Former Defence Minister Andrew Gee admits connection between veterans’ claims and suicides

Aussie families have finally heard the former Defence Minister say why military veterans have such high rates of suicide and despair.

They have claimed it, showed it and even led rallies on parliament about it but on Tuesday in a single sentence was the admission military veterans and their families have fought for more than 20 years to officially hear.

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide heard there was a clear connection between errors and delays in processing serving defence force personal and veterans’ claims and high rates of despair and suicide.

Andrew Gee, the former Veterans Affairs and Defence Personnel Minister, was summonsed to appear at the commission hearing in Townsville and conceded his former department was struggling.

He said huge levels of outstanding medical and other claims handling by the Department of Veterans Affairs was a major concern and he had been “surprised” by what he had inherited in office including the known issues not being given priority.

Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide in Townsville at the Mercure Inn. Former Minister for Veteran Affairs Andrew Gee. Picture: Evan Morgan

When asked if errors and delays in processing claims had contributed to poor mental health and suicides, he nodded and agreed.

“The connection is there, there is no doubt about it,” Mr Gee, who spent 10 months in the top job, said.

“You only have to talk to family members who have lost loved ones to suicide, you only have to speak to advocates who are trying to help veterans and you only have to speak to veterans themselves.”

Critically, Mr Gee said then Prime Minister Scott Morrison had made an announcement to boost Defence and ADF ranks by 18,500 personnel, the biggest expansion in 40 years, but had not undertaken or commissioned any forecast on what impact this could have on claim levels.

Whether Coalition budget pledges to fund DVA staff to sort out the mess was also “grey”, Mr Gee said as he conceded there was discretion on whether funding earmarked to pay for veterans’ pensions and benefits went to staffing pay shortfalls. In effect, budget gains were eroded by budget cuts by virtually the same amount.

Commissioner Nick Kaldas, Chair of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Veterans were already waiting years for claims to be finalised in what Mr Gee told the commission was a “national disgrace”. There were some 60,000 people on the claims list as of last year.

The Commission presented him with evidence that DVA’s own claims resolution targets were not being met and in some cases processing delays were double what they should have been.

But Mr Gee said it was not clear whether the “targets” had changed at some point, thereby lessening the degree of failure.

Former Minister for Veteran Affairs and Defence Personnel Andrew Gee arriving at the hearing. Picture: Evan Morgan

He said the department never said it did not have enough money or staff to do the job and only an independent study known as the McKinsey report that borne that out.

It was also revealed Mr Gee had written a note to Defence Secretary Greg Moriarty asking what steps he was taking around the issue of sexual misconduct in the ranks as this was a huge physical and mental health issue raised with him by veterans.

He said it was his regret he could not fix the DVA while in office or follow through with initiatives and legislative reforms.

For help: Open Arms counselling, treatment, suicide prevention training – 1800 011 046

ADF Support Line – 1800 628 036

Lifeline Crisis support and suicide prevention help – 131 114

Originally published as Former Defence Minister Andrew Gee admits connection between veterans’ claims and suicides