Air force leadership ‘cowards’: former chaplain

A former air force chaplain driven to thoughts of suicide claims her former work’s leadership lack the moral courage to stand up to ‘bullies, abusers and circumstantial perverts’.

An email sent to Nikki Coleman’s colleagues that painted her as “the problem” over her abuser, who had 10 substantiated claims against him in an internal probe, drove the former air force chaplain to thoughts of suicide.

Dr Coleman told the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide that her former chaplaincy branch was “very ­dysfunctional and had quite a toxic culture” that impacted ­female chaplains.

Having allegedly experienced assault, sexual harassment and bullying, Dr Coleman fronted the commission to call for systemic change.

“The abuse itself has had a profound impact on my mental health and my physical health … I’ve been really resilient throughout all my life and I think everybody has their breaking point and, unfortunately, I found mine,” she told the inquiry on Tuesday.

The Rev Dr Nikki Coleman. Picture: Supplied

Dr Coleman detailed an email addressed to her colleagues, from which she was excluded, in April 2021 that informed the chaplaincy that her abuser would be moving on from his role.

The email said the chaplaincy had been travelling an “uneasy road” and spoke highly of the senior chaplain’s work.

“I found the email exceedingly distressing because it identifies me as the problem rather than my abuser … because of the way it was phrased and the branch hadn’t been told the un­acceptable behaviour outcome, so I felt that it was naming me as a liar,” she said.

Her family took her to the hospital one or two days after the email was sent for suicidal ideation out of fear they could not keep her safe.

She said the email had a more significant impact than the abuse; she had been disinvited from work events and had to work close to her abuser.

Day 1 of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide's 11th hearing block in Melbourne. Picture: Supplied

The former chaplain called the air force’s current leadership “cowards” who lacked “the moral courage to stand up to the bullies, the abusers and the circumstantial perverts”.

“You lie when you say you take unacceptable behaviour and more serious abuse seriously,” she said. “You lie when you say people are your most important asset. How many Defence members and veterans need to kill themselves before you stop obstructing the investigations of this royal commission and start to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem?

“You are one of the big reasons so many service women and men are killing themselves and I hope that keeps you awake at night.”

While her complaints were substantiated, Dr Coleman said the air force interpreted the Privacy Act in a way as to not tell her the outcome for her abuser.

Inquiry commissioners Nick Kaldas, Peggy Brown and James Douglas KC in May wrote to Anthony Albanese to call for a 12-month extension for the royal commission.

The request was rejected by the federal government at the start of August, a decision Mr Kaldas said was “more understandable than disappointing”. The final report is due in June 2024.