A scathing assessment of an uncaring culture and inadequate support services in defence and veterans affairs has prompted a call for urgent changes to reduce high levels of suicide.
on Thursday released a 300-page interim report, including 13 recommendations.
The compensation claims system under the Department of Veterans’ Affairs was identified as among the most urgent areas for reform.The report said the dysfunctional claims processing system was repeatedly identified by witnesses as a major source of trauma and distress for veterans. Senator Jacqui Lambie gave her own emotional evidence to the commission this week, recounting her experience in the services that led to suicidal thoughts.“They’re giving them a little bit of luxury by saying 2024,” she told ABC TV of the timeline in the recommendations.
The findings are based on evidence gathered by chairman Nick Kaldas and fellow commissioners James Douglas, QC, and Peggy Brown during eight months of private and public hearings around the country. Another key recommendation of the report was the need for urgent changes to simplify the complex veteran compensation and rehabilitation legislation by no later than July 2024.Problems with the Defence Force’s culture was also identified as “a risk factor for suicide and suicidality”.
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