Mum gets her wish after push for royal commission into veteran suicides

Hours after Scott Morrison delivered news Julie Ann-Finney had waited three years to hear, the grieving mum went straight to the cemetery.

It is a moment Julie-Ann Finney will never forget.

On Monday, crouching in front of her son David’s headstone, the grieving mother told him that his death meant something.

“I went to the cemetery yesterday and that was incredibly difficult,” Ms Finney said.

“I told my son that I was proud of him and that his death was not in vain.”

David Finney, a navy veteran, took his own life in 2018 after reaching out to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs for help and receiving none.

He had sent an email saying he needed to see a psychiatrist but the email he got back said one would not be available for six months.

Under DVA rules, veterans can only receive treatment from doctors approved by the department.

His mother has spent every day since petitioning for a royal commission into veteran suicides so no other veteran has to go through what her son went through. Yesterday, her hard work paid off.

Julie-Ann Finney visits the grave of her son after the Prime Minister announced a royal commission into veteran suicides. Picture: Brenton Edwards/NCA NewsWire

“This is step one in the healing process and I’m incredibly grateful for that,” she said.

Ms Finney’s story is sadly not unique. According to Flinders University, around 500 Australian veterans have lost their lives by suicide since 2001.

That figure is eight times higher than the number of defence personnel who were killed in the war in Afghanistan.

Nine veterans took their lives in October and November of 2020 and, as news.com.au reported, more than one veteran died from suicide every week to begin 2021.

The royal commission, announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday, will begin in July and take 18 months to complete.

But the draft terms of reference does not include important steps, Ms Finney says.

“They’re not going to investigate individual cases and won’t have civil or criminal findings,” she told news.com.au. “All this I disagree with.”

A number of veterans have reached out to news.com.au to talk about the culture that leads to post traumatic stress disorder and the lack of understanding within the community about veterans’ needs.

An air force veteran who spoke on condition of anonymity said mental health issues “makes one feel like they are a complete failure as a troop, that their entire profession has been one big lie”.

He continued: “It is the worst thing to happen to troops and soldiers, it makes you feel like an impostor and the only thing you have left is your pride with how you deal with your mental illness.

Julie-Ann Finney holds a photo of her son, David. Picture: Mike Burton

“This is why many of us hide what we are feeling, we distort it, we downplay it, we pretend it’s not there as it builds up like a tidal wave within.”

Ms Finney said the Morrison Government had not taken seriously the voices of veterans who were struggling with mental health issues or families who had lost a loved one to suicide.

“This government offered me and other mothers a Mother’s Medal,” she said.

“They come up with things to placate us, and that’s all they do. They placate us. I’m not going to be placated. My son is dead.

“They want to give me the opportunity to tell my story. My son is dead. I have to live with it. That is my story. That is not enough. We need an investigation.”

In a previous interview with news.com.au, she said the years since her son’s death have been driven by a desire to ensure no other veterans suffer what her son did.

“Two years ago I was nothing but a mother. I’m still really grateful that I got to be his mother. But now I’m going to fight for him. I’m not silly enough to think I can bring him back, but I can help other veterans suffering,” Ms Finney said.