The three commissioners – Nick Kaldas, James Douglas and Peggy Brown – said they had been "forever changed by the personal stories shared by serving and ex-serving ADF members and their families, friends and supporters".

"We are inspired by your resilience, courage, and desire to change things for the better so that others do not experience what you have endured. We thank you for your faith in this Royal Commission."

But the commissioners also noted that dozens of previous inquiries into the issue had not yielded "the level of reform envisaged or needed" and had not led to a sustained reduction in suicide or suicidality among ADF personnel and veterans.

"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 the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) to learn from the lessons of the past," they wrote.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-09/veteran-suicide-royal-commission-hands-down-report/104328978

The report
https://defenceveteransuicide.royalcommission.gov.au/

Murdering people for political purposes does cause psychological disturbance.

The Management of the ADF also triggers its cannon fodder's mental problems with propaganda denigrating the ethnic group that ADF's cannon fodder is aimed at. Propaganda causes mental problems, particularly when the cannon fodder realizes they were lied to.

When ADF soldiers realize that propaganda is total lies and that they have been killing people just because someone above them demanded it they will be psychologically damaged for the rest of their life.

In total, 2,007 serving or former defence personnel died by suicide between 1985 and 2021, and an average of three per fortnight in the past decade.

The commissioners noted these figures were likely an underestimate, since data had not been collected before 1985 and data collection was still imperfect.

One in three ex-personnel report experienced "high to very high psychological distress," and one in four "some form of suicidality".

And suicide rates are 24 per cent higher for male veterans and 102 per cent higher for female veterans than the population-wide rates, according to figures cited by the commissioners.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-09/veteran-suicide-royal-commission-hands-down-report/104328978

By way of contrast, 1 woman was killed every 11 days, 1 man was killed every 91 days, by an intimate partner on average in 2022–23
https://www.aihw.gov.au/family-domestic-and-sexual-violence/responses-and-outcomes/domestic-homicide#data-tell-us

And the veteran population is much, much smaller than the male or female population as a whole, or even as compared to the in-relationship populations.

Does that mean that the neglect of veterans is a much bigger issue than domestic homicide, much of which disproportionately carried out by and on Aborigines and other unassimilated demographics? Can such comparisons and questions be even asked?

Laugh till you cry wrote on Sep 9^th, 2024 at 6:14pm:

Propaganda causes mental problems

Yes, we've noticed what Hamas propaganda has done to you.

The army takes the best most productive years of a soldier's life
and then throws them out on the street suffering from PTSD.

Some of their skills transfer to the civilian workforce but many don't
so they find it difficult to get work.
That causes depression as well as PTSD.

Bobby. wrote on Sep 9^th, 2024 at 6:27pm:

The army takes the best most productive years of a soldier's life and then throws them out on the street suffering from PTSD. Some of their skills transfer to the civilian workforce but many don't so they find it difficult to get work. That causes depression as well as PTSD.

That is just eyewateringly simplistic and stupid. Or the other way around.

Frank wrote on Sep 9^th, 2024 at 7:24pm:

Bobby. wrote on Sep 9th, 2024 at 6:27pm: The army takes the best most productive years of a soldier's life and then throws them out on the street suffering from PTSD. Some of their skills transfer to the civilian workforce but many don't so they find it difficult to get work. That causes depression as well as PTSD. That is just eyewateringly simplistic and stupid. Or the other way around.

It's God's truth - soldiers were always expendable items.

Bobby. wrote on Sep 9^th, 2024 at 6:27pm:

The army takes the best most productive years of a soldier's life and then throws them out on the street suffering from PTSD. Some of their skills transfer to the civilian workforce but many don't so they find it difficult to get work. That causes depression as well as PTSD.

Not necessarily PTSD, but a host of other issues, not least the difficulty in assimilating back into a laissez-faire style of life after a regulated style.  What concerns me is that PTSD has been used as an umbrella to cover over any number of other issues, and has essentially - as a diagnosis of genuine issue and distress - lost a lot of meaning due to over-use in both the military and civilian sectors.  Everyone claims PTSD after a car accident etc when all they are really feeling is mild distress normal after such a thing.  People claim PTSD from cooking behind the lines in a very mild and innocuous 'active service' zone such as East Timor, and some would have you believe that just the fact of service is sufficient cause.

IF the findings are true, certainly there are things that need to be looked into .... that apparent huge rate of women suiciding needs a very... very ... good look at the reasons why ... and questions asked in many ways, not least recruitment at all.

