Not Shrinking, But Shifting: Why the RSL Must Prepare for a Larger Veteran Community, Not a Smaller One

Returned Men of the 14th Battalion, 1st AIF marching on ANZAC Day, 1930. RSL badges are visible on many jacket lapels.

Within parts of the RSL and the public, a myth is growing that the Returned and Services League (RSL) must inevitably shrink.
The argument goes that veteran numbers are declining, with the Second World War generation largely gone and the Vietnam War generation entering their twilight years. Many assume that because they associate veterans with older men, the veteran population is in terminal decline, and with it, the RSLs relevance.
A defeatist attitude is set in and some within the League and the broader community suggest the RSL should therefore reduce its ambition.

But that view ignores reality. It is built on outdated assumptions: a narrow, obsolete definition of what a veteran is; an ignorance of how many have served in the Australian Defence Force in recent decades; and an underestimation of the strategic changes and challenges facing Australia in the years ahead.

In fact, the RSL should do the opposite of reducing. It must reform, rebuild, and ready itself for an increase, not a decline, in veteran numbers. The real question is whether the RSL will be ready to support them when they need it.

The Digs. Every soldier in this photo is a veteran, regardless of whether they’ve deployed overseas or not. Every one of them eligible for RSL membership. Every one of them deserves a strong, functional, relevant RSL advocating for them.

The Myth of Decline

The belief that Australia’s veteran community is diminishing is not new. In the 1960s and again in the 1990s, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) predicted a shrinking client base. As the First and then Second World War generations passed away, many assumed that large-scale deployments were a thing of the past.

But that prediction didn’t hold. Operations in East Timor (1999), Afghanistan (2001), and Iraq (2003), all of which were large and ongoing, proved otherwise.
Before this though, by the mid-to-late 1990s DVA had begun reshaping how it delivered services, and in Victoria, the RSL began to pivot too.

Many sub-branches shifted focus from veteran advocacy to community-based hospitality venues, with gaming and entertainment becoming central. In some cases, this saved struggling sub-branches and generated much-needed income, but it eroded the League’s core identity. Whether the perception is accurate or not, it was seen that the business came first, veterans second.

The public came to associate the RSL with the “Three Ps”: Pots, Parmas, and Pokies. Many veterans walked away, or never walked in, feeling out of place in what felt like community clubs that didn’t reflect their experience or needs.

While that pivot may have been understandable in the 1990s, it is no longer acceptable in the 2020s. To base future strategy on the idea that the RSL is becoming redundant to veterans would be a historic, and likely fatal, mistake.

What Is a Veteran?

One of the most significant changes in recent decades is the definition of a veteran. Today, the Australian Government recognises anyone who has served in the ADF, Regular or Reserve, for even a single day, as a veteran.

This reflects the complexity of modern service. Whether involved in warlike operations, peacekeeping, disaster response or domestic support, all are veterans. All have sacrificed to varying degrees and deserve the same status and support. Our service is diverse, and we should value those with a chest full of medals just as much as those proudly wearing the Australian Defence Medal alone. We are all equal.

Yet snobbery still lingers. Vietnam veterans recall being dismissed by Second World War veterans. Reservists are often labelled “chocs”, and support trades are demeaned by combat corps peers. Some within each generation diminish the next.

This must change. The broader definition of veteran presents an opportunity: the pool of eligible members is far larger than many realise. And that pool is the future of the RSL.

A Growing ADF, an Uncertain World, and a Role for the RSL

Since the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, the Australian Government has moved to expand the ADF and invest heavily in defence capability.

We are acquiring nuclear submarines through AUKUS, restructuring the Army into a more deployable littoral force, acquiring long-range strike systems and advanced armoured vehicles, and expanding our air force capability.

This is happening amid growing regional instability. The threat of conflict over Taiwan is real. China’s actions in the South Pacific have prompted a US strategic refocus on our region. As America's closest ally in the Indo-Pacific, Australia finds itself closer to major conflict than at any time since the Vietnam War.

