Army veteran's wife tells Q+A her husband tried to take his life more than 30 times, as she calls for more funding from government

An Australian Army veteran and his wife have called on the government to better support former military personnel, with Q+A hearing former serviceman Dave Whitfield has tried to end his life more than 30 times since returning from Timor-Leste. Key points: Independent MP Dai Le questioned the government spend on submarines and called for a softer approach to China Minister for Veterans Affairs Matt Keogh said multiple governments had "dropped the ball" on helping returned servicemen and women A Timor-Leste veteran said he had made more than 30 attempts to take his life WARNING: This story contains discussion of suicide and self harm that may disturb some readers. "I'm actually offering you an invitation, Mr Keogh, to be a guest in our home and experience firsthand the crisis resulting in your government's neglect of Australian veterans and their families by closing the Veterans Centre Australia," she said. Mr Keogh also said he lamented the centre closing but the Department of Veterans Affairs had worked to make sure existing clients could get support. "Matthew is right and where Paul Keating certainly is wrong, is when he said that Penny Wong was going around with a lei around her neck and that wasn't foreign policy," Mr Robertson said.