Ms RISHWORTH (Kingston) (12:17): The mental health and suicide of our current and ex-serving Defence personnel has received considerable attention in recent times, and rightfully so. Serving in the Australian Defence Force involves sacrifice and risk and, in exchange for this risk, we commit to supporting our personnel both during their time in Defence and beyond. While many will leave Defence having gained much from the experience and view their time and contribution positively, for some their time in the ADF and their subsequent transition back into civilian life can have a negative impact on their mental health. Mental illness can be an impact of war and service and, without effective support and treatment, the impact on the veteran and their support network can be significant. The Senate inquiry report into suicide by veterans and ex-service personnel, which was handed down in August, both makes a vital contribution to our understanding of the issues facing veterans and proposes solutions which seek to provide greater support for veterans and their families. In conjunction with this inquiry, today, as the minister has stated, we have the outcome of the review into the suicide of Jesse Bird. This inquiry initiated a review into the management of the handling of Jesse Bird's case by the Department of Veterans' Affairs and demonstrates the very real and potentially tragic results if we don't get this process right. Jesse was a private with the Townsville 1RAR infantry battalion who proudly served for eight months on the front line in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010. While serving, he was exposed to significant trauma which resulted in him leaving Defence. Following his time in Defence, it is clear from reports that there were many factors which resulted in Jesse not receiving or accessing the care and support he needed. Tragically, he took his own life on 27 June 2017. I welcome the minister and the government's accepting all 19 recommendations of the review into the circumstances surrounding Jesse Bird's case. I firmly believe that the report and subsequent outcomes have happened because of the advocacy and persistence of both Karen and John Bird. I can't imagine the strength and bravery it took, so recently after his passing under such difficult circumstances, for them to advocate on Jesse's behalf to ensure that his death was recognised and not forgotten, and also that steps would be taken so that other veterans would not be let down in the future. I spoke to Karen Bird last night, and she asked me to put on the record thanks to a number of people who have supported both her and her husband during this difficult time. She wanted me to mention Jesse's brother, Brendan, and Jesse's sister, Kate. She also wanted me to mention Inge Stainlay, Don and Annie Brealey, the Exton family and Michael Atkin, from the ABC, who she said treated their story seriously. Also she wanted to make mention of the support she had had from the wider veterans community. This was invaluable to her. As members may be aware, both Jesse's family and his ex-partner made submissions to the Senate inquiry process detailing some of their concerns and experience with DVA. Their submissions form part of the 458 submissions the Senate inquiry received from peak bodies, ex-service organisations, advocates and individual veterans and their loved ones detailing how their experiences post their time in the ADF had impacted them. I understand that the government has accepted all of these recommendations, noting that there will be some work still to be done around the detail of several of these recommendations. Labor look forward to continuing our discussions with the government on how best to implement all of these recommendations. Labor believe that one suicide of a veteran is one too many, and we will continue to do all we can to ensure that veterans receive the care and support to live full and productive lives both during and after their time with the ADF. This past year has seen a number of studies on the mental health of our current and ex-serving Defence personnel released, all of which form a picture of the impact of mental illness on our ADF members and veterans. Earlier this year, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare completed a study into the incidence of suicide amongst serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force personnel and found that, while serving members had a lower than average suicide rate, the concern was when they finished their service. The risk of suicide is 13 per cent higher than the general population in those who have left service. They also found that veterans aged between 18 and 24 were twice as likely to die by suicide. In addition, men—and I say 'men' because that is what the statistics were able to show—who were discharged involuntarily were 2.4 times as likely as those who were discharged voluntarily to commit suicide, and those who were discharged for medical reasons were 3.6 times more likely to die from suicide. The Senate inquiry into veterans' affairs initiated by Senator Lambie and supported by Labor sought to highlight the struggles that some veterans and their families undergo following their time in the Australian Defence Force. For too long there has been a stigma around mental illness and suicide, particularly for our ex-serving personnel. This has meant that some veterans have been reluctant to ask for help, leaving them feeling isolated and often alone. Overcoming stigma is integral to ensuring that those suffering know they can talk about how they're feeling and to preventing tragedies like this from occurring. I have no doubt in my mind that, for some of those who made submissions to the Senate inquiry, it was the first time that they had disclosed their experiences widely and, in some cases, at all. I want to affirm to each and every submitter to this inquiry: you were heard; you are not alone; and thank you for your contribution. Thank you for taking the time to tell your story. It is your strength that has made this inquiry as productive and useful as it is, a thorough, detailed and expansive discourse that highlights the struggles that some people are experiencing post their time in the ADF but, importantly, a pathway to improving this experience. The report made 24 recommendations which seek to provide greater assistance to veterans and deal with longstanding administrative issues in the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Overwhelmingly, this inquiry and the Jessie Bird report highlight that there are significant ongoing issues in the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the impact this can have on a veteran's mental health. I