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.

Opinion Piece by Royal Commission chair, Nick Kaldas

Download the Opinion Piece by Royal Commission chair, Nick Kaldas

The following is an Opinion Piece by Commissioner Nick Kaldas, Chair of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, as published in News Corp papers on 10 January 2024.

As my fellow Commissioners and I have examined the national tragedy of Defence and veteran suicide, we’ve drawn considerable strength from the knowledge our work will lead to improved health and wellbeing outcomes for Defence personnel, veterans, and their families – and, in turn, help build a stronger Australian Defence Force.

With wars currently being fought in Europe and the Middle East – and growing tensions in the Asia-Pacific Region – it’s imperative Australia has a Defence Force that is psychologically resilient and sustainable. 

The Federal Government’s Defence Strategic Review provides a blueprint for Australia’s strategic policy, defence planning and resourcing. There are also plans to grow personnel numbers by 30% to close to 80,000 by 2040. 

It’s no secret the ADF is in the midst of a recruitment and retention crisis. 

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide has heard from thousands of ADF members about their experiences of service and post-service life.

Their deeply personal stories have shone a bright light on the cultural and systemic issues, particularly within the ADF and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, that are failing serving and ex-serving members – and contributing to alarming rates of suicide in the Defence and veteran population.

The latest data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reveals there were at least 1677 deaths by suicide between 1997 and 2021 among serving and ex-serving ADF members who served since 1985. Sadly, there has been no improvement in overall suicide rates. 

We’ve been very careful throughout our inquiries to not portray all veterans as damaged – it’s a myth we’re keen to dispel. We know the vast majority of our service personnel have a rewarding career in the ADF and go on to positively transition to civilian life. 

Let me be clear: this Royal Commission has consistently sought not to undermine Australia’s defence capability. It’s apparent, though, from the evidence we’ve uncovered that there are deep-rooted cultural and systemic challenges within the ADF and DVA which need to be fixed – and urgently. 

The brave men and women who pull on the uniform of our Navy, Army and Air Force and go to work each day to protect us must be treated fairly, with dignity and respect. For far too many this hasn’t been the case.

We note the positive steps taken by Government to simplify the complex legislation governing veterans’ entitlements and clear the backlog of unprocessed claims. But it’s clear the fight for entitlements has made – and continues to make – life difficult for many veterans.

I encourage the leadership of the ADF and DVA to see this Royal Commission as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to drive meaningful and long-lasting change so serving and ex-serving ADF members, and their families, have the support they need and deserve.

We want our Defence Force to be an ‘employer of choice’ that fosters a strong ‘people-first’ culture and prioritises the health and wellbeing of its employees, so it can recruit and retain the best people. 

Our service personnel deserve a psychologically-safe workplace, where abuse, assault, bullying, discrimination, misogyny and physical and sexual violence are not tolerated – and to be well supported in their transition to civilian life.

There is still a lot of work to do as this Royal Commission enters its final months.

The lived experience of past and present Defence members, and their loved ones, sits at the heart of this inquiry – and their voices continue to inform our work, including through private sessions. 

Commissioners Brown, Douglas and I have so far completed 639 confidential, one-on-one sessions with people with lived experience; however, we’ve recently appointed two Assistant Commissioners – former Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson and eminent health practitioner Dr Susan Young – to make sure we can complete some 300 remaining private sessions.

We’re also busy planning for our final public hearing block in Sydney in March which will feature evidence from relevant Government ministers, the military’s top brass and senior bureaucrats. 

Countless related inquiries have preceded this Royal Commission yet have not achieved the change necessary to impact the suicide rate. One can only wonder why this is the case. Did the recommendations not hit the mark, were they not sustained or did they just fall on deaf ears? 

This Royal Commission must be a call to action. We cannot allow the preventable deaths of our finest to continue.

Accordingly, we’ve been consulting stakeholders on our proposal for a powerful new body to follow this Royal Commission to hold Government and its agencies to account – and ensure they prioritise the major, long-term, complex reforms that are needed.

We will make a recommendation to Government about the role, remit and responsibilities of this new entity in due course.

Our job is to show Government the way forward. Our final report to be delivered by 9 September this year will be a comprehensive, evidence-based blueprint for reform. It will then be up to Government to realise our vision. 

Now more than ever Australia needs a strong, resilient Defence Force. 

Nick Kaldas is the Chair of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.