Veterans and their Families Demand much more from NSW Government

NSW Labor have urged the NSW Government to take a proactive approach,

rather than passive role, when it comes to improving mental health and

wellbeing of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel and veterans in NSW.

Figures released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show more

than 1200 ADF personnel had committed suicide in the past 20 years.

The statistics reinforce the need for the Royal Commission into Defence and

Veteran Suicide.

With the first hearing date of the royal commission drawing closer, Shadow

Minister for Veterans, Greg Warren MP, the state government must offer

support and resources to the commission both prior, during and after the

hearings.

“We have seen study after report after investigation, yet nothing has ever been

done at a state and federal level to actually address the issue of suicide among

ADF personnel and veterans,” Mr Warren said.

“It’s alarming that more than 1200 ADF personnel and veterans have

committed suicide in the past 20 years.

“It’s also troublesome that we don’t know how many of those suicides were by

NSW-based ADF personnel and veterans.

“That demonstrates the systems designed to help and monitor the health and

wellbeing of ADF personnel and veterans at a federal and state level are

broken.

“The NSW Government has been far too passive in this space – preferring to

handball responsibility off to their counterparts in Canberra.

“The time for ifs, buts and maybes has long passed.

“Veterans and their families will not accept another inquiry, report, investigation

or commission that doesn’t lead to real and positive change, and they will not

accept a state government that fails to take this issue seriously.”