A former army cadet has told a royal commission that self-harm and suicide among recruits were regular occurrences during his time at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA).
The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide is sitting in Wagga Wagga in regional NSW this week, with a focus on hearing evidence about training.
Giving evidence at Monday's hearing, James Geercke described the army training and university study at ADFA in Canberra as "full-on" and "stressful".
"[ADFA cadets] can't go up in front of psych testing or they will get a pscyh discharge and we must look after each other and sort it out amongst ourselves," he said.
"[We should] do everything to keep any incidents of severe mental health from coming on their desk so no-one has to deal with."
Mr Geercke said issues were "swept under the carpet".
"For people that go for help, they get severely disadvantaged career-wise or psychologically discharged, there's definitely a stigma attached to it," he said.
Mr Geercke told the commission there were a number of suicides during his time at ADFA but also instances of self-harm, dangerous behaviours by recruits and that alcohol consumption was excessive.
"These were some of the youngest, brightest, most driven and intelligent, promising people that the country has to offer," he said.
"All these people had the option to leave and they all took their own lives and I do see that as a sign of some severe mental trauma."
Cocktail of painkillers after spinal injury
Mr Geercke suffered a spinal injury during a training exercise in 2010 and described being told to "stop complaining" about the pain he was experiencing when being carried on a stretcher from the field.
He was admitted to hospital for one night, discharged with painkillers and sent back to work.
Mr Geercke told the commission he was prescribed cocktail of pain medications and the experience continues to impact his physical and mental health.
"The pain that started then has never stopped," he said. "So that's had a huge toll on me physically and mentally to this day"
Mr Geercke told the commission if his initial treatment was appropriate he would not have had to be admitted a further two times.
Lack of support after discharge
Mr Geercke was medically discharged in 2011 and told the commission he was prevented from working by the Department of Veterans Affairs for five years, and then referred to unsuitable work for his injury.
He said it was difficult to access appropriate mental health support following his discharge and he was initially warned against getting a diagnosis.
"I would tell everyone who asked me not to join," he said. "I would tell them that it takes a bigger toll then you realise."
"Even if you don't directly start experiencing mental health problems, you are going to be around them, you are going to see them and see things happen to your friends."
ADFA Commandant, Air Commodore Julie Adams is expected to give evidence in hearings on Thursday.
Hearings to focus on training
Wagga Wagga is home key Defence training centres for both the Australian Air Force and the Army Recruit Training Centre at Kapooka.
In opening the hearing, Commissioner Nick Kaldas said many of the risk factors that contributed to suicide might have origins during recruitment and training.
He said the hearings will focus on things like culture, ethics, unacceptable behaviour along with physical training and injury prevention.
The Commission is expected to hand down a final report in mid-2024.
