Royal Commission hears an independent oversight body could maintain “relentless focus” on military suicide

The Royal Commissioners charged with finding solutions to the suicide crisis in Australia’s Defence and veteran population have engaged in a robust but informative discussion with the members of the Afghanistan Inquiry Implementation Oversight Panel about how implementation of much-needed cultural change in Defence may best be achieved – and the role an independent oversight body might play to ensure mistakes from the past are not repeated.

The landmark inquiry is midway through its final public hearing in Sydney, which is examining how deeply-embedded military culture and failures of leadership, governance and accountability over many decades have contributed to high rates of suicide and suicidality among serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members.

Despite 57 related inquiries and almost 770 recommendations in the two decades preceding the Royal Commission, there’s been no improvement in suicide rates and the senseless loss of life continues today.

The Royal Commission conducted a public consultation in late 2023 regarding the need for an independent body to hold Government, the ADF, Defence, DVA and other relevant agencies, as well as state and territory governments, to account following the cessation of the Royal Commission – and to make sure that they prioritise the major, long-term, complex reforms that are required to address the national tragedy of veteran suicide.

On Monday (18 March 2024), Commissioners heard from three experts on the Government-appointed Afghanistan Inquiry Implementation Oversight Panel – Dr Vivienne Thom AM, Robert Cornall AO and Professor Rufus Black — who were tasked with providing independent oversight and assurance of Defence’s response to the high-profile Brereton Inquiry.

Members of that Panel questioned whether a new entity was the best way to achieve the desired outcomes of reducing suicide and suicidality amongst Defence members and veterans.

They noted that a ‘wise kind of oversight’ is required to ensure that in an appropriate period of time there was implementation of the Royal Commission’s recommendations to achieve significantly improved outcomes for Defence personnel. They urged the Commissioners to consider how best to achieve the objectives they want to achieve. 

Commissioners respected the insights provided by the Panel members but the Chair of the Royal Commission, Nick Kaldas, noted that the cultural and systemic problems within Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs that are contributing to alarming rates of suicide are contemporary, not just historic.

“This is a complex, multilayered problem that will take many years to try and grapple with. But we've also said … that you can't keep doing the same thing the same way over and over again and expecting the result to come out different,” Commissioner Kaldas said. “We have to look for something dramatically different to try and change the trajectory on which these (suicide) figures are on.”

Commissioner Peggy Brown reflected on a level of cynicism in the Defence and veteran community about Defence’s ability and willingness to change without independent oversight. 

“I think it just serves to underscore that we want to see the change, we need the culture, we need the leadership, we need the governance, we need the accountability… and I'm putting myself in the shoes of many people out there, I'm sure, saying: "How do we trust that it's going to happen?" It's not like this issue of suicide has just occurred,” Commissioner Brown said. 

“There's been data coming for decades and we've talked a couple of times in the last couple of weeks around the sense that the thing Defence does best is defend Defence. I think, quite frankly, it makes the trust that it will change harder when there's a sense that Defence is good at defending Defence.”

Commissioner James Douglas said a powerful new oversight body set up to monitor implementation of the Royal Commission’s recommendations could maintain a “relentless focus” on the issues and help drive cultural and systemic reforms.

“The idea of a body to extend beyond us is perhaps anchored in that concept, not least because the bodies that may have provided some oversight, or have been intended to provide some oversight, don't appear to have made a difference in respect of the issue of suicidality. The figures have remained the same,” Commissioner Douglas noted.

He added the idea of an oversight body is not meant to supplant military authority.

“The way I conceive of it at least is that it can be a burr in the saddle at a time when they (Defence) are otherwise preoccupied by very significant matters relating to our strategic position in the world, but it's a burr that will provide an impetus to keep thinking about this issue and do something about it.”

In responding to Commissioners’ comments, Professor Black acknowledged that “enormous, deep change” is required.

“I think the question really is what's the architecture that achieves that, both of the total system and of whatever oversight to achieve that total change that you need… This is about ensuring what's the deep systemic change that puts welfare at the core of a total system of accountability, of which oversight can be important,” Professor Black told the hearing.

Mr Cornall added: “We haven't had the detailed insight into all the evidence that's come to you, so it's very valuable to hear, even though they're very unhappy stories about things that happened recently, during this Commission's period of existence… [I]t would be worthwhile for us today to have put forward some alternative suggestions so they can be considered, and it sounds to me justifiably dismissed.”

The Royal Commission will provide a Special Report to the Governor-General in June 2024, outlining its recommendation on what is required following the cessation of the Royal Commission to drive sustained change across the Defence and veteran ecosystem to reduce the rate of Defence and veteran suicide. 

The 12th and final hearing of the Royal Commission is due to wrap up on Thursday 28 March.