New Assistant Commissioners will ensure people with lived experience continue to be heard
The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide has appointed former Queensland Police Commissioner Robert “Bob” Atkinson AO APM and eminent health practitioner Dr Susan Young as Assistant Commissioners.
Commencing in January 2024, Mr Atkinson and Dr Young will work alongside the three existing Commissioners to complete hundreds of outstanding private sessions with people with lived experience of suicide and suicidal behaviour in a military context.
Commissioners Nick Kaldas (Chair), Peggy Brown and James Douglas have undertaken 639 confidential, one-on-one sessions with serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members, family members and friends, to hear their deeply-personal experiences.
There are about 320 private sessions still to be completed before the Royal Commission ends.
The appointment of two Assistant Commissioners, made possible after a recent change to the Royal Commissions Act 1902, will ensure everyone who has sought to share their story at a private session will have the opportunity to do so.
Chair of the Royal Commission, Nick Kaldas, said the lived experience of past and present ADF members, and their loved ones, sits at the heart of the Royal Commission and their voices continue to inform the inquiry.
"I am delighted Bob and Susan have agreed to join the Royal Commission," Commissioner Kaldas said. “They bring unique perspectives from their diverse backgrounds in law enforcement and health and have the necessary skills to help us facilitate the remaining private sessions with people with lived experience – and Bob already has a very good familiarity with this process from his time on the Child Abuse Royal Commission.
"We know how important these sessions are to veterans and their families, and the catharsis and validation they bring to so many people impacted by suicide and suicidality.
"We want to continue to ensure they have the opportunity to be heard and the appointment of Bob and Susan as Assistant Commissioners will achieve that," he said.
Mr Atkinson served as Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service from 2000 until his retirement 2012. He served as Commissioner for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse from 2013 until 2017.
"I am very grateful for the opportunity and privilege to be appointed to this role to support the important work of the Royal Commission in addressing the critical issues faced by our Defence and veteran communities," Mr Atkinson said.
Dr Young is a registered nurse and midwife with extensive clinical, academic and governance experience in the health and education sectors. She has served as chair of the Queensland board of the Medical Board of Australia, and also as a member of the board of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
"I feel deeply honoured and privileged to take on this important role. This appointment is a unique opportunity for me to contribute meaningfully to the well-being of our Defence and veteran communities," Dr Young said.
"I am excited to work alongside the dedicated Commissioners and Royal Commission staff to create a safe, compassionate space for those who have served, and their families, to share their stories."