TRIGGER WARNING- There is some discussion of suicide in this episode. If this episode brings anything up for you please contact FREE ADF mental health service Open Arms on 1800 011 046 or in case of emergency call 000.
In this week's podcast episode, I talk to Solicitor Jacinta Harris from the Defence and Veterans Legal Service about the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide and the important role defence partners and families can play in the proceedings.
Jacinta and I also talk about;
- What a Royal Commission is and why it was established in July of 2021
- What terms of reference mean and how defence partners and families are included
- Why your experience with systemic issues in family support services needs to be told
- How the Defence and Veterans Legal Service can help you with a submission for FREE
- Why the Royal Commission wants to hear the experiences of ALL defence partners
- The importance of hearing about the challenges of everyday defence life
- Why you don’t need to have been personally impacted by suicide to take part
- The information and lived experience the Royal Commission wants & needs to hear
- How you can control whether your submission is public, private or anonymous
- The legal protections in place that allow you to tell your story openly and honestly
- How we can encourage our current or former ADF members to make a submission
- What the Royal Commission will do with all of the information it gathers
- The interim report due to be released in August 2022 and why it could create change
- Why it is a positive sign the Royal Commission has been extended until June 2024
- The overwhelming number of people who have already put forward submissions
- Why the more people who put forward submissions with varied experiences the better
- How long YOU still have to take part and what will happen when the Royal Commission ends
- The final recommendations and how you can help create real outcomes.
The Defence and Veterans Legal Service can connect you with trauma-informed staff in every state and territory. You can choose to connect via phone, email, video chat or in-person and you can also remain anonymous and have as many sessions as you need to be able to put your submission together in whatever form you would like it to take whether that be a written, video, audio or even dot point submission.
To get in contact with the Defence and Veterans Legal Service or to find out more information check out their website https://defenceveteranslegalservice.org.au/Home or email defencevetslegal@legalaid.qld.gov.au or write to Defence and Veterans Legal Service, PO Box K847, Haymarket NSW 1238 or call 1800 33 1800
