‘Darkest corners of the ADF’: Royal commission shines a light into veteran suicides

Published: Sep 11, 2024 Duration: 00:04:37 Category: News & Politics

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joining me now as the shadow assistant defense minister Philip Thompson Phil thanks so much for your time oh the dust has settled a bit after this report's been handed down um there are number of recommendations in there which is the most important in your view and when does it need to be implemented the um that that Vision I just saw you know saw a few of my mates on um there it's uh quite hard to see uh this Ro Comm has shun a light into the the darkest corners of the ADF into the Department of Veterans Affairs and these 10222 recommendations um need to be acted upon there there are many important uh recommendations in there like a an independent oversight body that can hold people accountable can investigate um that's something that's important um the there's a whole uh volume on sexual assault and sexual misconduct and things that you read you're like how how is this already a policy how is this not already a part of the organization um there is seven volumes it is very in depth and it's uh kept me and a lot of other people up late at night reading through and there's been thousands of very painful uh submissions that were made it's it's on us to to work in a bipartisan way to to implement recommendations and I'll work with with Matt K work with anyone you saw Julianne finny there a fierce Advocate but you know she's she's buried her son and this this doesn't bring him back but now the the fight's still not over we need to work together to make sure that recommendations are implemented there's a cultural issue there as well Phil and as a veteran yourself um you know it's not just all about politics it's about the structure and the Personnel within defense what is your view on whether there needs to be whol scale change uh absolutely I think there should be I think there there has been not enough accountability uh throughout all levels of command within the ADF and uh the the report um highlights that and I think there needs to be absolute change I spoke with the the chief of army yesterday um in down in Melbourne at land forces and that was the first thing I said to him I want I want to work with him to make sure there's changes uh make sure that our brave men and women are are supported and supported better because it's clear they have and our people been failed and um whether they they're still serving or they're a veteran they've been failed by uh both the ADF Veterans Affairs and by governments they've been let down and we must be better including your side of politics oh of course yeah I I absolutely by by by by by us all as a A Member of Parliament and you know I've done five years here every suicide that has happened not just while I've been here but before i' take as a personal failure and it it absolutely crushes me and I'm so sorry to all the families out there that have had to bury their loved ones you have been failed and we should be better and we owe it to you to be better I can see how heavy this weighs on you today Phil um this report triggering for you and and so many others so perhaps we can we can start there how are you supporting your mates at this time and and what can we do I I reach out to my mates every day um this is tough it's really tough uh reading things in the report we kind of knew but weren't acted upon and this Royal commissioner has given um us the opportunity to do it and you know it's it's okay not to be okay but it's not okay to suffer in silence and um today's are you okay day reach out to to your loved ones um if you're not doing well reach out to your friends and or a professional but yeah it's uh this way is heavily on me and and many other veterans and I was talking to Gavin Pierce just yesterday and um you know it weighs on him as well he's a good member for Brad and a veteran as well and yeah it's uh it's tough but but it's it's we're not doing it for us we're doing it we got to do better for my mates uh our bravest that have have been buried and have died um you know tocum to their War within and the families that have being let down we have to we have to be better Phil absolutely couldn't agree agree with you more thanks so much for giving us your time as always I appreciate it thank you

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