After months of hearings across Australia, the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide has released its interim report, with key recommendations for government.
It was delivered to the Governor-General earlier this morning.
Look back on Thursday's events.
Key events
- The key moments from the royal commission press conference
- Federal government will 'look into implementing these recommendations'
- Minister for Veterans' Affairs Matt Keogh will address the report shortly. You can watch it live here
- The royal commission identified over 50 previous reports into the problem and more than 750 recommendations
- The interim report has been released. These are the key recommendations
- The interim report has been delivered to the Governor-General
- Jacqui Lambie makes emotional plea for veterans to speak to royal commission
- 'I didn't bury my son to walk away, and there are hundreds like me'
- 'Have veterans felt safe to come forward and talk about these issues?'
Live updates
By Bridget Judd
If you or anyone you know needs help, there is support available
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Lifeline on 13 11 14
- Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
- MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
- Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
- Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636
- Headspace on 1800 650 890
- ReachOut at au.reachout.com
- Care Leavers Australasia Network (CLAN) on 1800 008 774
- Brother to Brother on 1800 435 799
By Bridget Judd
This is where we'll leave our live coverage of the royal commission's interim report
Thanks for following along. While today's interim report is one step in the process, the final report is due in 2024.
If you're finding today's events or some of the topics discussed difficult, support is available — a list of helplines has been pinned to the top of this page.
For Defence-specific support services:
- The Defence all-hours Support Line is a confidential telephone and online service for ADF members and their families 1800 628 036
- Open Arms provides 24-hour free and confidential counselling and support for current and former ADF members and their families 1800 011 046
- Soldier On is a national support services provider for Defence personnel, contemporary veterans, and their families. Contact during office hours 1300 620 380
- Defence and Veterans Legal Service (DAVLS) can be contacted on 1800 33 1800
As a reminder, public hearings are set to resume in Darwin from October 17 and then move to Wagga Wagga from November 28.
The royal commission will also continue to accept submissions until October 13, 2023.
By Bridget Judd
'Cascade of changes' during transition from ADF to civilian life can increase suicide risk
One of the issues the commissioners highlighted in the interim report was the challenges facing veterans who transition from the ADF to civilian life.
While the majority "go on to lead productive, fulfilling civilian lives", the report notes, "transition can also be a difficult and disrupting time".
“The cascade of changes that occur during transition can increase suicide risk. But the transition period is also an opportunity for protective factors to be put in place and strengthened," the report says.
According to the report:
- Between 5,500 and 6,500 transition out of full-time ADF service each year
- They are typically aged in their 20s
- The median length of service for transitioning members is eight years or fewer, and almost 40 per cent have served for five years or fewer
- People leave the military for a range of reasons. Some are positive — new civilian career opportunity, retirement or a desire to do something different — others are required to leave because of illness, injury or disciplinary action
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Just over a quarter of transitioning veterans are medically discharged, a proportion that has increased in recent years (in 2001 it was not quite 10 per cent)
“One issue of particular concern to us is members being discharged from the ADF very quickly – before they have had time to make plans for their future lives, submit DVA claims, or have those claims determined. In some cases, this can leave transitioning members without a home or financial support,” the report says.
The commissioners received many submissions from veterans who shared their difficulties finding a place in the civilian world.
One said:
“My job was my everything, and to lose that made me feel like I was going to lose myself, and that life was no longer worth living. This challenge is still ongoing. The thought of death now doesn’t scare me – since separating I often think that my life is complete after my military career – no other jobs are going to compare to what I experienced in the Army, especially since now that I have health issues.”
Reporting by Loretta Lohberger
By Bridget Judd
Report notes 'sustained' lack of action from Defence to use data to inform suicide prevention measures
Reporting by Loretta Lohberger
Let's loop back to the interim report itself and what some of these recommendations mean.
The commissioners say they are “concerned that there has been a sustained lack of curiosity and action from Defence” when it comes to using data to inform suicide prevention measures.
“We do not believe the data currently held in the Defence suicide datasets can be used to understand meaningfully death by suicide of serving members,” the report says.
They say there is a “lack of awareness” throughout Defence about what datasets exist because no person or entity is clearly responsible for data on suicide and suicidality.
