Former navy diver Ashley Semmens used to be at home in the water. Now he cannot enter without a wave of fear coming over him.
The royal commission completed its final day of hearings on Thursday with the nation’s most senior military official providing evidence.
Defence previously suggested that serving members of the military were better protected against suicide. That may not be true.
Commissioner Nick Kaldas said veterans were still being driven to suicide because of deep-rooted flaws in the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
A former sergeant major who served in Iraq has blasted the support network offered by some government-backed service charities in a private hearing of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
Queen Dunbar says the grief “never leaves” her when she thinks about her late soldier husband.
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Matt Keogh has apologised to the defence community for the barriers faced by veterans seeking support as he handed down the government’s response to the interim report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
The interim recommendations from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide focus on process and administration rather than supporting the families at the heart of the system.
Veterans Affairs Minister Matt Keogh says it’s clear something is not working in his department and Defence given the serious issues facing many people transitioning out of active service.
Not enough is being done to help the 6000 defence force veterans each year,many still in their 20s,who face the challenge of adjusting to civilian life.
An interim report from the royal commission into defence and veteran suicide is expected to focus on the backlog of compensation claims the government is dealing with.