Plea on vet suicides

Commission warned of $42.5m ‘waste’

FIVE current and ex-service members have taken their own lives in the past week, an inquiry into the federal government’s proposed commission to investigate defence suicides has heard.

The National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention must be independent and have a clear scope to investigate all matters relevant to mental health, a Senate committee examining the draft legislation was warned yesterday.

Veteran lawyer Greg Isolani told the inquiry the draft bill “doesn’t even talk about attempted suicides”.

But representatives from the Attorney-general’s department insisted the Commissioner was able to investigate attempted suicides.

The federal government announced the Commissioner following a Save Our Heroes campaign by The Daily Telegraph, promising the final agency would have all the powers of a royal commission.

Karen Bird, whose son Jesse took his own life in 2017 at the age of 32, told the inquiry the current state of mental health among vulnerable service people was acute.

“One in three to one in four who enter military service, leave with some kind of mental trauma,” she said.

“Five serving and ex-service members have taken their own lives in the last week.”

An Afghanistan war veteran, Jesse Bird died alone and surrounded by service medals and paperwork for his military compensation claim.

His girlfriend Connie Boglis told senators she was concerned the commission could end up $42.5 million of “wasted taxpayer money”.

Julie-ann Finney, veteran son David whose Finney took his life in 2019, said she and other families were seeking genuine solutions, not simply a platform to “tell their stories”.

“My son is dead,” she said. “Full stop.”

Ms Finney told the inquiry she was concerned interim commissioner Bernadette Boss could not be truly impartial due to her long association with the Australian Defence Force.

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