Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The coalition supports this bill, the Royal Commissions Amendment (Enhancing Engagement) Bill 2023, enacting a recommendation of the interim report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. As I speak to this bill, let me simply say I'm thinking of all of those who've served our country and who carry the invisible wounds of war, and I'm also thinking of the people that I referred to in my maiden speech as 'the loved ones left behind'.

The royal commission is something that I am very proud the coalition brought into being during last parliament, because we know that the rate of suicide amongst defence personnel and veterans is at a crisis level. We must ensure that we thoroughly understand what's happening in order to facilitate change. I don't think I'll ever forget the words of my colleague the member for Braddon when he spoke about his time in the Defence Force and the day he went to a morgue to identify the body of one of his soldiers who'd taken his life that morning. As he stood in front of the coffin at the funeral, he told the young man how sorry he was that he'd missed the signs and hadn't seen it coming. All of us affected by suicide understand that lament.

As the grandson and great-grandson of veterans, I want to say our defence personnel and our veterans are extraordinary people. They choose, without compulsion, to put their lives on the line for the sake of Australia. That life then becomes so unbearable for some that they would choose to end it is utterly tragic. We must make sure that we give this royal commission every possible chance of understanding and addressing the terrible connection between suicide and our armed forces. That's why we established the royal commission while we were in government, following the calls of veterans and ADF families. We welcome the important work being done and the interim report, released in August last year. This bill implements one of the recommendations from that interim report, and it's designed to improve the functioning of the royal commission. This is a small but important change, and we welcome the government introducing this bill.

The sensitive nature of the information being shared at a royal commission means it takes a particular sort of bravery to speak to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. Indeed, some of the most difficult information to share may be some of the most important information for the royal commission to hear. We want to ensure that all those who can contribute meaningfully to the commission are encouraged to do so, and, to that end, we hope that this legislation will provide Australians with a greater level of confidence in participating in the process.

Embedded in the Royal Commissions Act are a number of provisions that allow for confidentiality. These provisions already allow for information to be shared in private session and for that information to be kept confidential not only while the royal commission is taking place but for 99 years. This confidentiality is extremely important for the confidence of those participating and for the depth of information that the commission can capture. Significant penalties are in place for any breach of that confidentiality. By July 2022 those provisions had enabled 178 private sessions to occur.

According to the interim report, the main issues raised by participants in the private sessions have been: Australian Defence Force culture, Department of Veterans' Affairs claims management and processing, the role of families in suicide prevention and the impact of suicide on families, suicide prevention and support given following a death by suicide, and health care provided to serving ADF members. These are clearly matters that need to be heard. However, the current provisions, which only provide for protections in the context of private hearings, mean there are needless gaps in the extent of the protections.

Sometimes a person might call the commission and begin to tell their story in order to explain why they would like a hearing, or a person may send documents or mementos that are deeply private, in the hope of helping the royal commission, without realising that this information actually isn't protected. This bill will allow for that sort of information to be treated as confidential when the royal commission decides it's confidential. That means that the raw, personal stories a person might share can be treated with an appropriate level of privacy and respect and cannot be subjected to an FOI application or admitted as evidence in court.

Uncertainty around the privacy provisions can also scare people, particularly serving ADF personnel, into not participating in the process. The interim report cites feedback from individuals and the Defence and Veterans Legal Service, who've indicated that ADF personnel and veterans do not feel that there are adequate protections for them to engage with the royal commission. The measures contained in this bill will help them participate in the royal commission and allow the commission to capture the stories and information Australians need to hear.

This bill is based on policy that the coalition adopted following in the child sexual abuse royal commission in 2019 and the disability royal commission in 2021. We've seen it work. Ultimately, we all want the same thing. We want to reduce the rate of defence and veteran suicide. We want to see a better future for our defence personnel and our veterans. We want them to reconnect with civilian life when service ends and we want them to have all the support they need to deal with what they have seen and been through and to continue to play a central role in our community.

I believe that this legislation will allow more people to come forward to tell their stories and provide the royal commission with more insights, and that should be the aim of all of us here. In closing, I want to thank the royal commissioners, Nick Kaldas, the Hon. James Douglas and Dr Penny Brown, for the work they are doing. We look forward to their final report. I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.