Grappler Truth Teller Feller wrote on Sep 9^th, 2024 at 8:52pm:

Bobby. wrote on Sep 9th, 2024 at 6:27pm: The army takes the best most productive years of a soldier's life and then throws them out on the street suffering from PTSD. Some of their skills transfer to the civilian workforce but many don't so they find it difficult to get work. That causes depression as well as PTSD. Not necessarily PTSD, but a host of other issues, not least the difficulty in assimilating back into a laissez-faire style of life after a regulated style.  What concerns me is that PTSD has been used as an umbrella to cover over any number of other issues, and has essentially - as a diagnosis of genuine issue and distress - lost a lot of meaning due to over-use in both the military and civilian sectors.  Everyone claims PTSD after a car accident etc when all they are really feeling is mild distress normal after such a thing.  People claim PTSD from cooking behind the lines in a very mild and innocuous 'active service' zone such as East Timor, and some would have you believe that just the fact of service is sufficient cause. IF the findings are true, certainly there are things that need to be looked into .... that apparent huge rate of women suiciding needs a very... very ... good look at the reasons why ... and questions asked in many ways, not least recruitment at all.

You get PTSD from seeing and experiencing the horrors of war.

Bobby. wrote on Sep 9^th, 2024 at 9:33pm:

Grappler Truth Teller Feller wrote on Sep 9th, 2024 at 8:52pm: Bobby. wrote on Sep 9th, 2024 at 6:27pm: The army takes the best most productive years of a soldier's life and then throws them out on the street suffering from PTSD. Some of their skills transfer to the civilian workforce but many don't so they find it difficult to get work. That causes depression as well as PTSD. Not necessarily PTSD, but a host of other issues, not least the difficulty in assimilating back into a laissez-faire style of life after a regulated style.  What concerns me is that PTSD has been used as an umbrella to cover over any number of other issues, and has essentially - as a diagnosis of genuine issue and distress - lost a lot of meaning due to over-use in both the military and civilian sectors.  Everyone claims PTSD after a car accident etc when all they are really feeling is mild distress normal after such a thing.  People claim PTSD from cooking behind the lines in a very mild and innocuous 'active service' zone such as East Timor, and some would have you believe that just the fact of service is sufficient cause. IF the findings are true, certainly there are things that need to be looked into .... that apparent huge rate of women suiciding needs a very... very ... good look at the reasons why ... and questions asked in many ways, not least recruitment at all. You get PTSD from seeing and experiencing the horrors of war.

The issue was raised of a wrongful diagnosis of PTSD and depression - on 60 Minutes tonight - by one Digger, who clearly had a brain injury.

I've said before and will say again - sometimes PTSD is a diagnosis of convenience and in my eyes is over-used.... leading to Defence and DVA raising doubts and, as one Digger said - actually amending the words of a diagnosis so as to appeal the decision for benefits.

I believe this.... also the talk of 'vanishing records'.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1226641502011293

Anyone who serves their country in the military should be afforded every care available - no expense should be spared for those who sign up to put their life on the line to defend this country. However, at the same time, we have to understand that while we must do everything we can to prevent veteran suicides, it is a sad truth that some people just do not want help.

Cancer care -

Eligible war service

Operational service

Warlike service

Non-warlike service - (With a proviso) The Minister for Defence makes determinations of non-warlike service.

Peacekeeping service

Hazardous service - Service on a defined overseas deployment that the Minister has deemed high risk, even though it was not during wartime, conflicts or peacekeeping operations.

British Nuclear Test Defence service

Defence service

Certain peacetime service in the ADF, usually between 7 December 1972 and 6 April 1994. In most cases you need to have completed 3 years continuous full-time service, unless you were medically discharged.

National service

If you completed on or after 7 December 1972 the whole period (2 years or 18 months) of full-time national service for which you were engaged to serve.

https://www.dva.gov.au/get-support/health-support/injury-or-health-treatments/free-treatment-cancer-and-pulmonary-tuberculosis

So National Servicemen who completed service after Gough won Government are covered. Other Nashos and Regs have to qualify either by war service or government discretion.

Bobby. wrote on Sep 9^th, 2024 at 6:27pm:

The army takes the best most productive years of a soldier's life and then throws them out on the street suffering from PTSD. Some of their skills transfer to the civilian workforce but many don't so they find it difficult to get work. That causes depression as well as PTSD.

My experience was just the opposite, I left the Army without a recognised civilian trade but was never out of work [except when I wanted to be]. As soon as a prospective employer saw my resume I was hired.
I spent most of my civilian working life in the engineering industry and was foreman in a couple of places but the extra money was never worth the hassle,
Of the 36 years that I worked as a civilian some 7 were with the Department of Defence.
I retired at 60 and have wondered ever since where I found the time to have a job😀😀.