BARNABY Joyce has described receiving the Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs role as a "great honour", and he has the backing of influential locals within the sector.
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The Member for New England recently lost his position as leader of the Nationals, but will remain on the opposition frontbench after being named in the shadow cabinet.
Mr Joyce told the Leader he was pleased to take on the portfolio, especially given his family's connection to the defence force.
"It's a great honour to be able to serve people who have done so much in the service to our nation, and in my own family I'm the third generation of people who have served, both my father and grandfather did," he said.
"We have a lot of issues in veterans' affairs, from homelessness to suicide, people always struggling to get access to the benefits to which they're entitled.
"As we try and grow the defence force, and we have to in light of the circumstances before us, it's incredibly important that we show those people not only do we respect their service in the Army, Navy or Air Force, but we respect it when they get out as well," he said.
Tamworth RSL sub-branch president, Jayne McCarthy, has thrown her support behind Mr Joyce's appointment.
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She said between his history in the Australian Army Reserves, and his high-profile reputation, he should do well in the position and make sure it remains front-of-mind to the public.
"Barnaby's a veteran himself and his father is a veteran, so I think it's a really good choice because of that connection and understanding," she said.
"He's not shy of a word is Barnaby, so I think he'll keep Matt Keogh [Labor's Minister for Veterans' Affairs] accountable for sure."
Mr Joyce said he's thought about the role before, and had been a vocal supporter of the Royal Commission into Veteran Suicide, stating he was among the senior figures putting pressure on then-Prime Minster Scott Morrison to push ahead with the inquiry.
He said it is a role he will be able to put a lot of effort into, while still spending most of the time in his electorate.
"I always said that I'd transition out of the leadership of the Nationals, I said that to my colleagues in excess of a year ago, and now this is a role I can put a lot of attention to and a lot of time to, and not have the pressure of being Deputy Prime Minister of Australia as well," he said.
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