A powerful, new independent body will be created to investigate all suspected veteran and Australian Defence Force (ADF) suicides and causes to help save lives.
\nThe Morrison Government will establish a permanent National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention.
\nThe National Commissioner will have the enduring power, scope and resources to investigate suicides and related issues as they arise, rather than being restricted by a one-off review looking at past practices.
\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison said the independent Commissioner would also have the power to compel witnesses to give evidence.
\n\u201cThis is about being forever vigilant for the care and well-being of our veterans,\u201d the Prime Minister said.
\n\u201cThose veterans and all serving men and women protect our community and our freedoms. It is our duty to do the same for them.
\n\u201cI have thought long and hard about the best response to this issue. I have spoken to veterans right across Australia and I have met with their families and also local, state and national organisations.
\n\u201cI believe what we have developed addresses the needs of those veterans, their families and our serving men and women.
\n\u201cWe will be permanently vigilant about their welfare.\u201d
\nThe National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention will be empowered to perform two roles:<\/p>\n
The Government will invest an initial $40 million to support the Commissioner\u2019s work and this will be expanded to ensure they have whatever resources they need.
\nThe Government will also establish an immediate, independent review of historical veteran suicide cases, conducted by the Commissioner, focusing on the impact of military service and veterans\u2019 post service experience.
\nAn interim report will be delivered within 12 months. Families will be engaged in this process if they wish, with an opportunity to participate and tell their stories openly and safely.
\nThe Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, along with coronial and legal experts, will provide technical expertise in support of this work.
\nMinister for Veterans and Defence Personnel Darren Chester said the Commissioner would also deliver an Annual Veteran and Defence Suicide Death Report to the Parliament.
\n\u201cThis will be a transparent report directly to the Parliament on an annual basis on suicides within the defence and veteran community, including an update on the implementation and evaluation of measures to reduce suicide risk factors,\u201d Mr Chester said.
\n\u201cThe Government is committed to ensuring ADF members, veterans and their families have access to the right support, at the right time, especially those who are vulnerable or at risk.\u201d
\nMinister for Defence, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC said the Chief of the Defence Force and each Service Chief was committed to being open and transparent, to support improved health outcomes for ADF personnel and veterans.
\n\u201cThe mental health and wellbeing of our vets and Defence Force members is an issue of national and enduring importance.
\n\u201cThese comprehensive measures have been developed with a very clear focus on finding the most effective and practical ways of better identifying, preventing, understanding and acting on suicide and suicide risks among our vets and service men and women.\u201d
\nA Veteran Family Advocate will also be appointed to directly engage with the families of veterans, to improve the design of all veteran programs and services, including mental health supports and services.
\n\u201cThe new Veteran Family Advocate will focus on mental health and suicide prevention, and contribute to our understanding of risk factors relating to the wellbeing of veterans and their families, particularly during transition from the ADF,\u201d Mr Chester said.
\n\u201cThe Advocate will represent the views of veterans and their families by engaging and advocating to help shape policy and the administration of veteran benefits and support.
\n\u201cWe want to assure defence and veterans\u2019 families that help is available now and it can make a difference. Open Arms \u2013 Veterans and Families Counselling provides support and counselling to current ADF members, veterans and their families and can be contacted 24\/7 on 1800 011 046.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A powerful, new independent body will be created to investigate all suspected veteran and Australian Defence Force (ADF) suicides and causes to help save lives. The Morrison Government will establish a permanent National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention. The National Commissioner will have the enduring power, scope and resources to investigate suicides and … Continue reading “Powerful New Body to Tackle ADF and Veteran Suicides”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aussie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5046\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}