Crucial report due for release as 'battle' begins on curbing defence and veteran suicide

More than 120 recommendations have been made in the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide’s final report amid warnings against allowing the national tragedy to continue.

Three years on, the seven-volume report will be given to Governor-General Sam Mostyn on Monday, before it is tabled in parliament by Defence Minister Richard Marles.

The inquiry received almost 6000 submissions and heard from hundreds of witnesses about issues ranging from bullying to abuse in the Australian Defence Force.

Veterans and their families came forward to tell the Royal Commission about the poor treatment they received from Defence.

Independent senator Jacqui Lambie, who served in the military for more than a decade and called for a royal commission, said “Defence was already on the defensive”.

“I have to say this to Defence: If you want to fix things, then you have to be open and honest about where your problems are,” she told ABC’s RN on Monday.

“Otherwise you are never going to fix it, and that is why people are not joining, and that is why they’re leaving in droves.

“So work it out ... it is not helpful for our national security.”

Senator Lambie said as the government began rolling out changes, the “battle” was already beginning to fix the problems.

She said the ADF needed to make sure personnel were cared for.

“This is just common sense stuff, I don’t know how they find this so difficult,” she said.

Senior officials also gave evidence at the inquiry, including former chief of the defence force Angus Campbell who apologised “unreservedly” for the military’s failures.

A key recommendation of the 122 made in the final report, will call for a permanent body to be set up after the inquiry to monitor progress on the recommendations and to report publicly.

There have been at least 57 previous inquiries relating to Defence and veteran suicide over the past three decades, resulting in about 770 recommendations.

Chair Nick Kaldas said the government needed to recreate the interim national commissioner for suicides or community members would be in a worse place than the royal commission had found them.

“Australia cannot afford for this Royal Commission’s Final Report to end up on a shelf gathering dust,” he said.

“We’ve provided the government a robust, evidence-based blueprint for real, meaningful and long-lasting reforms to drive improved health and wellbeing outcomes ... and ultimately, save veterans’ lives.”

An interim report released in 2023 made 13 urgent recommendations, including eliminating the massive backlog of veteran compensation claims by March 2024.

The first recommendation was to simplify the claims processing system.

The Albanese government introduced legislation to parliament to roll three laws into one in July.

The inquiry found the complex compensation claims process had harmed the mental health of ex-personnel.

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