Veteran Suicide Prevention

Senator VAN: Ms Cosson, can you tell us about what DVA is doing to prevent suicide prevention right now? Perhaps you could give us a sample of some of the programs you're running. 

Ms Cosson: Sure. Ms Pope and perhaps Dr Hodson could also join me. As you know, we have $230 million spent on mental health and suicide prevention programs. 

Senator VAN: And just because of time constraints, even just a quick sample would be good, and the rest can be taken on notice.

Ms Cosson: Sure. We have a unique service in the Commonwealth with Open Arms, who provide mental health services to veterans and families of Vietnam veterans. There is veterans and families counselling, 24/7 support. Open Arms has a range of self-help tools as well as programs that veterans and families can access. We are seeing an incredible take-up of Open Arms support, particularly since the introduction of the peer support program, which is a really powerful program around Australia where people with lived experience can make that connection to veterans and families as they might need them.

But also more broadly we have the Veteran Family Advocate, which we've talked about, as well as wellbeing centres and non-liability health care, which is really important—that veterans payment that was introduced to help veterans who might be experiencing financial difficulty and waiting for a claim to be progressed. We have a whole client support framework that's been implemented over the past few years, which has different levels of support—case management, which is the wellbeing support program, and triage and connect. They're just a few. There's a lovely placemat, which I'm happy to table for the committee, which outlines a range of those programs that we have that cover mental health as well as the suicide prevention.

Senator VAN: Yes, please. I'd welcome you to table that. The other week the interim national commissioner held a research symposium on preventing suicide. I was the only parliamentarian there and I note and thank you for being there for the whole two days as well. It was an incredible experience, and a lot was learnt, certainly by me. Seeing some of the work that's being done by the national commissioner was really eye-opening. Speaking to a number of the attendees—I think there were about 100 or 150 in the room—

Ms Cosson: In the room, and then online as well—

Senator VAN: Of course, online. The mood really changed in terms of people being positive about the national commissioner between the beginning and the end. Would you agree with that?

Ms Cosson: Absolutely. I think once the national commissioner outlined her credentials as well, and expressed what she can do if she has the powers, they did change their mind—absolutely.

Senator VAN: And there were some incredible speakers there, such as the national family advocate, which Senator Lambie was asking about earlier. To hear her story, and then to hear about the work that she's doing right now, I found to be one of the most moving and most incredible things I've listened to. I've had the opportunity to speak to her since then and to hear in-depth about the work that she's doing. I asked Senator Lambie to reach out to Ms Cherne and speak to her. I think she would be absolutely amazed.

One of the stats that I heard—I can't remember the actual number, so, coming to a question—at that symposium was quite a high percentage of suicides that didn't have any clinical support for 12 months, or no mental health diagnosis for 12 months or more before that. Do you know that percentage off the top of your head?

Ms Cosson: That was from Christine Morgan's presentation, the keynote address.

Senator VAN: That's right.

Ms Cosson: Ms Pope might have those numbers, because she's working very closely with Christine Morgan.

Ms Pope: I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I think—

CHAIR: Since time is of the essence, perhaps you could take that on notice.

Senator VAN: We can take that on notice. That's fine. Speaking about the national commissioner and the debate that's going on between the national commissioner and the royal commission: if you had to choose, Ms Cosson, as the secretary for DVA, what model would you choose?

CHAIR: Well, that's a policy—

Ms Cosson: All I would say on that one is that I just want to find ways to reduce the incidence of suicide.

Senator VAN: And if you had to choose between one model that you had to wait for and having a model now, which would you choose?

CHAIR: That's really asking the secretary to talk on policy matters, which I would invite you not to—

Senator VAN: Certainly. I'm happy to withdraw that. I'll try this one, but please tell me, Chair, again, if you think it's out of order. It's rumoured by some—and I'd say this is a very small number in the veteran community—that DVA doesn't want a royal commission, because it has something to hide that either a royal commission or a national commissioner might find. Would you welcome a royal commission or a national commissioner?

Ms Cosson: We've welcomed any review or inquiry into the department to find ways to better support our veteran community. I'm open and we've had I think at least 13 reviews in the past few years—the Productivity Commission report, Senate inquiries, The constant battle, the coronial inquest, trying to tell us what we can do to fix some of the systemic issues that we know exist. I welcome any scrutiny to assist us with that joint purpose to reduce the incidence of suicide.

Senator VAN: Thank you.