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Opinion Piece by Royal Commission chair, Nick Kaldas – the Guardian

Read the Opinion Piece by Royal Commission chair, Nick Kaldas on The Guardian website

The following is an Opinion Piece by Commissioner Nick Kaldas, Chair of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, as published in The Guardian on 29 February 2024. 

It’s no secret that the Australian defence force has been struggling to recruit and retain the skilled people it needs to meet our nation’s defence capability requirements. These challenges were put into stark relief at the recent Senate estimates hearings.

The chief of the defence force, General Angus Campbell, revealed the ADF had a shortfall of more than 4,300 personnel, putting the organisation under “stress”.

At a time when the strategic outlook of our region is increasingly uncertain, the ADF needs to be attracting the best and brightest: the right people, in the right numbers, at the right time. To do so, it must become an “employer of choice”.

The royal commission into defence and veteran suicide was established in 2021 to examine the deeply entrenched issues that are contributing to the harrowing rates of suicide and suicidal behaviour in our defence and veteran community.

Between 1997 and 2021, there were at least 1,677 deaths by suicide among serving and ex-serving personnel who served since 1985. And despite almost 60 related inquiries over the last 30 years, suicide rates have not improved.

It appears there has been a catastrophic failure of leadership at a government level and within the military to prioritise the urgent reforms and implement effectively the previous recommendations required to deliver improved health and wellbeing outcomes for defence personnel and veterans – and, as such, the senseless loss of life continues today. It is a national disgrace.

Although the majority of those who serve have rewarding careers and go on to successfully transition to civilian life, this is sadly not the case for all.

Having heard from thousands of past and present defence personnel about their experiences of military life, the ADF’s current recruitment and retention challenges come as no surprise to us.

We’ve uncovered evidence of a toxic culture where abuse, bullying and harassment is often not dealt with appropriately and perpetrators are not held to account. In some instances, complainants are targeted, leaving them re-traumatised.

Similarly, when it comes to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of ADF members, we’ve heard a lot of talk but seen very little action.

Many who’ve shared their stories have high regard for serving their country and expressed their strong sense of disappointment and betrayal at being let down by the organisation they trusted. Some are angry or bitter, but almost all want to see improvements for serving and ex-serving members.

We look forward to hearing from the minister for defence Richard Marles, General Campbell, the secretary of the Department of Defence, Greg Moriarty, and the chiefs of army, navy and air force about these important issues when they take the stand at our final public hearing in Sydney starting next week.

This four-week hearing will be critical to filling knowledge gaps ahead of our final report due in September. This report will be a comprehensive, evidence-based blueprint for cultural, structural and systemic reforms, which we strongly believe will deliver improved health and wellbeing outcomes for serving and ex-serving ADF members and their families – and, over time, drive down the rate of suicide and suicidality in the defence and veteran community.

We acknowledge there is no quick fix to this crisis. Success will take time and a concerted effort from both sides of politics – it’s imperative these issues are not politicised.

We’re confident our recommendations will help build a stronger, more resilient defence force that Australians will want to sign up to serve in.

We often hear senior government and military figures say “our people are our greatest asset”. For so many serving and ex-serving ADF members who’ve spoken to us over the life of this royal commission, this doesn’t ring true for them.

Our recommendations will be designed to ensure this rhetoric becomes a reality for all members and their families, by ensuring their health and wellbeing is prioritised. We hope the ADF leadership sees this landmark inquiry as a once-in-a-generation opportunity – and gets on board with what is needed to effect the necessary changes.

Fixing the cultural and systemic issues we’ve identified will also bring the ADF into line with the standards, values and expectations of the modern Australian workplace – and, we hope, go a long way to stopping the revolving door of employee turnover, which poses a real risk to Australia’s defence capability.

We as a nation owe the brave men and women who pull on the uniform of our navy, army and air force an enormous debt of gratitude for the unique sacrifices they make in going to work each day to protect us. Every Australian must maintain a keen interest in these issues to ensure our sailors, soldiers and aviators receive the protection and support they need and deserve.

Nick Kaldas is the chair of the Royal commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.