Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide Hearings Wind Up – RSL Reports

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide conducted its final block of public hearings in Sydney, from Monday 4 March to Thursday 28 March 2024.

The Royal Commission received close to 6,000 submissions, conducted more than 700 private sessions across Australia, and is now assembling its final report for the Australian Government.

The RSL was represented at all hearings, and the League is listening to and acting on the evidence presented. The defence and veteran community is indebted to the courageous individuals who shared their lived experiences to inform the Commission’s work and which will help shape action to reduce the risk of suicide and suicidality across our community.

The RSL’s Royal Commission Office, supported by RSL New South Wales, has prepared a summary of the Sydney Hearing Block, including the key themes examined so far and the actions taken by the League in response.

The Final Public Hearing Block

The final hearing block focussed on identifying factors that can indicate risk of suicide and suicidality amongst current and former serving members, Federal and State Ministers, ADF personnel, and Federal Government departmental heads shared action that was being taken to mitigate those risk factors and the impact of those changes. Acknowledgement of past maladministration and practices affecting current and former serving Defence members was made, with a commitment to improving.

The Royal Commission’s inquiries have been guided by the deeply personal and often harrowing experiences shared by serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force (ADF) members and their families in submissions and private sessions, which have shone a bright light on the cultural, systemic, and structural issues contributing to the suicide crisis within the Defence and veteran community.

In his final address, Commissioner Nick Kaldas expressed his belief that this Royal Commission must be a catalyst for change, with a whole-of-government approach to prioritise major, long-term and complex reforms required to substantially improve support to former- and current-Defence personnel and their families. He noted his ongoing concern about the lack of data available to monitor progress and effective reform occurring within the Defence community.

Chief of the Australian Defence Force, General Angus Campbell, stated: “Our people deserve and should rightly expect the wellbeing support and care they need both during and after their service. I acknowledge that this has not always been the case and has tragically led to the deaths by suicide of some of our people.”

The RSL sincerely thanks Commissioners Nick Kaldas, Peggy Brown, and James Douglas for their tireless work throughout the Royal Commission process and for striving toward improving support available from the community and the ADF. The RSL also thanks those who presented for their input and contributions, as well as those who contributed to the RSL’s submissions.

The Royal Commissioners now have the challenging task of considering all the evidence and presenting the final report to the Government in September 2024. The RSL has already supported the full implementation of the recommendations in the Royal Commission’s interim report, and we look forward to seeing the Australian Government’s adoption of all final recommendations. We urge the Government to include provisions in the 2024-25 budget to enable it to accept and act on each of the final recommendations. Critically, this is anticipated to include the creation of a new independent entity to monitor the implementation of the recommendations and keep a permanent watch on the health and well-being of the defence and veteran community.

Australia’s veterans need – and deserve – immediate government action to address the many factors which lead to veteran suicides. The response to the Royal Commission’s Final Report can kickstart this change.

The RSL is committed to working with the government, the ESO sector and veterans to coordinate the response needed to minimise the risk of suicide and maximise the well-being of Australia’s Defence members and Veteran community.

Despite initial concerns about the appropriate model to deal with this issue and potential delays in addressing veteran issues, the RSL strongly supported the Royal Commission, commencing with its input to its terms of reference, making detailed submissions, participating in regular consultation with the Commissioners and the Royal Commission’s Stakeholder Reference Group, and attending all public hearings.

The RSL, through its national office and State and Territory branches and sub-branches, has been at the forefront of representing the interests of veterans and their families and has been actively working to ensure that through the Royal Commission, Australia can seize this opportunity to once and for all improve the wellbeing, health, and lives of those who are serving and have served our nation.

For those who have been impacted through the course of providing or listening to evidence from the Royal Commission,
please reach out:

Lifeline Australia – 13 11 14

Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467

OpenArms – 1800 011 046

ADF Mental health All-Hours Support Line – 1800 628 036

Safe Zone Support – 1800 142 072

Defence Member and Family Helpline – 1800 624 608