Australians for Mental Health welcomes the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide recommending measures to combat the high rates of suicide and mental health issues in our armed forces.
The Royal Commission made 122 recommendations including the creation of an independent authority to provide oversight and drive reform to improve the wellbeing of serving and ex-serving ADF members.
“The recommendations handed down by the Royal Commission are a welcome and necessary signal that systemic solutions are required for systemic problems,” Australians for Mental Health Executive Director, Chris Gambian, said.
“Establishing an entity solely to focus on driving system reform and to provide independent oversight finally breaks through the need to inquire and re-inquire into veteran suicide and suicide prevention.”
“This is the kind of long-term vision that is essential if we are to create the meaningful systemic changes needed to improve the mental health of service members and combat the epidemic of mental illness Australia is currently facing.”
The Royal Commission, which was delivered by Commissioners Nick Kaldas, Peggy Brown and James Douglas, also recommended that National Veterans’ Data Asset is established to monitor the rates of suicide and suicidality in serving and former ADF members. It also highlighted the role of sexual misconduct and the conducting of sexual misconduct investigations in the workplace and acknowledged these have a "debilitating effect” on ADF member’s wellbeing .
“Without proper data gathering we have no idea of the size or nature of the problems facing us, or if anything we are doing to address them is working,” Gambian said. “Creating a National Veterans’ Data Asset is a fantastic initiative that frankly should be mirrored across the country.”
In a 2023, the Australian Insititute of Health and Welfare published a report on suicide among permanent, reserve, and ex-serving ADF members. The report found that there were at least 1677 deaths by suicide between 1997 and 2021. The report also found that ex-serving males are 26% more likely to die by suicide than Australian males. And ex-serving females are 107% more likely to die by suicide than Australian females.
“Service members and ex-service members should be able to go to work with the right support. We must, in the ADF, and in all workplaces, start treating psychosocial hazards and risks with the same seriousness as physical hazards and risks to help ensure Australians can live better, mentally health lives,” Gambian said.
“The recommendations of the Royal Commission are significant to all Australians and point towards the incredible advocacy, support and courage of the families of military personnel and former ADF members”
Media contact: Simon Black at [email protected], or on 0420 488 219.