Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

In my role as Chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee I would also like to attach my comments to the chair of this particular inquiry, Senator Gallacher, and his tabled comments and to reiterate his support for the very strong bipartisan approach that both the former chair, Senator Back, and he took to this complex and quite intricate issue of suicide by veterans and ex-service personnel. This inquiry received an overwhelming response and really goes to why this issue requires such a bipartisan approach from both sides of parliament and, indeed, from the crossbench with their strong advocacy for our veterans in that area.

Eight Australians take their lives every day, and suicide is the greatest cause of death for men and women aged between 14 and 44. Sadly, the challenges posed by the transition to postservice life and the inability to cope with these challenges on their own—often there is shame and embarrassment even to ask for assistance from loved ones—has meant that veterans and ex-service personnel have traditionally been overrepresented in these suicide statistics. Just over a year ago, anyone with a mental health condition who served a single day in the Australian Defence Force had to prove that it was linked to their service before they were eligible to access support from the department. In response, the government has already introduced free and immediate treatment for any mental health condition suffered by ex-service personnel.

The government is aware of this issue. We've been working tirelessly to address it, as Senator Gallacher has stated. This is very old legislation. There is a lot to unpack. This report will go a long way to assisting both our government and future governments with addressing this concern. But we stand united in this place and as a Senate committee in our desire to assist our ex-servicemen and our veterans to ensure that they have optimum mental health and that we reduce the statistics as a matter of urgency.

I'd like to thank the secretariat and former Senator Back, who led this charge on behalf of the government in that committee. Thank you.