Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Jennifer Jacomb served in the Royal Australian Navy from 1983 to 1985. She suffered severe abuse and received the maximum payout under the provisions of the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce. She survived on a DVA gold card for the abuse that she suffered. She lived in Melbourne and was the secretary of the Victims of Abuse in the Australian Defence Force Association. That's how Jennifer described herself.

Yesterday, the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide delivered its final report to the Governor-General, concluding the three-year inquiry. Sadly, yesterday, I also learnt that Jennifer had passed away after a battle with cancer. She wrote to me in July saying: 'The doctors informed me that cancer will be finished by September. But I think it's like politics: you'll believe it when you see it. I can't say thank you enough to all the people who support me at this difficult time.'

Jennifer was a fierce advocate and someone who wholly supported others when times were tough. The amount of times that she came to my office, working hard to support all those victims of abuse and trying to find a way through to actually get a positive result—no-one I know had the strength of Jennifer for what she did.

The motto of the association was: 'The voice for the voiceless'. Jennifer, you were the voice, and you know many of us in this place heard you and heard you loudly. Vale, comrade. May you rest in peace without pain.