Overview of the Senate Inquiry legislation establishing Defence and Veteran Services Commission
Following our successful advocacy and the support of numerous Senators earlier this year, the Senate Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee announced and inquiry into the legislative framework which governs the establishment of a Defence and Veteran Services Commission. This Commission implements Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide Recommendation 122.
In summary, we support the implementation of Recommendation 122 and would like to see the objects of the Act strengthened. In his 2023 National Press Club Address, the Chair of the Royal Commission, Nick Kaldas APM highlighted the lack of attention and meaningful engagement with issues facing veterans and their families. The Royal Commission highlighted a significant gap in the veteran system and that was the inability of any one existing entity to monitor the ecosystem of agencies responsible for the wellbeing veterans and their families, particularly through the lens of suicide prevention. This lack of oversight results in a fragmented and narrow approach to suicide prevention that does not support a systems level understanding of suicide and suicidality in this population responsibility for suicide prevention.
Object of the Defence and Veteran Services Commission
For us, the object of the Commission needs to be stronger and more specific than ‘improve suicide prevention’. The outcome veterans and their families are seeking is zero preventable deaths in our community. The complex nature of suicide and suicidality however makes zero almost impossible to achieve. ‘Toward zero suicides’ is a suicide prevention concept that was discussed at length during the Royal Commission and has since been picked up by the NSW Government. This too ought to be picked up in the Commission’s founding objects.
Ultimately, this Commission exists to reduce the rate of suicide in the veteran population. In doing so it can positively impact wellbeing outcomes. We have therefore suggested an alternative object:
“…to improve wellbeing outcomes for veterans and their families and reduce the incidents of suicide and suicidality among the veteran community through the provision of independent, evidence-based advice of system reform.”
By design, this object also broadens the remit of the Commission beyond current and former serving ADF members and the Australian Government. Why? Two reasons,
- Veteran suicide doesn’t belong to one element of the system. It isn’t just government’s problem to solve. As the Royal Commission notes, every actor within the defence and veteran community has a role to play in preventing suicide and suicidality among this community; and
- While today the focus of the Commission will be on veterans, it must also have room to evolve to ensure significant system gaps are closed. These gaps see families of veterans left out of the system of support, yet they are at a higher risk than the general population of suffering a mental illness and suicidal ideation.
Inclusion of Veteran Families
Our Submission also continues to make the case for the inclusion of families within the formal frameworks that govern the veteran system. Data from a 2019 Family Wellbeing study shows that families of veterans are at a higher risk of experiencing suicidal ideation and psychological distress compared to the general population. The families of veterans shoulder the human costs of maintaining Australia’s peace, security, and way of life. It starts from the moment an Australian completes one day’s service – becoming a veteran and continues long after that service ends. The Parliament has an opportunity to set this Commission up to be future focused and ensure that it has the flexibility and scope it needs to investigate these issues as well. Military service has real impacts beyond the veteran and those too need to be factored into system reform.
The DVS Commission is a positive step
The establishment of the Commission is a positive step towards systemic and strategic reform in the veteran sector. We are pleased to see action towards implementing Recommendation 122, however must not forget those that brought us here – the families of veterans. Families of veterans have a right to be seen, heard and supported. We are hopeful the parliament agrees.
Read our full submission to the Senate Inquiry
You can read our full submission here.
