The recently released Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report delivers yet another profoundly distressing insight: suicide remains the leading cause of death for young Australian veterans.
Between 2021 and 2023, suicide accounted for 42% of deaths among male veterans under the age of 30 and 44% among female veterans in that same age bracket, far exceeding the corresponding rates for the general population.
At Vasey RSL Care, these figures are not just statistics, they reflect sad reality witnessed every day by our team. We see first-hand the struggles confronting veterans, and the systemic gaps into which they can so tragically fall. Suicide among our veterans is, medically and morally, a preventable tragedy. That so many young veterans are lost in this way is simply horrific.
The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, whose Final Report was tabled on 9 September 2024, delivered a comprehensive blueprint of 122 recommendations designed to save lives, among them, the urgent development of a national funding agreement on veterans' wellbeing, with immediate focus on improving outcomes for veterans experiencing homelessness and establishing a long-term investment framework to support veteran-specific housing along with wrap-around services.
The evidence is unmistakable. Veterans are nearly three times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population and are disproportionately impacted by risk factors such as being single, unemployed, experiencing financial strain, and enduring multiple traumatic life events. Stable housing is not just an essential need; it's a foundation that profoundly shapes the trajectory of a person's life and wellbeing.
In light of Suicide Prevention Day, the recent AIHW's report, and all the blaring evidence, we strongly urge that the Royal Commission's recommendation for a national wellbeing funding agreement be implemented without further delay.
Not-for-profits like Vasey RSL Care cannot meet the scale and complexity of this crisis alone. We have said this before: Government and industry must come together. Service delivery must move decisively in this direction to ensure demands and needs are met, lives are saved, and futures are restored. We stand ready and eager to partner, to scale our impact, and above all, to save lives.
About us:
Vasey RSL Care:
Vasey RSL Care is Australia's leading provider of ex-service accommodation, care and support, providing veteran-specific services to around 1000 ex-service people of all ages each year, and employing over 660 clinical, care support, veteran services staff and volunteers.
Services include rental units (social housing) for over 300 veterans, war widows and partners at seven city and three regional locations; home care provisions for older Australians wishing to remain in their own home; and residential aged care at four locations – Brighton, Brighton East, Bundoora and Frankston South and The V Centre Veteran Empowerment Program located in Ivanhoe, Victoria.
Royal Commission:
Statistics:
As reported by the Royal Commission into Defence and Veterans Suicide, Australian veterans are almost three times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population and Australian veterans are over twice as likely to die by suicide than the general population.
Veterans are also more likely to have other homelessness risk indicators including being single, unemployed, subject to financial strain, and experiencing a greater number of traumatic life events than the broader population.
Recommendations:
The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide recommended significant changes to improve veteran wellbeing.
Recommendation 88:
Final Report - Volume 1: Executive summary, recommendations and the fundamentals
Develop a national funding agreement on veterans' wellbeing. A national funding agreement on veterans' wellbeing should be developed, with immediate focus on the following priorities:
(a) improving outcomes for veterans who are experiencing homelessness, including a long-term investment framework that supports capital and operational expenditure for veteran-specific housing and the provision of wraparound services (b) supporting veterans who are incarcerated, both during and after their incarceration
(c) facilitating school enrolments for children of serving members, without requiring a confirmed address
(d) developing networks of health care for veterans (see Recommendation 72)
(e) obtaining individual consent from veterans who separate involuntarily for medical or other reasons (and other cohorts at higher risk of suicide and suicidality) to provide their personal data to state and territory governments to ensure they can receive tailored support and referrals to veteran-specific services, including Veterans' and Families' Hubs
