City needs to be heard
‘We have listened and learned’
AUSTRALIA could learn a lot from Townsville. The city has a strong sense of community that integrates Defence and civilian life, providing a great example for other military towns around the country.
As the royal commission concludes its public hearing in this garrison city, we’ve also been struck by how things could and should be done better to support veterans.
This has been a unique, critical opportunity to listen and learn. New Census data confirms one in 10 Townsville residents have served in the military. For the past three weeks, we have been given a privileged insight into this very special community, not only through evidence inside the hearing room, but also from the many people we’ve met on the ground.
At the The Oasis Townsville open day, we spoke to servicemen and women and their families about their unique experiences. They provided significant insight into the issues that confront serving and exserving personnel and their loved ones. Just as importantly they spoke of the support and strength they gained from the community that nurtured them in Townsville.
It is also encouraging to witness some of the initiatives at Lavarack Barracks that address a genuine gap in the needs of Defence personnel during rehabilitation or transition to civilian life. They include the Geckos Family Centre and the Defence Member and Family Support unit which both offer services, support and activities to enhance family resilience, especially
during deployment and long absences. The work hardening program gives injured ADF members time and space to become ‘fighting fit’.
And the Human Performance Centre runs training programs to enhance the physical, psychological and moral development of members for when they return to service or transition out of the Australian Defence Force.
These support services demonstrate to us that holistic models, tailored to the local community, can bring about positive change.
But we have also heard that service life at Lavarack Barracks can sometimes be far from ideal. The commission heard evidence military personnel are waiting six weeks to see a GP, and up to eight weeks to see the sole part-time base psychiatrist.
There are 80 people on base waiting for a rehabilitation consultant. As I mentioned during the hearing, there are still hundreds of people who are telling us that challenges and difficulties persist, despite the efforts of many.
RSM Warrant Officer Class 1 Brian Buskell summed it up: “We are getting better, but we are not there yet.”
We want to assure the public that we are determined to get there. There is no time to waste. Our interim report, due in August, will include the first of many recommendations that will ensure we make a difference to improving, and indeed save lives. This is vitally important for the Defence and veteran community – not only in Townsville – but across Australia. We commissioners want to thank everyone in Townsville who participated and engaged with our work so extensively. We’re encouraged by a surge in the number of submissions we’ve received.
During our time in Townsville, 152 people made a submission.
Almost a quarter of the new submissions have come from current serving members.
Please keep them coming. Every submission is read, reviewed and considered. And no one story is the same.
We appreciate our presence and activities in your city may have caused distress and trauma for some, and we want to remind everyone that our counselling and enquiries team is available if people need support or have questions about the submissions process.
What we have learnt during our time here has been truly invaluable, and will directly inform our inquiries and recommendations.
The commission’s work in Townsville does not stop with the end of this hearing.
Our teams will continue to reach out and be accessible to your community, taking on your feedback and suggestions on how to make things better for serving and ex-serving members.
Thank you once again for your strong support of our important work.