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Not enough is being done to address sexual assault, leadership is lacking and servicemen and women have been left with a sense of betrayal in the Australian Defence Force, according to the long-awaited Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide's final report.
The report, which was tabled in parliament this afternoon, makes 122 recommendations, calling for sweeping change to improve the health and wellbeing of the men and women who serve in the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Among the recommendations is the establishment of a new agency to focus on veterans' wellbeing, noting that the Department of Veterans' Affairs doesn't have the skills nor the funds to deliver optimal support.
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At least 1677 defence personnel have died by suicide between 1997 and 2021 – more than one per week, 20 times as many as the number of members killed in combat.
According to the report, not enough has been done to address the rates of sexual assault in the ADF, and that for many personnel, the greatest source of danger comes from within the defence force.
You can read all 122 recommendations, as well as the full seven-volume, 3000-page-plus final report at the royal commission website.
The majority of sexual assault victims within the defence force are women, and the vast majority of perpetrators men, while the commissioners were "concerned that defence does not have a reliable, integrated dataset for sexual misconduct".
"The ADF remains unable to accurately quantify the prevalence of sexual violence in the workplace, and cannot measure the effectiveness of policies aimed at responding to or preventing it," the final report states.
"The ADF has also been unable to quantify how many serving members have been convicted of sexual offences in civilian courts."
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The report also identified a failure in leadership within defence, as well as a sense of betrayal felt by veterans.
"Nothing will take away what it does to a person to literally sign a piece of paper to say they will go anywhere at any time and do anything – including sacrificing their own life – in the defence of our country," an ex-serving Air Force member told the commission.
"And then for that country to turn around and say to them they are not worth anything to them broken. Not worth anything to them injured. That they see me as nothing."
Commissioner Nick Kaldas, who chaired the three-year inquiry, said the problems were known before the report, but just not acted on.
"None of the problems we've uncovered are actually new," he said.
"It's simply been neglected. But we feel that unless there is an entity with enough power and resources to tackle the problems, they're simply going to persist."
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had already committed to "thoroughly considering" all of the royal commission's recommendations while thanking the personnel who revisited the "darkest moments of their lives" to give evidence.
"Lest we forget is Australia's most solemn promise," he said during question time.
"It's a promise we make to remember the fallen, to honour their sacrifice, to care for the loved ones who are left behind, and to ensure all those who have worn the uniform of this nation have access to the support and services they need and deserve.
"This will be a difficult time for many Australians. But I pay tribute to all those who have endured a difficult day today, in order to make tomorrow better for those veterans."
If you are a current or former ADF member, or a relative, and need counselling or support, you can contact the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046.
Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.
