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-do...

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

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-do...

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-outcom...

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?

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.

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



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

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



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

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.

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


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😀😀.