ADF suicide bill fails at final hurdle

Attorney-General Christian Porter has failed to win the necessary votes to establish the government’s national commissioner for defence and veteran suicide prevention.

Opposition veterans affairs and defence personnel spokesman Shayne Neumann. Picture: AAP

Attorney-General Christian Porter has failed to win the necessary votes to establish the government’s national commissioner for defence and veteran suicide prevention, with Labor lashing attempts by the government to bolster the independence of the proposed role.

Mr Porter circulated 23 amendments to his national commissioner bill on Tuesday that he hoped could convince Labor or at least one more crossbencher to back the legislation in order to drive it through the Senate this week before parliament rises for the summer break.

The changes clarified that the commissioner could review ­attempted suicides and gave the commissioner the same independence as the Office of the Auditor-General, meaning the government could not direct the way inquiries were conducted or how findings and recommendations were delivered.

Opposition veterans affairs and defence personnel spokesman Shayne Neumann declared the amendments “do nothing to address the fundamental flaws” with the legislation.

“They do nothing to boost the independence or resources of the national commissioner or come anywhere close to the powers of a royal commission into veteran suicide. All these proposed changes do is clarify what is already there in the in the current bills,” he said.

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

Centre Alliance senator Stirling Griff agreed with Labor there had to be a royal commission into suicide among Australian Defence Force personnel and said he would be guided by his crossbench colleague Jacqui Lambie, who said the national commissioner position was “a dog’s breakfast”.

With just two parliamentary sitting days remaining this year, the government’s bill to make four cashless debit card trial sites permanent is also in jeopardy as independent South Australian senator Rex Patrick considers his position.

Labor and the Greens oppose both the national commissioner and cashless debit card bills but One Nation, which controls two Senate votes, supports them. That leaves the government one vote short.

Of the three other government bills Scott Morrison wanted passed in the final sitting fortnight, just one — the new foreign relations veto powers — has received parliament’s support. The extension of the coronavirus supplement until March 31 will also go through with bipartisan backing but the merger of the Family Court and lower-level Federal Circuit Court has been shelved until next year.

Mr Neumann welcomed the government’s expansion of the national commissioner’s remit to look into attempted suicides but said it was pointless without also increasing its resources.

Bernadette Boss — who has an extensive legal background, served in command and staff roles in the ADF and was ­awarded a Conspicuous Service Cross — was appointed interim national commissioner in September.

She would officially become national commissioner if the bills received parliamentary support but there are concerns among non-government parties over her connections to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds.

“The government is not making any changes to the interim national commissioner despite veterans and families saying Dr Bernadette Boss is not sufficiently independent,,” Mr Neumann said.