By Danielle Kutchel
Gembrook MP Brad Battin said he’s pleased the Federal Government has announced a Royal Commission into veteran and serving defence personnel suicides, after throwing his support behind the matter last week.
The Federal Government announced the Royal Commission on Monday 19 April.
The Victorian Liberals, along with Mr Battin, announced support for a national Royal Commission on Tuesday 13 April, backing growing calls from RSL Victoria and the local veteran community to take action.
“We’re so pleased to see our Federal Government has supported a Royal Commission,” Mr Battin said.
“It’s thoroughly needed. We’ve seen for too long the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on our returned service soldiers, so to have an investigation to see how to best support them in future, you’d say is long overdue.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also hopes to create a National Commissioner for veteran suicides, who would implement the recommendations that come out of the Royal Commission.
Mr Battin said it would be important for the two to work togther rather than in silos.
“We want to make sure this gets the best outcomes for veterans in their interests, rather than a political interest,” he said.
He said it would be vital for the Royal Commission to speak not only to veterans, but also to the familiesa of those who have lost loved ones to understand the impact of the loss on their lives.
“The Royal Commission shouldn’t just look at a prevention model, but how it can assist families who face the challenges of someone returning with mental health issues as well as families who have lost someone, to find out what support they require,” he said.
The announcement of the Royal Commission comes just days ahead of Anzac Day on Sunday 25 April.
Services in Casey have been restricted to private, invite-only events with strict caps on attendee numbers.
Local marches will not be held this year.
Mr Battin has begun a petition to the State Government to allow local marches and services to occur.
“We’re frustrated that the government can campaign to have 100,000 at the MCG – which I do thoroughly support – but restrictions on RSLs have made it near impossible to run local events,” he said.
He said the State Government should be providing more support to local RSL branches, particularly on Anzac Day.
But Narre Warren South MP Gary Maas labelled the petition a “dog-whistle”, adding that the RSL services are in line with current health advice.
“Real leadership doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Real leadership is about hard decisions and protecting the health of all Victorians,” he said.
“I do not follow the advice of Mr Battin during the pandemic. I follow the advice of the Chief Health Officer. I am pleased to say that most Victorians are doing the same.”
The petition can be viewed at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ANZACDay21
