Interim Report - Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide

Intro Hi, I’m Nick Kaldas The prevalence of   suicide and suicidality among serving and  ex-serving Australian Defence Force members   is something that should concern us all. Each death by suicide is a tragic event.  Each life lost, has profound effects on  family, friends, colleagues and the community.  On Thursday, the 11th of August, we  Commissioners delivered our Interim   Report to the Governor-General as  required by the Letters Patent.  It’s now been tabled in Parliament and I’d  like to talk through some of our findings.  As the name suggests, an Interim Report  marks a point in time in an ongoing inquiry.  It’s a result of all of those who have generously  shared their stories and expertise with us so far,   through public hearings, private  sessions and written submissions.  We’ve made some recommendations that  we feel must be addressed urgently.  We have also made some preliminary  observations about a range of issues including:   suicide prevention and wellbeing, families,  Australian Defence Force culture, transition, and   Suicide prevention and wellbeing a possible body to follow this Royal Commission. We know there are many matters not aired in   this Interim Report, and many other  topics that we are still considering,   which require further investigation. But we can assure you that we’ll continue   to review each submission we receive, and  consider the evidence and information we   gather from hearings, roundtables, private  sessions, internal and commissioned research.  While the final report is due in June 2024, we  anticipate publishing other reports before then.  This includes discussion, issue and consultation  papers, and a special report with a recommendation   for what should follow this Royal Commission. We’ve made 13 recommendations in this Interim   13 key recommendations Report, mostly relating to veteran compensation  and rehabilitation legislation, improving claims   processing at the Department of Veterans’  Affairs and improving access to information.  It’s clear to us that Australia’s veteran  compensation and rehabilitation legislative   Legislative Reform system is so complicated that it adversely  affects the mental health of some veterans   – both serving and ex-serving Australian Defence  Force members – and can contribute to suicidality.  We recommend that the Australian  Government should, without delay,   implement legislative reforms to simplify  and harmonise the veteran entitlement system.  Previous reports and inquiries – including  the Productivity Commission’s 2019 report,   have called for this reform. We recognise that making change   will not be easy, but these challenges  are no justification for further delay.  We have heard from many veterans and  families that the claims system is complex   Affairs claims process and difficult to navigate. Veterans wait for long periods   of time to receive a decision about their  claims – sometimes more than 300 days.  At the end of May this year, the Department  of Veterans’ Affairs had a massive backlog of   41,799 claims. This must not continue.  We recommend that the Australian Government  and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs take   urgent steps to fix problems with the  processing of claims for serving and   ex-serving ADF members. We want the Department   of Veterans’ Affairs and the Government to  eliminate the claims backlog by March 2024.  We want to make sure the Government provides  the resources DVA needs to reduce the backlog,   but not at the expense of other DVA funding. A policy which has limited the number of   Australian Public Service staff DVA  could employ should also be removed.  DVA should ensure that efforts to reduce the  backlog do not reduce the quality of decisions   made about claims, and do not adversely affect  veterans’ experiences of the claims process.  We’ve made initial recommendations to Defence and  DVA to improve access to information for serving   Access to information and ex-serving members and their families. These recommendations are vital.  We’ve heard accounts of serving and ex-serving  members who couldn’t access information about   themselves - or where families are denied access  to information about their deceased loved one.  The complexity and lack of clarity surrounding  information access to and from Defence and DVA   has become evident to us through our inquiries. The effectiveness of this Royal Commission depends   Protections to engage with us upon the ability of serving and ex-serving ADF  members to share their experiences with us.  Just 15 percent of people who’ve engaged with  the Commission so far are serving ADF members.  We want people to know that anyone can speak  to us at any time about their experience.  The Chief of the Defence Force  has been very, very clear   that no one who engages with the Royal Commission  will be penalised for sharing their story.  But we urge the Australian Government to undertake  legislative reform to provide enhanced protections   for members wishing to engage with the Royal  Commission. Especially serving members disclosing   personal information that could impact their  career in the service, and serving or ex-serving   members whose lived experience is linked to  classified or operationally sensitive information.  There are existing protections available through  private sessions held with Commissioners,   but they are not appropriate or  adequate in all circumstances.  We have engaged with the Australian Government  since October 2021 to resolve this matter.  These amendments should be made urgently. Claims of parliamentary privilege and   Parliamentary privilege and public interest immunity public interest immunity have had an adverse  impact on our ability to conduct this inquiry.  We recommend the Australian Government immediately  address the barriers to this work which arise from   Parliamentary privilege and public interest  immunity by: introducing an exemption from   parliamentary privilege for Royal Commissions,  and reforming policies and practices to limit   public interest immunity claims. These claims have made it harder to hold   Government to account and ask the hard questions  of Defence and Department of Veterans’ Affairs.  To fulfil our role, we must be able to receive  evidence about prior inquiries conducted by   Parliament and examine government decision-making  that might otherwise be confidential.  We’re considering the case for a  permanent body to monitor and report   on the progress and quality of implementation  of recommendations from this Royal Commission   and relevant previous inquiries and reviews. The Australian Government has formally responded   to fewer than half of the 57 previous  inquiries or reports submitted to them.  We have found a clear failure of accountability,   a clear failure of accountability a lack of action in addressing the findings  of those prior reviews and inquiries,   and an inability to learn from lessons  of the past to inform future practices.  A new body could help to drive reform through a  range of possibilities and supporting functions   Future focus and next steps that improve transparency and accountability.  In 2023 we will explore this further, by public  consultation and release of a Special Report.  This will allow for such a body to be in  place by 2024, when this Royal Commission   hands down its final report. The Royal Commission’s terms   of reference are detailed, but require  us to complete a systemic investigation.  We welcome this obligation. What we have heard  so far shows that the problems are complex.  We want to build a comprehensive understanding  of both common themes and diverse experiences   among serving and ex-serving Australian  Defence Force members and their families.  We need to test and re-test our  thinking on a range of key matters.  To help us do this, we will listen to as  many people and organisations as possible   between now and the end of the inquiry in 2024.  This will ensure that this Royal Commission is  a once in a generation opportunity to make real   and lasting change so that those who serve our  country go on to live long and meaningful lives.