But it’s also true that many veterans refuse to engage with services because being around other veterans can worsen their PTSD.”
According to Mr Shahinger, the worst effects of PTSD tend to emerge later in life, particularly once veterans retire and their children leave home.
Government Response and Broader Implications
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Aged Care defended My Aged Care, stating that its staff and aged care needs assessors are specifically trained to support older veterans and war widows.
“The government values our veterans and is committed to ensuring they can access the supports they need,” the spokesperson said.
However, advocacy groups argue that this commitment is not translating into real-world outcomes for South Australia’s ageing Vietnam veterans. Many feel abandoned, left to deteriorate in conditions that no one—let alone those who served their country—should have to endure.
The issue also ties into the broader mental health crisis affecting former service personnel.
The 2021 Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide found that ex-serving Australian Defence Force members are 50% more likely to die by suicide than the general population, with an average of 78 veterans taking their own lives each year between 2011 and 2021.
Advocates are now calling for urgent reform, including greater face-to-face outreach, proactive intervention strategies, and better coordination between aged care and veteran support services. Without immediate action, they fear more Vietnam veterans will continue to be left behind, suffering in silence.
