The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide concluded with the delivery of its Final Report on 9 September 2024. All enquiries should now be directed to the Attorney-General's Department. See the contact page for more information.

For information about Defence and veteran support services, please see our crisis support information.

Royal Commission Final Report makes 122 recommendations for change

The Australian Government has tabled the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide in the Australian Parliament.

The seven-volume report, containing 122 recommendations, is the culmination of an exhaustive three-year inquiry which has examined cultural, structural and systemic issues contributing to alarming rates of suicide and suicidality among Australia's Defence and veteran population. 

These evidence-based recommendations form a blueprint for the transformational reform required to address the national tragedy of Defence and veteran suicide. 

The report's findings and recommendations consider the entire Defence and veteran ecosystem, which is made up of Commonwealth, state and territory government agencies and other institutions responsible for the health and wellbeing of serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force (ADF) members, and their families.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare at least 1,677 serving and ex-serving ADF members died by suicide between 1997 and 2021 – that's more than 20-times the number of Defence personnel killed in active duty over the same period. But the Royal Commission estimates the true number of preventable deaths to be upwards of 3,000. 

To ensure this landmark inquiry results in real, meaningful and long-lasting reform to address this national tragedy, the Royal Commission has recommended the establishment of a new statutory entity to support governments, the ADF, the Departments of Defence and Veterans' Affairs, and the wider Defence and veteran ecosystem to prioritise and build on its positive work over the last three years. 

The establishment of this oversight body would clearly signal that the Australian Government recognises the gravity of the crisis of Defence and veteran suicide and would confirm its commitment to protecting the lives of those who protect us.

Further recommendations include:

  • the development of a doctrine on 'people, capability and service' for the ADF to make clear that Australia's military capability and operational readiness depend on a physically and mentally healthy workforce;
  • publicly reporting on ADF culture, health and wellbeing and incorporating members' health and wellbeing in senior level performance appraisals, as well as ensuring promotion selection processes reward leaders who have a positive impact on wellbeing and culture;
  • to conduct an external, independent, expert inquiry into sexual violence in the ADF;
  • to amend the Defence Act 1903 (Cth) to provide that the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force must not have served in the ADF;
  • to strengthen Defence and Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) research, data collection and analysis, and data sharing to enhance their ability to identify, understand and monitor the impact of risk and protective factors for suicide and suicidality among serving and ex-serving ADF members;
  • to establish a new executive agency, within DVA, to focus on veterans' wellbeing and be responsible for supporting members to transition into civilian life. This new agency would be responsible to establish a new program to support members adjust to life after service, and improve pathways to civilian employment;
  • to provide ongoing funding to Veterans' and Families' Hubs and develop a national funding agreement on veterans' wellbeing; 
  • to give veterans access to advocates when making a liability or compensation claim, and more choice and autonomy over their supports after a claim is approved; and
  • to establish a national peak body for ex-service organisations (ESOs) in consultation with the ESO sector.

Through its recommendations the Royal Commission seeks to:

  • hold ADF senior leaders to account for members' health and wellbeing;
  • address the stressors that service and post-service life place on Defence families;
  • prevent physical and mental injuries within the ADF, encourage members to seek help early, prioritise recovery when an injury does happen and reduce the risk of burnout;
  • reduce the prevalence of unacceptable behaviour in the ADF and provide members with a safe work environment and an effective military justice system to deal with unacceptable behaviour when it occurs;
  • prevent sexual violence and improve workplace protections and support for victims when it does occur, and ensure perpetrators are held to account; and
  • make veterans' entitlements fair and equitable, regardless of how a member's military service is classified, and make compensation claims processing efficient and transparent.

The Final Report is available on the Royal Commission website, along with a Short Guide to the Final Report, which is also available in Easy Read. 

Final Report volumes

  • Volume 1 – Executive summary, recommendations and the fundamentals
  • Volume 2 – Serving the nation and Defence culture and leadership
  • Volume 3 – Military sexual violence, unacceptable behaviour and military justice
  • Volume 4 – Health care for serving and ex-serving members
  • Volume 5 – Transition, DVA and support for ex-serving members
  • Volume 6 – Families, data and research and establishing a new entity
  • Volume 7 – Appendices

Since it was established in July 2021, the Royal Commission has: 

  • hosted 12 public hearings with evidence from over 340 witnesses, including more than 60 people with lived experience of suicide and suicidality
  • conducted almost 900 private sessions, and
  • received more than 5,800 submissions.

The Royal Commission has now ended. Any enquiries about the content of the Final Report should be directed to the Australian Government.