The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide recently released its interim report, sharing 13 recommendations for the veteran community.
Over the past year, the Commission has received more than 1,900 submissions including our own, those of some of our members and within our community.
Our CEO Renee Wilson wrote an opinion article for The Sydney Morning Herald to share our position on the recommendations.
We believe that this report was an opportunity to drive meaningful change. But instead, it chose to focus on process and administration rather than on supporting the families at the heart of the system.
The system is outdated…it is simply ill-equipped to meet the needs of this generation of veterans and families.
As expressed in her opinion piece, Renee explained:
The 12-month backlog of claims is only one part of the problem of Defence and veteran suicides. The veterans’ system is outdated and in need of urgent reform. Hundreds of lives are at risk and the need for immediate action is now. Policymakers cannot afford to delay in helping this vulnerable community access the support and services it critically needs.
Families need to be at the heart of this reform because they are the heart of the community. They are very much the front line of mental and physical injuries and illnesses in the veteran community. The family support network is there for our veterans no matter what, yet this support network is not meaningfully engaged nor supported within the system.
We will continue to advocate for our members to ensure that their voices are heard during this important time for the community.
Read the entire opinion piece here.
