Royal commission into veteran suicides to commence hearings in Darwin this week – ABC News

After 30 years in the Australian Defence Force, former Sergeant Dan Tellamconsiders himself one of the lucky ones.

Unlike the 648 defence personnel between 1970 and 2020 who are confirmed or suspected to have died by suicide, Sergeant Tellum survived an attempt at taking his own life.

He said part of what contributed to his suicidal ideation was his treatment by senior officers in the Royal Australian Air Force.

"Even though I did love defence, it was unfair how you could be treated. You could be harassed and bulliedwithin defence [and] it was part of the job," he said.

He saidhe was posted away from his family in Darwin against his wishes,in what he believes was a coercive plot from senior officers to get him to discharge.

The former airman, who was discharged on medical grounds in 2015, made his submission to the Royal Commission into Defence and VeteranSuicide last week.

New figures show he's far from alone, with the commission receiving a fifth of its overall submissions in just the past two months alone.

The commission will hold its next two weeks of sittings in Darwin in its first session sincehanding down an interim report in August, which made 13 recommendations and led to a government apology.

And itstask remains unchanged:to listen and document many harrowing stories and produce effective change to reduce the comparatively higher rates of suicide among defence members and veterans.

Another veteran, Sam Weston, said the Australian Defence Force provided "zero" support to him after two deployments to Timor Leste.

"For me personally there was no assistance when I got out," he said.

"I got out in '04,it was 'see ya later'. There was no aftercare. it wasn't until years later when I contacted them that I got any type of help," he said.

Mr Weston has already provided evidence to the commission in Darwin ahead of public hearings that begin tomorrow.

"While I am sceptical, I think, if things can be put on a paper and the public can be see what we're going on about that's a good start," Mr Weston said.

Though public hearings are yet to begin, Commission Chair Nick Kaldas has already begun gathering on the ground information.

The commissioner toured Darwin Navy Base HMAS Coonawarra last week, and today heis expected to visitRAAF Base Tindal, near Katherine.

As with the previous six locations where the commission has held hearings, the next two weeks in Darwinwill look to learn more about the challenges facing veterans and defence personnel in the local community.

Mr Kaldas said looking at the challenges of geographic isolation for veterans in the Northern Territoryand access to services would be at the forefront of the commission's work over the next fortnight.

Mr Weston said the tyranny of distance was complicated by the territory's relatively small population.

"There's not enough psychologists, there's not enough doctors to deal with all of us," he said.

Former defence personnel and their families have made more than2,500 submissions to the royal commission since it was established in 2021.

But 514 of those submissions have only been received since the commission handed down its interim report two months ago.

Among those who have noticed the uptick in submissions is senior solicitor Rachael Vincent of the Defence and Veterans Legal Service.

The organisation has supported more than 400 people since the commission began, and Ms Vincent said that number seemed likely to grow.

"We have noticed a lot more interest in: 'How can I have my story heard? What are my options?'There's a lot of people that have said to me all of these issues in the interim report are all issues that we've been saying for years," she said.

"So, I think that acknowledgement that the commission is listening, and that is really encouraging."

With its large defence bases, Darwin is also attracting more submissions from current members of the ADF.

While only 18 per cent of submissions to the royal commission have come from currently serving members nationwide, 26 of Darwin's 57 submissions are from people presently employed in Defence.

Mr Tellamsaid he hoped the commission will at least give him and other suicide survivors some catharsis.

"[To] put things to bed, put the ghosts away back in cupboard and lock them up throw away the key. That's the reason I am doing it, I need to get this off my chest."

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Royal commission into veteran suicides to commence hearings in Darwin this week - ABC News