The National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention is a statutory official in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, independent of the

Government of Australia The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federalism, federal parliamentary system, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster system, Westminster-sty ...

, established under Australian law.

History

On 5 February 2020, the

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...

, Scott Morrison MP, announced the intention to create a law to establish the role of National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention.Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces national commissioner for defence and veteran suicides
Camron Slessor, ABC News Online, 2020-02-05 The legislation for this role was delayed due to the limited number of sitting days in 2020 of the Parliament of Australia due to COVID-19. On 1 October 2020, Dr

Bernadette Boss Bernadette Carmel Boss, is a Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory, an officer in the Australian Army Reserve and a former barrister. She was appointed as a magistrate on 11 June 2012. In her military career, Boss was the first woman ...

, then a Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory and Coroner, also a Brigadier in the

Australian Army Reserve The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen ...

, was named the first (as "interim") National Commissioner. The

Minister for Veterans' Affairs The Minister for Veterans' Affairs is an Australian Government position. In the Government of Australia, the minister oversees income support, compensation, care and commemoration programs for more than 400,000 veterans and their widows, widower ...

, Darren Chester MP, noted, "As a current Magistrate and Coroner in the Australian Capital Territory, Dr Boss has the skills and expertise to examine these tragic instances of ADF and veteran suicides to understand practical actions to reduce suicide risk."Appointment of interim National Commissioner welcomed

Department of Veterans' Affairs (Australia) The Department of Veterans' Affairs is a department of the Government of Australia, established in 1976, and charged with the responsibility of delivering government programs for war veterans, members of the Australian Defence Force, members o ...

, media release, 2020-10-01

Role

Subject to the passage of the legislation, it is expected that the National Commissioner will have the power to: * inquire into the circumstances of past and future deaths of serving and ex-serving ADF members by suicide, including suspected deaths by suicide * hear about the impact of deaths of serving and ex-serving ADF members by suicide on families and others affected * make findings and recommendations to the Australian Government following such inquiries * promote the understanding of suicide risk factors for serving and ex-serving ADF members, and protective factors that can improve their wellbeing and prevent suicide. The National Commissioner will have full Royal Commission-like powers to gather information and evidence. This includes by consulting families and experts, as well as summoning witnesses. With these powers, the National Commissioner can also get relevant information and reports, including from government departments such as the

Department of Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

and the

Department of Veterans' Affairs Veterans' affairs is an area of public policy concerned with relations between a government and its communities of military veterans. Some jurisdictions have a designated government agency or department, a Department of Veterans' Affairs, Minist ...

References

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External links

National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention website
Commonwealth Government agencies of Australia 2020 establishments in Australia

History

Role

See also

References

External links