1 week Ago By Tess Ikonomou
Defence personnel transitioning to civilian life should receive tailored assistance from a dedicated agency, the veteran suicide royal commission recommends. Login or signup to continue reading An inquiry into the prevalence of sexual assault within the Australian Defence Force and a national register of suicides and risk factors among serving and ex-personnel are also among its key findings. The three-year investigation uncovered a toxic culture within Defence and widespread problems for veterans trying to access support.
Persistently high rates of suicide among ADF troops were exposed by the inquiry. "Just as our veterans and defence personnel step up for our country, we have an obligation to step up for them," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament on Monday. The government said it would consider the recommendations.
It previously accepted all the recommendations of an interim report. The inquiry received almost 6000 submissions and heard from hundreds of witnesses about issues including bullying to abuse in the ADF. The royal commissioners found evidence military values may be linked with suicide risk.
And a culture of tribalism could lead to the marginalisation of minority groups and women. Graphic episodes of physical violence were unearthed by the inquiry. One witness described being kicked, dragged along the ground, punched in the head and having a knife held against their throat.
The inquiry also uncovered examples of senior officers abusing their power. Reflecting on the report, chair Nick Kaldas spoke about inaction and a failure of leadership within Defence. "What is clear from some of the horrible stories that we've heard is that many people simply turned a blind eye over many years and felt it was too hard, or they simply didn't care enough to tackle the problems," he said.
Amy Cooper, from veteran support service Soldier On, backed the establishment of a permanent body to assist the transition. "We've seen first hand the devastating consequences of when the right support services aren't in place," she said. Army veteran Angela Harper spoke of her experience of being sexually assaulted and said it could "feel like it's very hard to reach out for help".
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the final report presented an opportunity to move forward. "We are absolutely committed to seeing that this report shifts the dial and makes Defence a much better place for those who serve in the future," he said. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the nation needed to treat those who had worn the uniform with respect.
"Defence has let people down, the Department of Veterans' Affairs have let people down and both sides of politics have let these diggers down as well," he told parliament. Senior officials gave evidence at the inquiry, including former defence chief Angus Campbell, who apologised for the military's failures. There have been at least 57 previous inquiries relating to Defence and veteran suicide over the past three decades, resulting in about 770 recommendations.
According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data at least 1677 serving and ex-serving members died by suicide between 1997 and 2021, more than 20 times the number of personnel killed in active duty during that same period. The royal commission estimated the true number of preventable deaths to be more than 3000. Lifeline 13 11 14 Open Arms 1800 011 046 Australian Associated Press DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team.
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