The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide has handed down its Final Report documenting deep cultural issues within Defence and the devastating impact this has on veterans and their families.
The Report uncovered that an average of 78 serving or ex-serving ADF members have died by suicide each year for the past 10 years, around three deaths every fortnight.
The report noted that the ADF’s “code of silence” and “military values” are associated both directly and indirectly with suicide risk in the Australian Defence Force, and that Defence leadership must be held accountable for this broken culture.
The Royal Commission’s findings make a stark case for systemic cultural change within the ADF and the systems set up to deal with the inevitable traumas that arise from serving in the military. Defence leadership must own up to the deep structural problems identified in the Royal Commission.
The one indispensable recommendation that the government must accept today is to have a stand-alone statutory entity that oversees and drives the system-wide reform that this Royal Commission has called for.
Senator David Shoebridge Greens Spokesperson for Defence and Veterans Affairs said: “With nearly 6,000 submissions to the Commission and 900 private sessions, this is a once-in-a-generation report that must not just gather dust.”
“There have been dozens of reports and hundreds of recommendations on Defence culture before now and nothing material has changed. Each time the Defence has struck back to squash reform.
“The one non-negotiable recommendation that must be implemented is for a stand-alone statutory entity that oversees and drives the system-wide reform that this report calls for.
“Veterans give their service to the country which often comes at incredible personal cost through injury and trauma. What this report shows is that service injuries are then aggravated by a veteran’s support scheme that does not treat them fairly.
“The report found that survivors of abuse, especially sexual abuse, face ongoing trauma from a broken military culture that obstructs justice and denies accountability.
“These issues ripple across society, particularly for families of veterans. After losing loved ones, or dealing with the fallout of a cruel system, families have then had to navigate an often cold and careless system.
“It is a testament to veterans and their families that while enduring this system they also secured the Royal Commission. We owe it to them, and the loved ones they have lost, to implement these reforms.”
