A Royal Commission into the Veteran suicide rate in Australia

The issue

This is my much-loved son, David. David loved his 20-year career in the Royal Australian Navy. On February 1 2019, my David took his own life after a crippling battle with Post-Traumatic Stress injury.

He desperately wanted to stay alive, but David was failed by a broken system that is seeing more than one veteran a week take their own life. More than one death a week. That’s why I am calling for an urgent Royal Commission into veteran suicide rates.

This petition is about the systemic failures the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), who had numerous opportunities to save my son and they failed. David was just one of too many veterans losing their battle with PTSD. This failure has created a whole new warzone for our veterans, one they can’t come home from.

The people at ADF and DVA want to help, but their hands are tied by protocols and procedures. They are bogged down in paperwork and do nothing for the well-being of those that seek their help. Since WWI, mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters and families and friends have been asking for a Royal Commission into the systemic failures that result in the suicide of our veterans.

I don't want to be the mother that fights for a Royal Commission and I don't want to be the mother that has lost her child, but in their own words: my hands are tied. I will not stop until we see action by our Government. I owe it not only to my amazing son, David but to all veterans and their families.

This is a national tragedy, and something needs to be done about it.

I call on the Australian Government to establish a Royal Commission with wide terms of reference to examine and make recommendations regarding the Australian Veteran suicide rate and what can be done in practical terms to address this tragic situation.

If you agree that this is a national crisis that needs to end - please, sign and share this petition.

Julie-Ann Finney, proud mother of Dave Stafford Finney.

If you or someone you know needs help, please phone Lifeline on 131 114, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.

This petition was originally started by Phil Essam.

Confirmed victory
This petition made change with 407,423 supporters!

The issue

This is my much-loved son, David. David loved his 20-year career in the Royal Australian Navy. On February 1 2019, my David took his own life after a crippling battle with Post-Traumatic Stress injury.

He desperately wanted to stay alive, but David was failed by a broken system that is seeing more than one veteran a week take their own life. More than one death a week. That’s why I am calling for an urgent Royal Commission into veteran suicide rates.

This petition is about the systemic failures the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), who had numerous opportunities to save my son and they failed. David was just one of too many veterans losing their battle with PTSD. This failure has created a whole new warzone for our veterans, one they can’t come home from.

The people at ADF and DVA want to help, but their hands are tied by protocols and procedures. They are bogged down in paperwork and do nothing for the well-being of those that seek their help. Since WWI, mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters and families and friends have been asking for a Royal Commission into the systemic failures that result in the suicide of our veterans.

I don't want to be the mother that fights for a Royal Commission and I don't want to be the mother that has lost her child, but in their own words: my hands are tied. I will not stop until we see action by our Government. I owe it not only to my amazing son, David but to all veterans and their families.

This is a national tragedy, and something needs to be done about it.

I call on the Australian Government to establish a Royal Commission with wide terms of reference to examine and make recommendations regarding the Australian Veteran suicide rate and what can be done in practical terms to address this tragic situation.

If you agree that this is a national crisis that needs to end - please, sign and share this petition.

Julie-Ann Finney, proud mother of Dave Stafford Finney.

If you or someone you know needs help, please phone Lifeline on 131 114, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.

This petition was originally started by Phil Essam.

The Decision Makers

Anthony Albanese
Prime Minister of Australia
Responded
Hi everyone, Last Thursday, it was my honour to meet Julie-Ann Finney – and to hear about her beautiful son, David. Her story is heartbreaking. It’s also heartbreakingly common. Between 2007 and 2017, 415 Defence personnel took their own lives. And the question we’ve got to ask ourselves is – why? What are we missing? Where are we failing? I don’t have all the answers. But I know we need to find them. And that’s why Labor supports a royal commission into veteran suicide. A royal commission is the most powerful form of inquiry we have. It will ask the hard questions. It will find the hard truths. It will show us the way forward. And we must. For David, and all those we’ve lost. For Julie-Ann, and every other family left behind. And for our country – so we can face this national shame head-on, and do something about it. Thank you for joining this movement. Thank you for supporting Julie-Ann and all our remarkable Defence families. Labor stands with you. Albo
Scott Morrison
Federal Member for Cook
Darren Chester
Minister for Veterans and Defence Personnel
Shayne Neumann
Shayne Neumann
Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Defence Personnel

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Petition created on 20 December 2017