Scott Morrison announces royal commission into veteran suicides
Scott Morrison says a royal commission into veteran suicides marks the start of a new healing process for personnel and families.
Scott Morrison has launched a wide-ranging royal commission into veteran suicides, examining “the human cost” of Defence service, including transition to civilian life, family pressures, welfare services and future employment prospects.
The Prime Minister, who had previously resisted a royal commission in favour of a permanent commissioner for veteran suicides, said the inquiry would mark the beginning of a new healing process for former Defence personnel and their families.
The move follows a concerted campaign by service groups, bereaved families and government MPs with military backgrounds, who argued that only a royal commission could properly tackle surging veteran suicide rates.
More than 500 veterans are believed to have taken their lives in the past two decades.
The inquiry’s terms of reference will be negotiated with the states and territories but will include an examination of systemic problems and risk factors that can lead veteran suicides, together with preventive measures and improvements to services and entitlements.
“We have listened carefully and at all times sought to do what is best for veterans and their families,” Mr Morrison said.
“I hope it will be a process by which veterans and families can find some comfort, but it obviously can’t replace the loss. We understand that.”
Mr Morrison flagged further support for veterans in the May budget, saying “there will be many further initiatives that will be put in place”.
His announcement follows a motion on the floor of parliament in February demanding the establishment of a royal commission, which was waved through by the government amid threats by ¬Coalition MPs to cross the floor.
Adelaide mother Julie-Ann Finney, whose naval petty officer son Dave Stafford Finney suicided amid depression and post-traumatic stress, was at the centre of the campaign, launching a petition that attracted 409,000 signatures calling for the inquiry.
“Today is a long time coming for veterans and their families,” Ms Finney said on Monday.
“I stand alongside too many other mums, dads, partners and kids who have lost their beloved family members to this crisis. Today is also for them.”
She urged the Prime Minister to ensure that the voices of veterans were “front and centre”, rather than organisations at the heart of a “broken system”.
Opposition defence spokesman Brendan O’Connor said it was “a tragedy” that veterans had been forced to wait so long for the royal commission announcement, which Labor had pushed for since 2019. He said unlike a permanent commission, a royal commission “has sufficient powers, independence, resources and standing to do what the veteran community wants seen done, which is to ensure that we examine systematically this national blight”.
The royal commission is expected to get under way by July and run for 18 months to two years.
Three national commissioners will be appointed to run the inquiry because of the complex ¬issues involved, and the need to take evidence from veterans and their families.
Last year, when Bernadette Boss was named as interim National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention, there were more than 400 known veteran suicide cases dating back to 2001.
That figure has soared in the past 12 months, with more than 500 veterans now believed to have taken their lives in the past two decades.
Mr Morrison said the inquiry would probe “all aspects of service in the Australian Defence Force and the experience of those transitioning from active service”, including the availability and quality of health and support services, social and family issues such as family breakdown, and housing and employment issues.
He said governments needed to consider the mental toll on veterans when they returned from conflicts, not just the upfront costs of deployments.
“I think it’s very important that we have a view to the long tail of support that will be necessary for those we ask to go and serve,” he said.
The government’s proposed standing commissioner for veterans’ suicide, which had so far failed to win parliamentary support, will be charged with overseeing the implementation of the royal commission’s recommendations.
Veterans’ Minister Darren Chester said the decision was an opportunity for the government and former Defence personnel “to reset the agenda and unite the veterans’ community”.
He conceded that the announcement followed “robust advice” from veterans serving in the parliament.
The Liberal member for Herbert, Phil Thompson, and Liberal member for Braddon, Gavin Pearce — both former soldiers — spearheaded the internal push for the royal commission.
Mr Thompson, whose Queensland seat takes in Townsville, said the inquiry would do a “deep dive into where the failures have happened”.
“I live in the largest garrison city in the country. I’ve also served, and have lost multiple friends to suicide.
“I truly believe that a royal commission is needed,” he said.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the suicide rate for male veterans between 2002 and 2018 was 28 per 100,000 — about double the rate for serving ADF members and 19 per cent higher than for everyday Australian men.
The age-adjusted rate of suicide among former service women was also higher than for the general population.
Additional reporting: Paul Garvey, Adeshola Ore
Lifeline: 131114
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