“What was a significant contributing factor in his death was the endless torment of being bullied,belittled,ostracised and targeted by certain members of his chain of command.
“He reported he was in fear of going to work,he was fearful of being ridiculed and being considered a malingerer and a failure.
“This treatment heightened his mental distress,moral trauma,his distrust and isolation,leaving Daniel feeling like he was trapped with nowhere else to go,but suicide.
“Fundamentally,Daniel gave everything to the ADF and felt incredibly betrayed by his chain of command and abandoned by the ADF.”
Ms Jamieson said her son’s room after his death was messy,but a notable discovery was discharge forms strewn across the room. They were incomplete,further signifying his declining mental state.
“Had I had a hint from Defence that he was struggling in the way he was,I would have been on the next flight up there and taken him home myself,” she said.
“He was fearful of leaving the Defence system,he was fearful of being chased or court-martialed or further charges being laid or chased for being AWOL – this needs to change.
“If people want to leave,let them. What other employer in this country do you know who if you don’t like the position you’re in,you can’t just walk out? You couldn’t do that in Defence.”
Ms Jamieson said external or independent support mechanisms were crucial for struggling soldiers. She said her son confided in a “padre”,a military chaplain. But she said the number of padres in the ADF was declining.
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“Padres are often an independent channel for support for these people. Who are they going to go to if they don’t have that independence?” she said.
“There was a clear lack of impartiality and transparency in my son’s case. He reported to three different chains of command,one of which recorded his conversation and secretly took that conversation to another chain of command.
“So some of those more external supports might be an option as well – something completely away from Defence. Somewhere where people can offload,talk about their issues,it’s about options.”
The royal commission hearings continue.