She Served AU
She Served AU is a podcast amplifying the voices of Australian women who have served — in uniform and beyond it. Through raw conversations, lived experience and reform-driven dialogue, it shines a light on service, sacrifice, identity and the path forward.
She Served AU
Veteran Digital Address
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Did I not put enough stamps on my letter? Did you not get my mail, Australia Post?
In this episode of the She Served AU Podcast, Natasha Hilbers speaks directly to a simple but powerful missing piece in addressing veteran homelessness: an address.
Not a symbolic gesture.
Not another awareness ribbon.
A practical, usable, everyday address that allows a veteran to reconnect with society.
Each year, in the lead-up to ANZAC Day, post offices across Australia are filled with products celebrating the ANZAC spirit. Stamps, collectibles, merchandise — all supported by Australians who care deeply about those who served. But this episode asks an uncomfortable question: if we are buying into the ANZAC spirit, where is that goodwill going? And more importantly, who is it helping?
Because while shelves are lined with tribute items, veterans are sleeping rough. And without something as basic as an address, they remain locked out of the very systems designed to support them.
No address means no driver’s licence.
No address means delays with DVA.
No address means difficulty accessing Centrelink.
No address means missed medical correspondence.
No address means barriers to employment, banking, and identity verification.
This episode introduces the Veteran Digital Address — a practical, immediate solution using infrastructure that already exists. Australia Post already supports virtual addressing linked to PO boxes and parcel services for everyday customers. The same concept could be extended to veterans experiencing homelessness, allowing them to receive mail safely at local outlets and maintain a consistent point of contact.
It’s not complicated. It’s not expensive. And it doesn’t require reinventing the wheel.
It simply requires action.
Natasha shares her advocacy journey, the letters sent, the conversations requested, and the growing frustration that this issue continues to be acknowledged but not implemented. The idea is straightforward: provide veterans with a stable virtual postal address tied to a local post office, giving them a pathway back into systems, services, and stability.
This isn’t about criticism for the sake of it. It’s about closing a gap that keeps veterans stuck. It’s about turning ANZAC spirit into practical support. And it’s about asking whether goodwill can translate into something tangible for those who need it most.
Because for someone sleeping rough, an address isn’t just mail.
It’s identity.
It’s access.
It’s dignity.
It’s a first step home.
Listener Care Notice: Trigger Warning
This episode discusses military service, trauma, and related experiences that may be confronting for some listeners. Please use personal discretion while listening.
If any of the topics raised are triggering or bring up difficult emotions, support is available through Athena Project Australia.
Website: https://athenaproject.org.au
Phone: 1800 943 539
You are not alone, and reaching out is a sign of strength.
Hello and welcome. I'm Natasha Hilbers and this is the She Served AU podcast
Natasha HilbersTrigger Warning. This is a space where we name MST, military sexual trauma, SV, sexual violence, and DV, domestic violence. If any of these topics are triggering for you, please take time, find space, come back when you're ready, or not at all.
Natasha HilbersBut if you do need help, please do reach out to the following organisations. The Open Arms from Department of Veteran Affairs, Lifeline, or the Amazing Anthena Project for Survivors. Their contact details are in the notes below. Also, I'd like to acknowledge the traditional landowners on which I live and are recording today, the Nunga people of the Wandari Nation, and I respectfully acknowledge the traditional landowners past, present, and emerging. And I'd like to offer my respects by treading softly and listening deeply.
Natasha HilbersSo, find a comfy spot, relax, and this is the She Served AU Podcast, and I'm Natasha Hilbers. Hello and welcome. I'm Natasha Hilbers, and this is the She Served AU Podcast. Episode 5, the Veteran Digital Address.
Natasha HilbersHow often is it that you've walked into Australia Post in the lead up to Anzac Day and seen the shelves lined with all the amazing products, the call to action to buy to support the Aussie spirit around our Anzacs and the incredible Australian Defence Force? I've bought into it, I must admit.
Natasha HilbersLimited edition stamp or you know, all of these sorts of things. But the one thing that really sits in a tension spot in my mind is that if we are supporting Australia Post by supporting the Anzac Spirit, what is Australia Post supporting with that profit from the Anzac Spirit?
Natasha HilbersSo I'm here today to openly call out Australia Post and potentially, you know, government at large around what are we doing about homeless veterans? Because if Australia Post will sell the Anzac Spirit and make profit from it, where is that profit going? Because my firm belief is that that profit should be helping homeless veterans.
Natasha HilbersAnd why is this linked and why does this all matter? It matters because the one piece of the puzzle missing nationally for homeless veterans, in my view and my lived experience with working with homeless veterans, is an address. So if you're a customer of Australia Post and you have a post office box, for example, let's use PO box one two three Bunbury Western Australia. That address can be virtual. And for online shopping purposes, you can translate that to Suite 123 Bunbury Western Australia.
Natasha HilbersSo my ask to Australia Post is why can't we do this for homeless veterans, specific to the area that they are currently sleeping rough, to then allow them to receive correspondence, to be able to get a driver's license, to work with DVA, to work with Centrelink, to facilitate basic needs that they need in society.
Natasha HilbersI'm calling out Australia Post today, and I have been facilitating this for a number of years now. I recently did a post on pass the hat around for stamps because I've been trying to call, I've been trying to write.
Natasha HilbersApparently I might not have put enough stamps on all of my correspondence to Australia Post to say, let's have this conversation, let's sit down and talk about veterans. Because if you are profiting off the Australian goodwill of purchasing and seemingly endorsing the veteran and the ANZAC spirit, let's make sure that profit goes to where it's needed. And where it's needed is homeless veterans. And the veteran digital address is a very, very simple fix in the scheme of things in life right now to allow them to facilitate correspondence needs.
Natasha HilbersAustralia Post, my ask is that by April 2026 to roll out the veteran digital address to allow homeless veterans to have the ability to facilitate an orientation back into society if they so choose. But the basic piece missing in all of this as a homeless person is an address. And when a virtual digital address is available, I think that's a good fit. So Australia Post, let's chat.
Natasha HilbersThis is Natasha Hilvers of the She Served AU podcast. Thanks for listening. See you next time and Forge On