Whether war breaks out or not, a new generation is serving the ADF in a period of high readiness. They will need support after service.

This is not alarmism; it is preparation. If thousands deploy in the next 5–10 years, will the RSL be ready to support them and their families? Will it welcome them with open arms and advocate on their behalf, as it was formed to do and has done so well throughout our history?

Learning from the Mistakes of the 1990s

In the 1990s, the RSL and DVA wrongly assumed peace was permanent. Veteran identity was de-emphasised in favour of broader community activity. Veterans became just another group.

Gaming and hospitality kept some sub-branches afloat, and in many cases, financially prosperous, but the League stepped back from public advocacy. Ask a veteran over 35 who led the RSL in the 1990s, and they’ll likely name Bruce Ruxton. Ask them to name anyone after him, and they’ll probably draw a blank.

Weak and apathetic leadership did immense damage, reducing the RSL brand and almost entirely abandoning the powerful political lobbying the RSL had been known for. No longer did we see RSL leaders railing against government on the steps of parliament or in the media. Instead, the League opened its doors to the community, and while this brought benefits, it also led many veterans to feel the soul of the organisation was lost.

We cannot make this mistake again.

Tens of thousands of veterans from East Timor, Iraq, Afghanistan, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Cambodia, Rwanda, and numerous overseas and domestic operations live among us. The majority don’t engage with the RSL. Why? Because many sub-branches are still fighting yesterday’s war, not preparing for tomorrow’s.

The need is here. The core business must again be veterans first.

Reform, Renewal, and Reinvestment

So, what must the RSL do?

It must recommit to its founding mission: Veteran support, public advocacy and representation, and commemoration, not just of past wars, but of recent and ongoing service.

The RSL must modernise and professionalise its operations and messaging. Importantly, it must be unequivocal that it exists not as a business serving the community through gaming and hospitality but as a charity serving veterans and their families first. The business must exist primarily to fund veteran support first, not to fund the local community.

This entails reenergising welfare structures, creating veteran networks, publicly advocating for mental health and transition services, and importantly, creating a welcoming space, physically and culturally, for the next generation.

Concurrently, the RSL and ADF must strengthen its bonds. The RSL must have a role not just in transition but in initial training. Those who serve in the ADF need to know the RSL is there for them not just after they discharge but from the first days of their service. The ADF creates the soldiers, sailors, and aviators, and for the rest of their lives the RSL provides those people with connection to their service and identity, especially whilst they are establishing themselves immediately post-service. Importantly, the RSL provides them an avenue to continue serving through supporting their mates and successors.

Next, the RSL must modernise. Connections to the past are important, but we need to also create better online digital platforms especially in how we communicate our message and our stories; a better and more relevant social media presence; and more flexible models for membership and sub-branch activities. Critical to this is an openness for change and reform. RSL Sub-Branches should not just be seen as places connected to the past, but as veteran focused hubs for connection, community, and networking. The natural home away from home of those who’ve served and their immediate families.

Finally, the RSL must prepare itself culturally. That means being ready to welcome newer veterans of all backgrounds to the fold. This will include veterans who are women, LGBTIQ+, ethnically and racially diverse, those with visible and invisible wounds from overseas service and service at home, those who’ve served 5 days or 50 years, and any others who may challenge our expectation of what a veteran should look like.
All have earned the title of veteran. All deserve a home in the RSL. All will enhance the league.

Not Shrinking, but Shifting

The RSL has never existed for itself. Its mission has always been to serve and support those serving and those who have served.

The next decade will see more Australians in uniform and the ADF increasing to numbers we have not seen in generations. It may see new conflicts, new scars, and very new challenges.
Undoubtably, it will see a new generation of veterans seeking purpose, identity, and support.
Will the RSL be ready?

The choice is clear: retreat into nostalgia and decline, or embrace reform and remain relevant.
Change is already happening.

Let us, as a community, meet it head-on