Lost to war within

THE harrowing details of suicides within the Australian Defence Force and veteran community will go under the microscope in a bid to stem the shocking rate of deaths in returned and serving personnel.

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide was announced on Monday by Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The move is a huge win for the Townsville community, which pushed for more to be done for Defence personnel and veterans who were suffering.

For Herbert MP and Afghanistan veteran Phillip Thompson (pictured), this should have come a long time ago.

“One suicide is one too many,” Mr Thompson said.

“We have lost so many people locally and around the nation who have succumbed to their war within from either their service overseas or the mental health challenges that they face back here.

“This royal commission is widely supported through the veteran community, as well as the ADF community.

“We need to be doing better for our men and women who put on the uniform every day, and we must deep dive and look into the services that need to happen, the things that aren’t there and the failings that have happened that have led to our brave men and women succumbing to their war within.”

A unanimous vote in parliament to not stand in the way of a royal commission opened the door for Prime Minister Morrison to make the announcement.

However, the government is still backing the national commissioner, who will have a rolling responsibility to report to government on measures being taken to help combat veteran and defence suicide.

Mr Thompson said that the National Commissioner into Defence and Veteran Suicide had been “held up” in the Senate, with some senators choosing to railroad the role in favour of a royal commission.

He said the royal commission would look at the suicides that occurred in the past, while the national commissioner would look at now and into the future.

“Once the royal commission is finished, the national commissioner will continue to go for whatever government is in and they’ll provide a written report, with recommendations to parliament, every year,” Mr Thompson said.

The veteran, who received a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to the welfare of veterans, said more should have been done in the past to help veterans and ADF personnel.

But now, the community that has fought so hard for this will get the chance to have a say about what the royal commission should look into.

“There will be a four-week block of consultation around terms of reference,” Mr Thompson said.

“We need to get as many people (as possible) who have been bereaved or affected by suicide to be calling up, getting involved in the consultation phase, because it’s our voice that matters, it should be our voice that is dictating the terms of reference, not the people in Canberra, the people on the ground who do this every day.”

Kennedy MP Bob Katter said more soldiers, navy and air force personnel were dying at home than in combat.

“This is simply not the way we should be treating those who serve our country,” Mr Katter said.

“Julie-anne Finney, Senator Jacqui Lambie, Heston Russell and many other veterans and advocates have been campaigning for a long time for this.

“My hope and prayer is that we will get real outcomes out of this royal commission.”