They also say there are “ingrained systemic conflicts regarding the integrity, availability or existence of relevant data”, and that datasets are not always well maintained.
The commissioners point to the approach taken to military suicide data in the United States.
“Since 2009, the US Department of Defense has published the Department of Defense Suicide Event Report (DoDSER) annually. It provides detailed risk and contextual factors associated with suicide and suicide-related behaviour in the US Department of Defense,” the report says.
“Since 2018, the Department of Defense has published a second type of report. The Annual Suicide Report serves as the official source of annual suicide counts and rates, and a way to increase transparency and accountability for US Department of Defense efforts to prevent suicide. This reporting is required under US legislation.”
The commissioners did say, however, they noted that the Australian Defence Department is open to improving its data on suicide and suicidality, and the way it’s managed.
By Bridget Judd
Compensation claims were raised a lot during that press conference. Here's why
Reporting by Loretta Lohberger
The commissioners say many people who have participated in the royal commission so far spoke about their “frustration and disappointment” with compensation claims processing, “and what they experienced as an unhelpful and negative attitude” by Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) staff.
“Negative engagement with DVA staff regarding claims and entitlements was pervasive. Long waiting times to action and pursue claims produced considerable frustration for ex-serving members," the report says.
"Many said that they dealt with simultaneous injuries, mental ill health and complex socioeconomic pressures."
It says ex-serving members “struggled to navigate their compensation eligibility”. One submission suggested DVA staff were unable to give accurate information:
“It appears that DVA staff are not even aware of different entitlements under different acts themselves. I applied for Dad’s funeral benefit on a DRCA (Defence Related Claims Act) Form as he passed away due to an accepted condition under the DRCA, yet the initial payment received for his funeral benefit was paid as a VEA (Veterans’ Entitlement Act) entitlement. Dad did not have any conditions accepted under the VEA. … If the system is too hard for staff to understand, how is the layman, mentally ill veteran or the average person meant to deal with this system.”
The commissioners have recommended the administration of the claims system be improved and simplified. They also recommended eliminating – by March 31, 2024 – the backlog of claims.
By Bridget Judd
The key moments from the royal commission press conference
If you missed the update a short time ago, Minister for Veterans' Affairs Matt Keogh addressed the interim report and some of its recommendations:
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Mr Keogh said the government will review the recommendations closely and provide a formal response to each "as soon as we are able"
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He said some of the matters raised in the interim report were currently being addressed by the Department of Defence and the Department of Veterans' Affairs, such as increased staffing to work through the backlog of claims
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He said the government was committed to working through the backlog, but did not have a timeframe
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The Minister said he was sorry "if there have been failings" in how Defence and the Department of Veterans' Affairs have operated
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Mr Keogh said he still has confidence in leadership at Department of Veterans' Affairs
By Bridget Judd
'What's not working is quite diverse', Veterans' Affairs Minister says
Asked about some of the timeframes set out for each recommendation, Mr Keogh says he doesn't have a "disposition as to the timing and whether that is something that can be met".
"Clearly something is not working in Defence and Veterans' Affairs. What's not working is quite diverse. That's why there's been a royal commission called to look into it," he says.
"That's why we're happy to receive this report today so we can get on with addressing these recommendation and we will provide a more formal response to all of the recommendations.
"So I don't yet have a disposition as to the timing and whether that is something that can be met. But certainly, it is absolutely my view that as much as we can get on with these recommendations as quickly as possible is what we should be doing."
By Bridget Judd
Minister still has confidence in leadership at Department of Veterans' Affairs
Pressed on whether he supported senior leadership at DVA in light of the royal commission, Mr Keogh said he believed they were "dedicated to doing the work that needs to happen".
"And I know having met with the frontline staff as well as DVA around various parts of the country, they're completely dedicated to try to assist veterans as much as possible," he says.
"But as we talked about before, one of the constraints has been a resourcing constraint on the department, that's why we're bringing forward the 500 additional staff for the department so they can get on with the task.
"The Secretary of Veterans' affairs made it pretty clear in oral evidence to the royal commission that previously the department was constrained in its resourcing and that impeded its capacity to do the work that it needed to do."
