The number of deaths by suicide among those who serve or have served in Australia’s military “is unacceptably high”, reads the royal commission’s final report into veteran suicide.

An average of 78 serving or ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force have died by suicide each year for the past decade – an average of three deaths every fortnight. “As large as these numbers are, they underestimate the scale of the problem,” say the report’s authors.

The seven-volume document was handed to governor-general Sam Mostyn at Government House in Canberra on Monday. Later in the day, the document was tabled in parliament by defence minister Richard Marles.  

Over three years, the royal commission received almost 6,000 submissions and heard from hundreds of witnesses detailing systemic abuse in the ADF.

“The establishment of this royal commission can be seen as a clear signal of the failure of successive governments, the ADF, the Department of Defence and Department of Veterans’ Affairs to learn from the lessons of the past, to implement the reform required to effect real change, and to adequately address the needs of those who serve our country,” say the report’s authors.

Among the commission’s 122 recommendations:

• preventing harm and supporting early intervention and recovery
• improving cohesion, collaboration and coordination in the delivery of support services
• building institutional capability and capacity
• improving oversight, transparency and accountability across the ecosystem of agencies and institutions responsible for the health and wellbeing of serving and ex-serving ADF members and their families.

Shared through submissions – oral and written evidence, and private sessions – it was the personal stories of ADF members and their families that anchored the enquiry. “While lived experience accounts did not constitute formal evidence, they helped inform our lines of inquiry.”

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide was established in July 2021. Its terms of reference included inquiring into the issues and risk factors to suicide and suicide behaviours of serving and ex-serving defence personnel.

Poor behaviour from military leaders was identified as having a “considerably negative effect across the organisation … “including the abuse of power”. Submissions to the inquiry detailed current and former ADF members having been “belittled, verbally abused, and ostracised by their peers”.

“We heard from members who were targeted for harassment on account of their race, gender identity or sexual orientation. This included being subjected to racial slurs and discriminatory treatment, offensive and derogatory comments, and threats of violence and threatening behaviour,” say the report’s authors.

This, they added, “can sanction the development or perpetuation of toxic subcultures in the ADF and affect opportunities for genuine cultural reform”.

ADF members also shared stories of sexual assault. “While both women and men experienced military sexual assault, men were principally assaulted in unit hazing or initiation incidents by other men, while women were primarily assaulted by male peers or commanders,” say the report’s authors.

Military values were found to also be associated both directly and indirectly with suicide risk. “The same cultural norms and positive attributes that are fundamental to building and sustaining military capability – including loyalty, sacrifice and self-reliance – can manifest in suboptimal outcomes if applied narrowly or excessively.”

One such military value is an unspoken code of silence. Making complaints, the commission heard, is deemed as being disloyal to your mates. The commission also found there exists an expectation that ADF members should be “resilient and tolerate unacceptable behaviour”.

In the document’s foreword, the commissioners write: “We will remain forever changed by the personal stories shared by serving and ex-serving ADF members and their families, friends and supporters. Your contributions shaped our inquiry, and this final report was written with you in mind.”

The commissioners conclude: “Whether the work of this royal commission will contribute to a reduction in rates of suicide and suicidality among serving and ex-serving personnel now largely depends on the Australian Government and its agencies: the Australian Defence Force, the Department of Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.”

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