Making Veterans Visible in Australia's Alcohol and Other Drug Services: Leveraging the Alcohol and Other Drug National Quality Framework

Many veterans seek alcohol and other drug (AOD) care in mainstream services, where veteran status is not routinely identified. This limits the sector's capacity to recognise veterans' needs, plan appropriate responses and assess outcomes. This commentary examines the implications of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide for Australia's AOD sector. It argues that embedding veteran identification within existing accreditation processes under the AOD National Quality Framework offers a practical means of strengthening military cultural capability and improving responsiveness to veterans' needs. Although this approach does not resolve all structural challenges, it provides a concrete starting point for improving recognition and care for veterans within Australia's AOD treatment system.