Author: Carolyn Heward, Lecturer, Clinical Psychology, James Cook University

An average of 78 serving or ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) have died by suicide every year for the past decade. In 2021, the government announced the formal establishment of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide to tackle this national tragedy. Now, the Albanese government has released its response to the royal commisson’s final report. The government has agreed or agreed in principle to 104 out of the 122 recommendations put forward in the commission’s final report, released in September. According to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the response presents an historic opportunity to deliver lasting…