Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday bowed to mounting political pressure by launching a royal commission into suicide among Australian Defence Force (ADF) members and veterans.
Morrison told reporters in Sydney that he had listened to veterans who argued that the government’s previous proposal did not go far enough, and he was “pragmatic to get the right outcomes.”
Morrison said he hoped the royal commission — to begin by July at the latest and likely to take up to two years to complete — would be “a healing process.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
When asked about the government’s previous resistance to calls for a royal commission, Morrison said: “I just want to get things done.”
The royal commission would not make findings of civil or criminal wrongdoing, or findings about individual defense and veteran deaths by suicide — but “will be informed by individual experiences,” the government said.
Likely to be headed by three royal commissioners, the inquiry is to investigate any systemic issues — including how ADF personnel transition out of service and what post-service support is available — that might be linked to higher suicide rates.
The federal government plans to consult with the defense and veteran community and the states and territories to finalize the terms of reference and who will be appointed to chair the inquiry.
Australian Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Darren Chester said the commission was “an opportunity for us to reset the agenda and unite the veterans’ community in what has been a very difficult, sensitive and incredibly complex issue for our veterans and their families.”
The government previously resisted calls for such an inquiry, saying its plans for a national commissioner for defense and veteran suicide prevention would be able to examine the problem on a rolling basis and would have similar powers to a royal commission.
The bills to set up such a commissioner as an independent statutory officeholder have languished in the Australian Senate.
The Labor Party has also been pushing for a royal commission, saying last week that it was “a national disgrace that more veterans have died by suicide than in war in the past 20 years, and veterans are dying at twice the rate of suicide of the general population.”
The Community and Public Sector Union said there is a backlog of about 25,000 claims under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act, which provides support to injured veterans.
When the government announced last week that the final 80 defense personnel still in Afghanistan would be home by September, advocates for veterans’ support renewed their calls for greater government action to address their welfare.
Julie-Ann Finney, an Adelaide woman who lost her veteran son Dave Stafford Finney to a suicide related to post-traumatic stress disorder, welcomed the royal commission announcement, saying it was “a long time coming for veterans and their families.”
Finney, whose change.org petition calling for an inquiry attracted more than 400,000 signatures, said she was “thankful all the veterans who have stood brave and tall in the face of so much opposition over the years, and kept fighting for this royal commission.”
“Today, I am still just Dave’s mum,” Finney said in a statement yesterday.
“I am so proud of him. If he was here right now his message to veterans would be ‘I am your brother. I am here for you.’ My fight over these last two painful years has all been to honor my son, and to ensure that in the future, that no other mum feels this pain.”
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