‘Enemy is often within’: Defence, veteran suicide royal commissioners scald ADF leadership

Jacqui Lambie has called for the Australian Defence Force Academy to be “shut down immediately” as a major report into defence and veteran suicide is handed down.

The Tasmanian senator and defence veteran said the ADFA was part of the systemic problems of culture in Defence.

“If you want to fix the culture of leadership in Defence, I suggest today you make a decision as a government to shut down the Australian Defence Force Academy – shut it down,” Senator Lambie told Sky News Australia on Monday.

“We’re only getting all the little rich kids there with no life experience and they’re the ones that end up in charge in the long run and that’s becoming a real problem.

“How they have not picked this up is beyond me.”

The royal commissioners who have spent the past three years investigating defence and veteran suicides say the Australian Defence Force poses a greater risk of trauma to military personnel than combat.

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide has handed over the highly anticipated final report to Governor-General Sam Mostyn. It is expected to be made public later on Monday.

The commission, which launched in July 2021, received nearly 6000 submissions that painted a horrific picture of institutional failures and widespread bullying and abuse.

With hearings right around the country, it revealed at least 1677 serving and former defence personnel took their own lives between 1997 and 2021 – more than 20 times the number killed in combat or military exercises over the same period.

“It is certainly a misconception to associate suicide with the experience of PTSD alone coming from combat experiences,” Dr Peggy Brown told reporters outside Parliament House on Monday.

“That’s not actually what we’re finding.

“What we’re finding is that there is a lot of trauma and a lot of exposure to trauma, but it’s trauma through the cumulative effects of what they experience day in and day out through service, and into their post-service life.

“So it’s not combat related, but it is trauma related.”

The final report into defence and veteran suicide is set to be handed to Governor-General Sam Mostyn on Monday. Reportedly, more Australian defence personnel have died from suicide than from active combat. Veteran Suicides Royal Commissioner Nick Kaldas sat down with Sky News Australia to discuss the report. If you or anyone you know needs help: Lifeline: 13 11 14 Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 Open Arms: 1800 011 046 Defence Family Helpline: 1800 624 608 Defence All-Hours Support Line: 1800 628 036

Speaking alongside her fellow commissioners Nick Kaldas and James Douglas, Dr Brown said service personnel were exposed to an array of “violence and abuse”, including sexual violence.

She said that had “a long lasting impact on anyone who is exposed to it” and once they leave the military, they are “let down by the system”.

“They feel betrayed by the system that let’s them down and taken no action against perpetrators,” Dr Brown said.

“I think that we said publicly that the enemy is often within the Australian Defence Force.”

But she did say a career with the ADF was “noble”.

Mr Kaldas, the royal commission’s chair, earlier said the fact defence and veteran suicides were higher than combat deaths laid bare the systemic problems.

“What it tells us is that there are problems in the barracks, there are problems with the disciplinary system, there are problems with the chain of command,” he told the ABC.

“Your workmates, perhaps, not supporting you. For some people, it is a trauma of war.

“But certainly, for the majority, it appears at this stage that it is not the trauma of war that caused them to go down to this dark place.”

Mr Kaldas, who has not shied away from criticising defence and government officials throughout the royal commission, said the probe’s finding were now “quite common knowledge”.

He said there were a plethora of inquiries that preceded the commission, but “the dial hasn’t moved”.

“So we obviously feel that this report should be a line in the sand,” he said.

“And a call to action for successive governments, hopefully in a bipartisan way, to deal with the problems once and for all.

“And I think that the one thing that the royal commission has achieved or of the things that we’ve achieved is we’ve made the problems very clear and undeniable.”

The royal commission will hand down its final report to Governor-General Sam Mostyn on Monday morning.

The seven-volume report contains 122 recommendations to drive improved health and wellbeing outcomes for serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force personnel.

Little is known about what the document includes, but Mr Kaldas did reveal the commission would recommend an independent body to track how recommendations were implemented.

“One of things we’ll be recommending and we’ve said it often, is that there ought to be a body or an entity or an organisation, perhaps a smaller version of us, that monitors recommendations being implemented,” he said.

“But more importantly, watches going forward, what happens in this space, all the welfare aspects and reports publicly to hold government to account.”

Royal commission findings have been riddled with heartbreaking details.

Research commissioned by the royal commission estimated one veteran has suicide-related contact with police and paramedics every four hours.

In another tragic detail, there have been an average of three deaths of serving and ex-serving defence members by suicide every fortnight.

Soldier On chief executive Amy Cooper said her organisation had worked closely with the commissioners and she was “hopeful”.

She hailed the interim report’s 13 key recommendations as “short and sharp”.

“I think the royal commissioners will likewise be making some good, clear and concise recommendations, and that they expect further momentum and traction from government,” she said.

Ms Cooper said she expected many themes of the report to relate to defence personnel transitioning to civilian life, an area of speciality for Soldier On.

“I think there will be a lot around support throughout service life and making sure there’s positive transitions from the ADF,” she said.

“Also the importance of families as a support network, and looking after families as they provide that support too.”

Over the past 20-30 years, and 57 previous inquiries relating to Defence and veteran suicides with 770 other recommendations, suicide rates have not improved.

Mr Kaldas in March said there was “a catastrophic failure of leadership at a government level and within the military to prioritise the urgent reforms” laid out.

Since it was established in July 2021, the royal commission has hosted 12 public hearings.

More than 340 witnesses have given evidence and more than 5800 submissions have been received.

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