By Mark Bowling
A LEADING veteran’s advocate has warned that if Australia’s parliamentarians green light a royal commission into veteran suicide this should not be allowed to halt the work of a national commission for preventing veteran suicide.
“That would be a disaster for the people who will attempt suicide in the desperation of their current circumstances,” Catholic Deacon Gary Stone, who co-founded the Queensland-based Veterans Care Association, said.
A royal commission could take years to gather information and produce recommendations aimed at curbing veteran suicide.
“In the meantime another 100 veterans could die,” Deacon Stone said.
When a national commissioner was established in February last year there were more than 400 known veteran suicide cases dating back to 2001, but that figure has soared over the past 12 months.
Already this year 18 veterans have taken their own life, while the rate of suicide has doubled since the Brereton Report was released last November exposing war crimes committed by the Australian Defence Force in Afghanistan.
“Veterans were already dying at twice the rate of the average community, and now it is four times the rate,” Deacon Stone said.
“There is enormous angst in the veteran community about how the Brereton Report was handled – everyone is now under suspicion. “
While he accepts the report’s sobering findings – that some Australian soldiers deployed in Afghanistan “did the wrong thing” – the allegations of war crimes have brought tremendous shame and hurt to the wider veteran community.
“They need forgiveness rather than judgement,’ Deacon Stone said.
“Getting involved in Iraq and Afghanistan was a strategic blunder by the governments at that time.”
Deacon Stone said he backed a “forward looking” royal commission that could pinpoint alternatives to medicating veterans as a standard method of treatment aimed at alleviating suicidal feelings.
His Veteran’s Care Association successfully used peer support mentoring as one alternative method of boosting veteran morale.
VCA conducts a year-long holistic health and wellbeing program, that until COVID-19 stopped international travel, sent veterans on short trips to East Timor as part of their recovery.
Deacon Stone has described the trips as “one wounded digger helping another”.
The trips built camaraderie between veterans, provided care and support, and engaged with the Timorese people, especially their own former guerrilla fighters and veterans.
The program has been open to anyone who has served in the military or police.
