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Australian human rights group Human Rights Law Centre has welcomed the recent decision to waive non-disclosure agreements between the Commonwealth and current or former Australian Defence Force members in relation to sexual violence at the upcoming inquiry into military sexual violence.
The inquiry was a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, which heard accounts of alleged sexual assault and inaction by the Australian Defence Force.
The centre has previously advocated for the Australian Government to provide permanent amnesty to victims of sexual violence who are bound by NDAs so they can participate in the inquiry.
“Non-disclosure agreements have been used to silence victim-survivors, and prevent them from healing and moving on with their lives,” according to Regina Featherstone, Senior Lawyer, Human Rights Law Centre’s Whistleblower Project.
“We welcome this decision from the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs to lift Commonwealth NDAs for the inquiry into military sexual violence.
“We urge the Minister to extend these protections with a permanent amnesty for victim-survivors, so the Australian Defence Force can continue to reckon with the problem of sexual violence at the inquiry and beyond.
“The era of cover-up and silencing women must end.”
In 2025, the Human Rights Law Centre supported Julia former RAAF airwoman and whistleblower Julia Delaforce, who started the BantheNDA campaign, to speak publicly about her experience of alleged sexual abuse in the ADF.
“Veterans who served this country should not have to ask permission to speak about their lived experiences of military sexual violence. This amnesty is a critical step towards lifting the legal gag on military sexual violence survivors, so they can safely speak to the upcoming inquiry and help expose the institutional systems that failed them,” according to former RAAF airwoman and whistleblower Julia Delaforce.
“The public has a right to know how silence has been bought, enforced and normalised in Defence through the misuse of non-disclosure agreements. The upcoming Inquiry will only be meaningful if veteran survivors can participate without fear of legal threats, retaliation or being told once again to stay silent.
“Today’s commitment gives veterans a clearer path to speak their truth to power, and it must be the beginning of a permanent end to ban the NDA.”
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