Serving and ex-serving ADF members and public servants who share information with the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide will receive stronger protections under a new agreement signed with key government agencies.
Increasing legal protections for serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members to engage with the inquiry was one of 13 urgent recommendations included in the Commission’s Interim Report handed down last August.
Eleven of those recommendations have so far been adopted by the federal government.
The Commission has co-signed a new information sharing agreement with the Chief of the Defence Force and Secretaries of the Departments of Defence and Veterans Affairs to ensure both past and present ADF members and departmental employees can voluntarily share their stories without the fear of being punished.
That’s on top of a commitment from Defence Chief, General Angus Campbell, in his evidence to the Commission in July last year that there will be no consequence for any former or current member who provides relevant information to the Commission.
Commission Chair Nick Kaldas said open, honest information sharing at all levels is critical moving forward as the inquiry sharpens its focus on key systemic issues relating to suicide and suicidality in the veteran community.
“We’ve heard some current and ex-serving members and their families are unsure about sharing their very personal stories with the Royal Commission,” Commissioner Kaldas said.
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