Television interview, Sky News

SUBJECTS: Final Report from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide; Mothers Daughters Sisters Wives Rally.

JOURNALIST: Minister, thank you for your time. You've spent the best part of an hour out here talking to families, looking at that sea of 60 faces of people, many of them no longer here. What impression has that left on you coming out here, speaking to those people seeing those faces? 

MINISTER FOR VETERANS’ AFFAIRS AND DEFENCE PERSONNEL, MATT KEOGH: I think the impression that's left on me here is that these family members are not just being strong advocates for the Royal Commission to be established, but they're going to continue to be strong advocates for the implementation of the recommendations and the passion that they've brought to making sure that stories that could not be told by the serving members themselves have been shared, not just with Government, but importantly with the Royal Commission through the evidence that they've given to their lived experience as family members of these people who have tragically taken their own lives. It's important what they're doing, first in calling for the Royal Commission and continuing to work with Government to make sure that we deliver the change that’s necessary. 

JOURNALIST: I know you've just received the Report this week. You've spoken about the urgency that’s needed for a response here. Barnaby Joyce told me a moment ago that he'd be happy to shelve other discussion, debate, legislation to try and get some collaborative response by the end of this year. Is that something you're open to? 

MINISTER KEOGH: Well, we've got to work through the 122 recommendations that are in the Report and it's over 3,100 pages, so there's quite a bit to work through. But we do also appreciate the urgency and I really appreciate the spirit with which the Coalition have reached out on these issues. Not everything in there is about legislation. A lot of it is about changing policy, changing approach. There's some other structural things that are recommended by the Royal Commission that we want to crack on with these recommendations and we should be providing a response from Government shortly and I very much appreciate the extension of cooperation from the Coalition. It wasn't necessary to do that. 

JOURNALIST: So maybe not a full response, but could there be something from the Government this year even if it's not a full response? 

MINISTER KEOGH: Well, certainly we're working to provide the response very soon. And we do appreciate the urgency but we also need to work with the states for example on a number of these recommendations. I can't put a date on when we'll have that response ready but it will be soon. 

JOURNALIST: Jacqui Lambie has suggested that she wants to essentially scrap the Defence Force Academy. She doesn't believe it's giving Defence the leadership that it needs, that it's producing the right character of people to go into the Defence Force. Is there any truth to that? 

MINISTER KEOGH: Well, there's no finding to that effect in the Royal Commission's Report. ADFA has been around now for many decades and I understand her concerns and I've spoken with her about those concerns but there's no recommendation in relation to ADFA but there is recommendations in relation to leadership generally in the Defence Force and they are important recommendations we take very seriously. 

JOURNALIST: Just finally, one of the other observations in the Report is the gap of the cracks that people fall through with DVA. I think the figure was 71% of those who have taken their lives that were identified weren't even on the radar of DVA, that they'd fallen through some cracks somewhere that they weren't known. Obviously it's a big process, it's a long process but do you think that gap can be closed? Do you think you can reform DVA or do you need a completely clean slate, a new Department, a new body to start from scratch again to try and make sure that those cracks do get closed? 

MINISTER KEOGH: So the Royal Commission's made a recommendation about a new agency with DVA to look at how we make sure that serving personnel and veterans are actually aware of the services that are available, whether that's through DVA, through ex-service organisations or other organisations to provide that necessary support and the Royal Commission acknowledges the work of our Veterans’ and Families’ Hubs in providing that coordinated service access opportunity and what the Royal Commission has identified is a need to expand that promotion of services that are available and to coordinate that care for veterans and I think they are points well-made by the Royal Commission and we’ll look at them seriously, as we do with all 122 recommendations that we’re made. 

JOURNALIST: It's an outreach aspect, it's about when people leave the force that proactive action, whether it's DVA or the Defence Forces to reach out to make sure that contact isn't lost. The onus is on the Department and also the Defence Force to do that, isn't it? 

MINISTER KEOGH: So in recent years that occurs, there is engagement when someone is transitioning out of Defence to make sure they're aware of DVA and are lodging claims with DVA and there's even now with new recruits engagement around making sure they're aware of DVA, but certainly there are a large number of veterans that have left before that program started and we do need to make sure that not just them but their families who are often the first responders to veterans in crisis know where to reach out to access service or at least put their hand up and get directed to the sorts of services that they and their veteran need so that they can be supported in the way that they need to be supported, not just in terms of accessing healthcare or compensation but broader wellbeing services as well. 

JOURNALIST: Wonderful, thanks so much for your time.

END 

MEDIA CONTACT:

Stephanie Mathews (Minister Keogh’s Office): 0407 034 485

DVA Media: media.team@dva.gov.au