By Bridget Judd
Government committed to working through backlog, but there's no firm timeframe
Mr Keogh says an extra 500 staff for the Department of Veterans' Affairs is "sufficient" to help work through the backlog of claims.
"As I said, we're waiting to see when we think that will deliver getting through that backlog," he said.
Mr Keogh was also pressed on the commissioners' concerns about the impact "that the use of parliamentary privilege and public interest immunity may have on our ability to achieve lasting, meaningful change for serving and ex-serving ADF members and their families".
In the report, they noted that "those who advocated for years to establish this Royal Commission expect us to ask the hard questions" of the government and their departments, "but we are constrained – unreasonably so, in our view".
Mr Keogh says the government has not form a view on each of the specific recommendations, "but we're aware of a general concern that some information may not have been flowing to the commission in the way it would have liked".
By Bridget Judd
'If there have been failings, I'm deeply sorry about that'
As we heard earlier, the commissioners identified over 50 previous reports into the issue and more than 750 recommendations.
They wrote that they were "dismayed to come to understand the limited ways that Australian Governments have responded to these previous inquiries and reports".
Asked if the government owed an apology to ADF members and the families of veterans who have died, Mr Keogh said that if there have been failings in the way in which Defence and the Department of Veterans' Affairs have operated, "I'm deeply sorry about that".
"That is not what these agencies are set up to do," he said.
"The Department of Veterans' Affairs which I'm directly responsible for is an agency that is there to support veterans and if it hasn't been doing it job, as a Government, we're sorry about that.
"It's why we wanted a royal commission so we can find out what we can do better. So absolutely, to people that have felt they have not got the treatment that they deserve, you know, I apologise for that.
"It wasn't under our watch, but as a government of this country, veterans always deserve the best and we should be delivering that."
By Bridget Judd
Staffing and resources increased to reduce backlog of compensation claims
Mr Keogh says it's vital that the recommendations are "addressed as a priority", adding some of the matters raised in the interim report are being addressed by the Department of Defence and the Department of Veterans Affairs
"Such as increasing the staffing and resources available to the Department of Veterans' Affairs to reduce the current claims backlog," he says.
He added that the deputy PM and others in government met with the Secretary of Veterans' Affairs "a few weeks ago to make clear that under this new government, the royal commission must be assisted in any way possible to ensure that it can make the most effective recommendations on how to address the scourge of suicide".
By Bridget Judd
Federal government will 'look into implementing these recommendations'
Minister for Veterans' Affairs Matt Keogh is addressing the interim report now.
He says the government will review the recommendations closely and provide a formal response to each "as soon as we are able".
"We will now look into implementing these recommendations that have been made," he says.
"Unfortunately, the rate of veteran suicide in Australia is a national tragedy and it is a rate that is significantly higher than across the general Australian population.
"It is devastating that Australia has lost more serving and former serving personnel to suicide than it has lost through operations over the last 20 years in Afghanistan and Iraq."
By Bridget Judd
Report notes concern 'about a range of cultural issues within the ADF'
Reporting by Loretta Lohberger
The commissioners say their inquiry is “anchored by the personal stories, experiences and perspectives” they’ve heard from serving and ex-serving ADF members, their families, friends and support networks.
“For the past year we have spent many hours hearing first-hand accounts of individuals’ experiences of ADF culture – positive and negative,” the report says.
“We are concerned about a range of cultural issues within the ADF, and the negative impacts that these have had and continue to have.”
The commissioners say their primary observations about culture include:
- Discussing abuse as a risk factor for suicide and suicidality
- The progress and monitoring of cultural reform in Defence
- Recent inclusion and diversity initiatives
- The adequacy of reporting and support systems
- Accountability
The commissioners say ADF culture was one of the main issues raised in private sessions.
“Participants gave their perception of an organisational culture where disclosing mental health issues can be detrimental to a career and can contribute to serving members not seeking help,” the report says.
“We will have more to say about culture in our final report.”
By Bridget Judd
Minister for Veterans' Affairs Matt Keogh will address the report shortly. You can watch it live here
By Bridget Judd
New legislation to simplify veteran compensation should be implemented before Christmas
As we heard a short time ago, the first recommendation the report makes is that legislation dealing with veteran compensation and rehabilitation should be simplified.