recognise that the government has taken steps to address these issues. In particular, I want to draw the House's attention to recommendations 2, 9 and 13 of the suicide inquiry, which sought to address the compensation claims process, the training of staff and the provision of service to veterans. This does echo feedback that I consistently receive in my work with veterans and the ex-service community. The long and overly complicated and adversarial nature of the claims process for some veterans has been raised with me time and time again. Several submitters highlighted these issues, describing the DVA claims process as 'challenging and weighing heavily upon one's mental health and wellbeing, generally at a time when one is at an extremely low ebb'. Several recommendations do seek to address this point, whether it be through reviews or streamlining administrative processes, and Labor is certainly supportive of these. Prior to the last election, Labor sought to resolve these issues by undertaking a first principles review of Veterans' Affairs. Our proposal for a first principles review was a holistic end-to-end review of the department based on a set of agreed first principles. The review would examine the department and seek to rectify administrative process failings to ensure the department is able to meet existing and future challenges in a clear and efficient manner. Most importantly, this review would help to re-establish the trust of veterans and their representative organisations in the DVA. As noted in the Senate inquiry, transition can be a difficult time when some ex-service personnel can fall through the cracks. This was a focus of a number of the other recommendations, with a number of submitters highlighting how the period of transition can impact individuals and families. How to prepare for discharge is different for each person, with the needs varying significantly for those who are medically discharged or leave involuntarily. The committee highlighted the importance of transition, stating that the appropriate support is essential to assist ADF members' transition to civilian life. Recommendation 14 called for the transition task force to examine and address gaps to support veterans, barriers to employment and any disincentives for veterans undertaking work and study. Following on from this, in recommendation 15 the Senate inquiry called for the establishment of a two-track transition process which provides additional support for those who need it and the provision of a white card for all transitioning members to facilitate access to non-liability health and for identification and data collection. This is something Labor has supported for some time and we are very pleased that the government has accepted that recommendation. Transition is a critical juncture in life for a veteran and their family. If not undertaken well, it can lead to worse outcomes for them and their loved ones. Finding a purpose post Defence is a key element to a successful transition. What that purpose looks like is different for each individual and can be a direct result of their reasons for discharge. For some, it is about ensuring continuity of care in regard to rehabilitation. For some, it is about exploring social and other connectedness. For others, it is about moving to further study or finding meaningful employment. Whatever that purpose may be, we should be working with the individual and their family to ensure that the best outcome and support is available for veterans and their loved ones. Support for families was an issue raised by a number of submitters, with many acknowledging the role families play in supporting our ex-service personnel. This was reflected in recommendations 19 and 22. I was pleased to see that this report addressed the need for greater support for family members. The critical role of family members in supporting our current and ex-serving Defence personnel is often not acknowledged or appreciated by society as much as it should be. When an individual serves in the ADF, their family serves with them. Military families make sacrifices. We know that many service men and women are deployed internationally for months at a time, with this separation causing emotional stress for partners and children; and, when personnel are not deployed, there are regular re-postings to different bases around the country, meaning they have to choose between uprooting their whole family and living apart for a period of time. Post-service, particularly in the circumstances where someone is medically discharged, the impact can be significant and ongoing. When someone is medically discharged, it is often the family who become their carers. It is the family who help and support them. It is often the family who can identify those first signs of mental illness. It is also the family who often can recognise the signs and symptoms of poor physical health. But they need support too, and this was highlighted by a number of submitters to the inquiry. One submitter, a Vietnam veteran, stated that we need to go one step further with support, and that step is family support, saying: 'Without the support of parents, spouses and children, the veteran cannot get anywhere. If you lose family support, you are lost.' I believe, by not including families in our greater policy response to supporting our ADF personnel, we are ignoring our biggest asset in assisting members of the ADF and veterans. It is for this reason that Labor has recently committed, if elected, to develop a family engagement and support strategy for defence personnel and veterans, a key recommendation of the National Mental Health Commission's review. This strategy would provide a national blueprint to include engagement of DVA and Defence with military families. It would also ensure that best-practice support for families of serving personnel and ex-ADF members is consistently available across the country. In closing, I would like to sincerely thank all of the members of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade for the work they've done on this important bipartisan inquiry. In particular, I acknowledge Senator Lambie for initiating this inquiry and the consistently hard work of Senator Gallacher, as the chair, and of the deputy chairs, Chris Back and Bridget McKenzie. I thank the Minister for Veterans' Affairs for being willing to work in a bipartisan way on this report. And I thank all those who put their hearts on their sleeves and were willing to contribute to this inquiry. Finally, I give a thankyou to Karen and John Bird. I hope the review of Jesse's case and the subsequent changes that the government has committed to will bring you some comfort. I commend this report to the House.