Compensation maze raises veterans’ risk of suicide

The Albanese government has been told to urgently clear a backlog of nearly 42,000 unprocessed veterans’ compensation claims, and make the system simpler, or face more deaths by suicide.

Julie-Ann Finney with a picture of her son, Petty Officer David Finney, who took his own life in 2019. Picture: Gary Ramage

The Albanese government has been told to urgently clear a backlog of nearly 42,000 unprocessed veterans’ compensation claims, and make the system simpler, or face more deaths by suicide.

The interim report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, released on Thursday, found a culture of bullying, silence and cover-up, and a complex and overburdened claims system, were contributing to un­acceptably high suicide risks.

It called for sweeping measures to deal with the problems, including an immediate push to eliminate the mass of unprocessed claims, and legislative changes by the end of the year to streamline the claims system.

“It is clear to us that Australia’s veteran compensation and rehabilitation legislative system is so complicated that it adversely affects the mental health of some veterans – both serving and ex-serving ADF members – and can be a contributing factor to suicidality,” the report said.

The commissioners called for more staff and funding for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and urgent measures to overcome legal problems that restricted evidence to the inquiry.

Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh said he was “deeply sorry” for the failings of Defence and the DVA, declaring many Defence members and veterans hadn’t received the treatment they deserved.

“Unfortunately, the rate of veterans’ suicide in Australia is a nat­ional tragedy,” he said. “It’s devastating that Australia has lost more serving and former serving personnel to suicide than it has lost through operations over the last 20 years in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

Mr Keogh said the government would consider the report and was “committed to taking action”.

He said he believed the 500 additional staff Labor had promised to clear the claims backlog would be sufficient to do so within the recommended 18 months.

The report followed evidence from 179 witnesses, revealing an ADF culture of peer and chain-of-command abuse, and a pervasive fear that reporting bullying or mental health issues could ruin a person’s career.

It said the mistreatment of Defence members during their service included “physical and psychological abuse”, and threats of further violence, punishment, demotion, or the downgrading of a person’s medical status.

“We have heard many accounts of unacceptable behaviours in the ADF, including the long-lasting impact of abuse and how hard it is to report the abuse when it happens,” the report said.

“Some submissions described a culture discouraging the reporting of mental illness, as well as a fear of reprisal or negative career ­impacts.”

The commissioners found some veterans were forced to wait more than 300 days to have claims assessed. Many inquiry witnesses spoke of “frustration and dis­appointment” with the claims system and “an unhelpful, negative attitude” among DVA staff.

The most recent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare study cited by the inquiry found 1273 deaths by suicide of veterans and ADF members over the two decades to 2020, while a study found 28.9 per cent of former ADF members “felt life was not worth living”.

The commissioners said they were “dismayed” that after more than 50 previous reports on veterans’ suicide, successive governments had acted in only “limited ways” to address the issue.

Julie-Ann Finney, a prominent campaigner for the inquiry, said the government needed to move faster to process outstanding DVA claims. “The delay in claims has been proven to have a link to suicidal ideation, attempts and also completion. So just accept and process those claims. Veterans have waited long enough.”

Ms Finney, whose son, Petty Officer David Finney, took his own life in 2019, said there was “no comfort in this” for her but she felt “a vindication was absolutely needed” for veterans and the wider community. “Australia and the government need to know the truth about how we’ve treated people, what we’ve done to them and how we’ve destroyed them.”

The royal commission’s final report will be tabled in June 2024.

If you or a family member needs help, contact: Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467; Lifeline Australia 13 11 14; Open Arms 1800 011 046; Defence All-hours Support Line 1800 628 036