It says new legislation should be developed and implemented before Christmas this year.
“There is no perfect or easy solution to the complexity of the veterans’ compensation and rehabilitation system, but there is an urgent need to fix it," the report says.
"The Australian Government should urgently make the policy decisions needed to simplify and harmonise the framework for veterans’ compensation, rehabilitation and other entitlements."
Reporting by Loretta Lohberger
By Bridget Judd
The royal commission identified over 50 previous reports into the problem and more than 750 recommendations
In the interim report, the commissioners wrote that the prevalence of suicide and suicidality among serving and ex-serving ADF members is "something that should concern us all".
"Each death by suicide, each life lost, has profound effects on family, friends, colleagues and the wider community,” the report says.
“This interim report makes a limited number of recommendations about urgent and immediate issues, as well as a range of preliminary observations.”
The commissioners also noted the "considerable number of previous reports delivered and inquiries conducted
since 2000" around suicide and suicidality among serving and
ex‑serving ADF members.
"We have identified over 50 previous reports, and more than 750 recommendations," the commissioners wrote.
"While we acknowledge that many of these reports and inquiries were about discrete topics, we have been dismayed to come to understand the limited ways that Australian Governments have responded to these previous inquiries and reports."
Reporting by Loretta Lohberger
Audience comment
The release of the Interim Report is hopefully the first step towards change on a multitude of fronts. Having made a submission and engaged in a Private Session, I am looking forward to seeing the urgent recommendations and, more importantly, the response from Government!
- Ralph
By Bridget Judd
The interim report has been released. These are the key recommendations
The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide has released its interim report. You can access it here.
We'll bring you further details shortly, but here are the key recommendations:
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Recommendation 1: Simplify and harmonise veteran compensation
and rehabilitation legislation
- Recommendation 2: Eliminate the claims backlog
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Recommendation 3: Improve the administration of the claims system
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Recommendation 4: The Department of Veterans’ Affairs to provide
advice on its funding needs
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Recommendation 5: Remove the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
Average Staffing Level Cap
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Recommendation 6: Increase protections for persons engaging with
this Royal Commission
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Recommendation 7: Provide exemption from parliamentary
privilege
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Recommendation 8: Limit public interest immunity claims
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Recommendation 9: Improve administrative release of information
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Recommendation 10: Co-design information to increase awareness
of redactions for access requests
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Recommendation 11: Embed trauma-informed practices for
information access
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Recommendation 12: Encourage up-to-date consent for
information access
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Recommendation 13: Co-design education on information
access mechanisms
By Bridget Judd
'Defence is not doing enough to reduce the incidents of suicide and suicidality'
That's according to the Australian Defence Force Chief, General Angus Campbell, who told the commission in June that the ADF has inconsistent data on such deaths among its members.
General Campbell admitted Defence "was not getting it right" when it came addressing suicide.
"Defence is not doing enough to reduce the incidents of suicide and suicidality," General Campbell said.
"Defence is doing a great deal, but as with many endeavours, there is more to do."
General Campbell told the hearing in Townsville that culture, privacy, information and support were key areas that needed improvement.
"I think that is a system which we are in the right direction to create," he said.
"We do not have time to realise perfect.
"We are trying to get to an aspired best place but, in doing so, we are using every opportunity to implement and apply as we go.
"We are not getting it right and there is a lot of work to do."
By Bridget Judd
Today's interim report is one step in the process. A final report is due in 2024
That report will outline the results of the investigation and the commissioners' recommendations.
Public hearings are set to resume in Darwin from October 17 and then move to Wagga Wagga from November 28.
Speaking this morning, chair of the inquiry Nick Kaldas said those hearings would focus on a range of issues.
"We have tried to examine the environment in that area, in various jurisdictions, and to try and see what unique problems they've got," he told the ABC's RN Breakfast program.
"[For example] the last hearings in Tasmania have focused on remoteness and isolation and people not being easily able to access support services, both medical and psychological help and so on.
"In Darwin, there will be similar issues. And then I think we'll be doing Adelaide and Western Australia, Perth after that. And then we'll return to Sydney for more hearings there. We've got a lot to get through in the next 18 months or two years."
