Independent Inquiry into Royal Commission implementation

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide made 135 recommendations across two reports.

This work was the most comprehensive review in Australian history that considered the systemic factors impacting the wellbeing of current and former serving members of the Australian Defence Force. It reviewed the systems designed to support people and brought to light the failures which had been experienced by veterans and their families for years.

Through their recommendations, the Royal Commissioners provided a roadmap for the Australian Government to improve the wellbeing of Defence members and veterans, and to address the national tragedy of Defence and veteran suicide in Australia.

This week the Acting Defence and Veterans’ Service Commissioner commenced an independent inquiry into the implementation of the Australian Government’s response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission.

This inquiry, the first of two required under the Defence and Veterans’ Service Commissioner Act 2026, will assess the progress of the implementation of the Government responses to both the Interim and Final Reports of the Royal Commission, including:

• timeliness of progress to date,
• whether the approach to implementation will enable a future assessment of effectiveness, and
• the extent to which the implementation is meaningful and meets the intent of the Royal Commission.

The DVSC will provide a report to Government by 5 February 2027.

The commencement of this inquiry is an important step in building the dedicated and sustained focus on suicide prevention envisioned by the Royal Commission.

You can learn more about this independent inquiry on our Inquiries page.