<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>328704</docID> <postdate>2024-09-09 12:02:44</postdate> <headline>Royal commission calls out Defence leadership failure</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-328705" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240909137078804101-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="601" /></p> <caption>Royal Commission chair Nick Kaldas (second left) hands the report to Governor-General Erin Mostyn. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Tess Ikonomou</strong> in Canberra</span></p> <p><strong>A "failure of leadership" led to the cultural problems within the Australian Defence Force, the chair of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide says.</strong></p> <p>Three years on, the seven-volume final report will be given to Governor-General Sam Mostyn on Monday, before it is tabled in parliament later in the day by Defence Minister Richard Marles.</p> <p>The inquiry received almost 6000 submissions and heard from hundreds of witnesses about issues ranging from bullying to abuse in the Australian Defence Force.</p> <p>Chair Nick Kaldas said a "failure of leadership" led to the countless inquiries beforehand not being acted on.</p> <p>"What is clear from some of the horrible stories that we've heard is that many people simply turned a blind eye over many years and felt it was too hard, or they simply didn't care enough to tackle the problems," he said.</p> <p>"We hope that the royal commission has achieved one thing, which is to make the problems undeniable.</p> <p>"It's really up to the government and our parliament now ... it should not be a political issue, united to help and support our veterans and our serving members."</p> <p>Mr Kaldas said the inquiry had been stymied when it requested documents or reports to be produced.</p> <p>"The Australian government solicitors have relied on ... the legislation that exists, to use parliamentary privilege to stop us from using a number of inquiry reports," he said.</p> <p>"That has happened. That's a fact."</p> <p>Independent senator Jacqui Lambie, who served in the military for more than a decade and called for a royal commission, said "Defence was already on the defensive".</p> <p>"I have to say this to Defence: If you want to fix things, then you have to be open and honest where your problems are," she told ABC's RN on Monday.</p> <p>"Otherwise you are never going to fix it, and that is why people are not joining, and that is why they're leaving in droves."</p> <p>Senior officials also gave evidence at the inquiry, including former chief of the defence force Angus Campbell who apologised "unreservedly" for the military's failures.</p> <p>A key recommendation of the 122 made in the final report, will call for a permanent body to be set up after the inquiry to monitor progress on the recommendations and to report publicly.</p> <p>There have been at least 57 previous inquiries relating to Defence and veteran suicide over the past three decades, resulting in about 770 recommendations.</p> <p>An interim report released in 2023 made 13 urgent recommendations, including eliminating the massive backlog of veteran compensation claims by March 2024.</p> <p>The first recommendation was to simplify the claims processing system.</p> <p>The inquiry was told the complex process had harmed the mental health of ex-personnel and their families and had led to suicide.</p> </body>