Overview of the Royal Commission

Read more about the background of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.

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Background

The Royal Commission into the Defence and Veteran Suicide was established on 8 July 2021. The Royal Commission inquired into systemic issues and risk factors relevant to suicide and suicidality of serving and ex-serving Defence members. 

Mr Nick Kaldas APM (Chair), the Hon James Douglas KC, and Dr Peggy Brown AO were appointed as Royal Commissioners. 

In the opening of their Final Report, the Royal Commissioners acknowledged the need for a thorough, systemic inquiry into the national crisis of suicide and suicidality among serving and ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) was decades in the making.

"In large part, the establishment of this Royal Commission can be attributed to the years of hard-fought and sustained campaigning by the families of military personnel who have taken their own lives, and the advocacy of former ADF members who have fought for better outcomes for their colleagues and friends."

Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, Final Report Executive Summary, p.5.

The Royal Commission was independent of all Australian governments. It ran for just over 3 years and used submissions, private sessions, public hearings and research to develop their reports and recommendations.

Terms of Reference

The Letters Patent for the Royal Commission formally appointed the Royal Commissioners and outlined the Royal Commission’s Terms of Reference. The Terms of Reference set out what the Commissioners could investigate. 

The Terms of Reference empowered the Royal Commission to examine: 

  • Common issues and themes in relation to suicide and suicide behaviour by serving and ex-serving Defence members
  • Risk factors that contribute to suicide by serving and ex-serving Defence members
  • Culture within the Australian Defence Force, the Department of Defence and the Department of Veterans' Affairs and its impacts
  • The role of non-government organisations in providing services and support for serving and ex-serving Defence members and their families
  • Ways to protect and help serving and ex-serving Defence members who have experienced suicide behaviour or other high-risk behaviour
  • The adequacy of support services available to help families and others who have:
    • been affected by a serving or ex-serving Defence member's death by suicide
    • supported a serving or ex-serving Defence member with suicide behaviour or risk factors
  • Issues serving and ex-serving Defence members have when they access support services or put in claims through the Department of Defence, the Department of Veterans' Affairs or other Commonwealth, State or Territory government departments
  • Rules and policies about how support services, claims and benefits are managed by the Department of Defence, the Department of Veterans' Affairs and other Commonwealth, State or Territory government departments
  • Major risk factors that play a part in suicide by serving and ex-serving Defence members, including:
    • social and family life
    • housing and employment
    • the financial situation of the person

Key Dates

Some of the key dates and milestones of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide include:

  • Royal Commission commenced - 8 July 2021
  • Interim Report handed to the Governor-General of Australia - 11 August 2022
  • Interim Report tabled in the Australian Parliament – 11 August 2022
  • Australian Government Response to the Interim Report – 26 September 2022
  • Private session applications closed - 28 April 2023
  • Submissions closed - 13 October 2023
  • Ceremonial Closing - 28 August 2024
  • Final Report handed to the Governor-General of Australia - 9 September 2024
  • Final Report tabled in the Australian Parliament – 9 September 2024
  • Australian Government Response to the Final Report - 2 December 2024

Interim Report

The Royal Commission presented an Interim Report to the Governor-General in August 2022. The Interim Report provided the Australian Government with 13 recommendations the Royal Commission considered in need of immediate action.

Priority changes recommended in the Interim Report included improvements to veterans’ compensation and rehabilitation legislation and improving claims processing at the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

The Australian Government responded to the Royal Commission’s Interim Report on 26 September 2022. The Government accepted the majority of the Royal Commission’s recommendations:

  • 11 recommendations were agreed or agreed-in-principle
  • 2 recommendations were noted

Final Report

The Royal Commission delivered their Final Report in September 2024. The Final Report made 122 recommendations, supported by six volumes of reporting. Core themes of the Final Report included:

  • Serving the nation, and Defence culture and leadership
  • Military sexual violence, unacceptable behaviour and military justice
  • Health care for serving and ex-serving members
  • Transition, DVA and support for ex-serving members
  • Families, data and research, and establishing a new entity

Australian Government Response

The Australian Government responded to the Royal Commission's Final Report in December 2024.
The Government accepted the majority of the Royal Commission’s recommendations:

  • 104 recommendations were agreed or agreed-in-principle
  • 17 recommendations were noted for further consideration
  • 1 recommendation was not supported in part

The implementation of the Royal Commission’s recommendations is happening across government in line with the Government’s response. Each recommendation is being actioned by the relevant agency (or agencies) responsible.  

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide Implementation Taskforce is providing advice to Government on the implementation and sequencing of the Royal Commission’s recommendations. The Government has established this Taskforce within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 

Independent Oversight of Reforms

In response to recommendation 122 of the Royal Commission, the Australian Government established the Defence and Veterans’ Service Commission on 29 September 2025 to oversee reform across the whole Defence ecosystem.

The creation of the Defence and Veterans’ Service Commission was based on detailed advice from the Royal Commission on the purpose and type of entity required to oversee these reforms.