Login
iscover
RSL Australia has called for the creation of a National Office for Defence and Veteran Wellbeing led by an independent commissioner, responsible for overseeing the implementation of recommendations within the upcoming Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
The proposed office will be overseen by an independent commissioner and supported by a cross-organisational advisory group, the RSL explained.
The call follows suggestions from the head of the royal commission, Nick Kaldas, that a body be established to monitor veteran wellbeing and ensure that recommendations within the upcoming royal commission are implemented.
Commissioner Kaldas explained that it would resemble the interim National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention.
The RSL recommended the body be established through an Act of Parliament and separate from the government, while the cross organisation advisory group would be staffed with representatives from Defence, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Coroners’ Offices, state governments, the health system, veterans groups, the private sector, and those with lived experience.
The RSL hopes that the recommendations made by the royal commission can be implemented to make real change for veterans, RSL Australia president Greg Melick explained.
“The RSL has welcomed the willingness of the Australian government to move at pace in response to recommendations made by the royal commission in its interim report. We are now asking for government to be ready to respond and again act in the best interests of ADF members and veterans when the Commission’s final report is delivered later this year,” Melick said.
“An implementation body is key to ensuring that the good intentions of government, informed by the recommendations of the royal commission, can lead to a real improvement in the health of the men and women who serve and have served our nation.”
Melick explained that business as usual was not acceptable to stop Defence and veteran suicide.
“Every day counts because the current settings are not effective. That is why RSL asked the Australian government to include funding provisions for the establishment of a National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Wellbeing in the most recent federal budget,” he added.
“We cannot, and must not, forget that at its core, the royal commission is about addressing the heartbreaking phenomenon of suicide and suicidality among serving and ex-serving members of our Australian Defence Forces.
“The changes we are calling for require bold action from our government to ready itself and others to implement the forthcoming recommendations of the Royal Commission and to put in place a national commissioner for Defence and veteran wellbeing to lead that work. Australia must seize this opportunity to once and for all improve the lives of those who are serving and have served our nation. The cost of not doing so is too high,” Melick said.
The Commission is due to deliver its final report and recommendations to the Governor-General by 17 June 2024.
