Veteran Suicide Commissioner powers amended to gain crossbench support

A commissioner investigating veteran suicides will have supercharged powers under a proposal, but Labor says it “doesn’t go far enough”.

Labor will oppose the government’s beefed up commissioner to investigate veteran suicides, with a final vote on the proposed role unlikely to occur this year.

After distributing amendments to clarify the independence and powers of the National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention on Tuesday, the federal government is now waiting to see the response from the crossbench before deciding its next move.

Labor’s veterans affairs spokesman Shayne Neumann said the amendments, which included broadening the Commissioner’s scope to look at attempted suicides, did “nothing” to boost the independence or resources of the role.

“All these proposed changes do is clarify what is already there in the current bills,” he said.

“It’s window dressing and it simply doesn’t go far enough.”

The government already has the support of One Nation, with Senator Pauline Hanson previously saying the commissioner attaches an “unprecedented level of importance, investigative powers and resources” to the prevention of defence and veteran suicides.

But the remainder of the crossbench has opposed the bill to date, leaving the government one vote shy of the majority needed to pass it.

Unless it has guaranteed support, the government is unlikely to bring on a vote in the Senate this year.

It is understood the government will also hold a fresh round of talks with the crossbench to discuss the proposed amendments.

Centre Alliance Senator Stirling Griff and independent Senator Rex Patrick were still considering the amendments as of Tuesday afternoon, while Senator Jacqui Lambie told reporters she would accept nothing less than a Royal Commission into the issue.

“Why is it that these guys (soldiers) are prepared to put their lives on the line, but we’re not good enough to have a Royal Commission in this country,” she said.

All those opposed to the government’s bill have called on the Prime Minister to hold Royal Commission into the unacceptably high rate of veteran and defence suicides in Australia

A commissioner to investigate veteran and defence suicides will have supercharged powers and scope to consider suspected or attempted self-harm under a revamped proposal aimed it getting it through parliament.
The federal government will on Tuesday unveil a raft of amendments addressing the concerns of veterans advocates and the Senate crossbench to ensure its proposed National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide passes and is able to start work as soon as possible.

Last week Labor announced it would not support the bill through the Senate in its current form, a position also held at the time by the Greens, Centre Alliance Senator Stirling Griff and independents Jacqui Lambie and Rex Patrick.

One Nation has backed the government, but that left the Coalition still one vote short of a majority.

The government needs at least one more vote to pass its veterans suicide commissioner bill.

However with the changes boosting the scope, power and independence of the commissioner, the government is now calling on Labor to support the role.

The amendments include confirming attempted suicides would be investigated, requiring a review of the Commissioner after three years and backing it its independence, which were all issues of concern raised by Labor and the crossbench.

Under the changes, the Commissioner would be governed by the same statutory framework as the independent Auditor General, which has repeatedly published scathing findings and tough recommendations to the government of the day.

The government has also removed a part of the Commissioner’s terms of references that prescribed the initial review as considering deaths between 2001 and 2018.

The Commissioner will have the discretion to consider any past suspected, attempted or confirmed suicides from any time period as part of the review.

Interim findings from this must be tabled in parliament by November 2021.

Attorney-General Christian Porter is calling on Labor to support the amended veterans commissioner bill. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The government created the Commissioner role after The Daily Telegraph’s “Save Our Heroes” campaign exposed the shocking rate of veteran and defence suicide in Australia.

Attorney-General Christian Porter said the Commissioner was a “critical reform” to address the “unacceptably high rates of suicide” among ADF personnel and veterans.

“That work is simply too important to delay, which is why the government has listened to families and veteran groups and agreed to amend its legislation to ensure it can pass through the Senate this week,” he said.

“The ball is now firmly in Labor’s court to get behind these reforms so that work can begin as quickly as possible to prevent suicides among our defence and veteran communities.”

Mr Porter said clarifying the Commissioner’s powers to review attempted and suspected suicides would also ensure families experiences were “properly considered”.

Julie Ann-Finney ties a purple ribbon representing those suffering under the yellow ribbon for service men and women who have died from suicide on a tree in front of the War Memorial in Adelaide. Picture Mark Brake

Veteran mother Julie-Anne Finney, who lost her son David to suicide, has been advocating for the government to call a Royal Commission into the issue, insisting the proposed Commissioner does not go far enough.

“We are not getting what we’d asked for, and will now be stuck with a glorified coroner, operating with a quarter the budget of a Royal Commission,” she said.

Ms Finney said a Royal Commission would have a significant budget and was the solution her son “deserved”.

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