Veteran’s dad calls for royal commission into soldier suicides
The father of a former soldier who took his own life in 2017, after warning the Department of Veterans’ Affairs that he was suicidal and under severe financial pressure, has called for a royal commission into soldiers’ suicides.
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The father of a soldier who served in Afghanistan, who took his own life after the Department of Veterans’ Affairs bungled his case, has tearfully asked a coroner to back a royal commission into suicides of ex-soldiers.
Former soldier Jesse Bird died in 2017 with $5.20 left in his bank account – and his death came after two years of trying to get the DVA to support a claim for permanent impairment.
Mr Bird warned the department he had suicidal feelings and was under severe financial pressure. Days after his death payment of about $4500 was made.
An inquiry by Defence and the DVA later found the department didn’t comply with the law, failed to do a face-to-face welfare checks and refused interim financial support.
John Bird told Victoria’s Coroners Court his family found it “unfathomable” his son’s attempts failed “when he was so deserving of it”.
“Our family has always been lifters – employers and quiet Australians who expect our government and its bureaucracy to help our veteran community.
“No whitewashing on the part of the ADF or DVA can excuse the negligence that occurred when Jesse asked for help and his pleas fell on deaf ears.”
Mr Bird asked Coroner Jacqui Hawkins to support a royal commission into veteran suicide in her findings.
Barrister Matt Black said DVA’s failure to properly handle Mr Bird’s applications for payments was a “deliberate, secret and unlawful tactic” that delayed his claim and contributed to his death”.
A royal commission was needed, he said.
“It can look at how decisions are made, it can look at what practices are developed and are applied; it can draw misconduct out into the light. It can hold people to account and it can prevent these sorts of unlawful practices contributing to anymore deaths.”
He told the court for most of the time there was no “human being thinking about Jesse” and there was “deliberate practice of not registering claims.”
Mr Black said: “In my submission, there’s an implied denial of the incapacity payments. From Jesse’s perspective, the practical reality is that he asked for incapacity payments. He was entitled to incapacity payments. He asked again. His advocate asked. He never got them and when you ask for something you’re entitled to and the person who has a duty to give it to you, doesn’t give it to you – well, in my submission, that’s a denial.”
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Catherine Fitzgerald, representing the Commonwealth, said it was conceded there had been failings and delays that led to “tragic consequences’ that weren’t “shied away from by the Commonwealth”.
But she rejected any DVA staff treated Mr Bird with “disdain and contempt” and staff deliberately delay his claim requests.
“There is no evidence to support such a finding.”
She added there was no “rational pathway” a royal commission was required to delve into he department’s affairs.
Coroner Hawkins will release her findings at a later date.
SANE Helpline: 1800 18 72 63
Lifeline: 131 114
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
Originally published as Veteran’s dad calls for royal commission into soldier suicides