Defence Force suicides: Teri Bailey’s death is part of high suicide rate for female veterans

Queensland navy recruit Teri Bailey died by suicide after she allegedly faced a sexual assault attempt. A new report reveals which Defence veterans are also at risk.

Exclusive: Ex-Servicewomen are twice as likely to take their own lives than other Australians and ex-servicemen face a 24 per cent higher risk of suicide than the general public, according to an alarming new study.

But some veterans face a significantly higher suicide risk than others, the report found, including younger men, men who served in the Australian Defence Force for less than a year, and men forced to leave the services on medical grounds.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report, released on Wednesday, is the fourth annual report into suicides among members of the Australian Defence Force and investigated 1273 suicide deaths between 2001 and 2019.

But this year’s AIHW report also incorporated details of an additional 149,000 ADF members going back to 1985, on top of the 125,000 ex-servicemen and women in past reports.

It also came just two months after the establishment of a Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.

Veteran Family Advocate Gwen Cherne, whose husband Pete took his own life in 2017, said the new report was important to ensure veterans who have died by suicide “are remembered, accounted for and, more importantly, acknowledged”.

“They are sons and daughters, mothers and fathers. They have families and have left so many people behind to live without them and deal with that pain every single day,” she said.

The report found suicide deaths were highest among male ADF veterans, who made up 970 of the 1273 deaths recorded.

Gwen Cherne, her former partner Pete Cafe served in Afghanistan and was awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation for his services. Pete died by suicide. Picture: Richard Dobson

But the risk of suicide was far greater for some groups of ex-servicemen, including men who left involuntarily for medical reasons (73.1 suicide deaths per 100,000 people), men under the age of 50 (35.2 per 100,000), and those who served for less than a year.

Ex-serving female ADF members also registered a high rate of suicide deaths between 2002 and 2019, as the report found they were 102 per cent more likely to take their own lives than other Australians, though they made up a smaller proportion of Defence Force personnel.

The report found navy veterans were at the highest risk of suicide for men, and Army veterans for women, while Air Force members had the lowest rates of suicide for both genders.

Navy sailor Teri Bailey took her life on her 25th birthday on December 8, 2020. Picture: Supplied

Teri Bailey joined the Australian navy at the age of 18. Picture: Supplied

Navy recruit Teri Bailey took her own life on her 25th birthday in December 2020 after a series of traumatic experiences including allegations she was subjected to a sexual assault attempt and bullying and threats from within the navy when she tried to report it.

Her distraught father Alan, sister Alexandra and brother Jack are still trying to pick up the pieces 10 months later and investigate how Ms Bailey was let down by the organisation.

“I was supposed to be the backbone of the family but there is so much missing from me now since Teri’s death. I’m a father who wants justice,” Mr Bailey said.

“My daughter’s death was like a bomb dropped on us and as her family and friends we are suffering as a result. It has destroyed the entire family.

“She was let down when she needed help.”

Teri Bailey joined the Australian navy at the age of 18. She her life on her 25th birthday on December 8, 2020. Picture: Supplied

Julie-Ann Finney, who led the push for a royal commission into veteran suicides, lost her son David after he took his own life in 2019 following a two-decade career with the Royal Australian Navy.

“If you speak to any parent and ask them how long does it take you to get over your child’s death, they will say that they would never get over it,” she said.

“As a parent it’s distressing losing a child and I will never get over it. I will live with this every day.”

The AIHW report comes two months after Prime Minister Scott Morrison established a Royal Commission into suicides among Defence Force members and veterans to be led by former NSW Police deputy commissioner Nick Kaldas. An interim report into the inquiry is due in August 2022.

For support, please contact Open Arms Veterans and Families Counselling on 1800 011 046 or openarms.gov.au, the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036, or Lifeline on 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au.

Originally published as Defence Force suicides: Teri Bailey’s death is part of high suicide rate for female veterans