The Interim National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention, Bernadette Boss has submitted 39 recommendations to the federal government providing ways it could immediately help prevent future suicides.
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The recommendations remain secret for now. A government spokesman said Dr Boss's report would be tabled imminently.
Dr Boss ended her term without a successor on Wednesday after submitting her report. It follows 10 months of uncertainty about whether legislation to establish a permanent national commissioner would pass into law. Key crossbench senators and Labor joined forces to block the legislation in an attempt to force the government to establish a royal commission.
After months of pressure, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide in July, to be headed by Nick Kaldas, a former NSW police deputy commissioner.
It is expected to run until mid-2023 at which point the government has proposed to reintroduce legislation to establish a permanent national commissioner. The role of interim national commissioner has been mothballed while the inquiry is underway.
There was much work left to do, Dr Boss said in a statement, but her work was allowed complement rather than duplicate the new inquiry.
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She said she hoped the permanent role would be established in due course and encouraged members of the defence and veterans community, including families, to engage with the inquiry.
"I want to especially thank everyone in the community, including families and those experiencing suicidality, who came forward to share their deeply personal experiences with me. The courage you have demonstrated has been humbling, and your insights have greatly enhanced this important work."
Lifeline 13 11 14
Open Arms - Veterans and Families Counselling (for current and former serving ADF members and their families) 1800 011 046
Soldier On Australia 1300 620 380
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Harley Dennett
Former federal politics bureau chief for the Canberra Times, via a career that's taken me from rural Victoria to Washington DC. Telling the stories of my local LGBTI community brought me to political journalism, where I've covered eight budgets, four national elections in two countries, Defence, public service and international governance.
Former federal politics bureau chief for the Canberra Times, via a career that's taken me from rural Victoria to Washington DC. Telling the stories of my local LGBTI community brought me to political journalism, where I've covered eight budgets, four national elections in two countries, Defence, public service and international governance.
