Protecting Those Who Protect Us: Women in the Armed Forces from Recruitment to Civilian Life
Summary: The inquiry is one of the most important in the Committee’s history, with the Sub-Committee receiving an almost unprecedented level of engagement. Around one in ten female personnel currently serving in the Regulars contributed to the inquiry. It is also the first of its kind, with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) lifting the usual restrictions that prevent service personnel from contributing to inquiries. The report finds that the MoD and Services are failing to protect female personnel and to help servicewomen achieve their full potential. Whilst most servicewomen and female veterans we consulted (nearly 90 percent of respondents to our survey) would recommend the Armed Forces as a career, more than 3,000 (around 84 percent) reported that female service personnel face additional challenges relative to their male counterparts. In the Committee’s survey, 64 percent of female veterans and 58 percent of currently-serving women reported experiencing bullying, harrassment, and discrimination (BHD) during their careers. The MoD’s representative statistics show that BHD and sexual harassment are gendered. The inquiry heard truly shocking evidence of the bullying, sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape experienced by servicewomen. At the same time, the majority of our survey respondents do not believe the military does enough to address BHD, even if things are better than they once were. The Committee discovered a lack of faith in the Complaints system. Our survey found that six in ten women did not report the BHD they experienced. Of those who did complain, one third rated the experience “extremely poor”. The Committee recommends that the MoD create a specialised Defence Authority to handle BHD complaints and that the MoD better resource the Service Complaints Ombudsman and make their decisions binding. It urges the MoD to reverse the recent decision to reduce the appeals period from six weeks to two. The report also finds serious problems with the military’s handling of sexual assault and harassment, which sometimes exacerbates trauma for victims. The Committee urges the MoD to remove cases of rape and sexual assault from military courts and the Service Justice System, and instead hand these over to the civilian court system. The chain of command should also be removed entirely from complaints of a sexual nature.
Abstract: People are the most important Australian Defence capability. The resilience, dedication and professionalism of the Defence and veteran community underpin our national security. We want Australians to be attracted to serving our nation in our Australian Defence Force, and confident that they and their families will be respected and well supported by their leaders, their mates and the broader Defence organisation. In addition, they should be safe in the knowledge that whatever may befall them during their service, they will be properly looked after, and their service acknowledged, respected and commemorated by a grateful nation. As such, it is our nation’s duty to empower and support their mental health and wellbeing. This means providing for our people and their families to serve well, live well and age well, no matter where they are on their Defence and veteran journey. This strategy adopts a preventive and holistic approach. In addition to early intervention and comprehensive care, it prioritises wellbeing from the day they sign up, until well after they’ve hung up their uniform for the last time. By embracing a life course approach, we honour the service and acknowledge the sacrifices made by the Defence and veteran community This strategy unites the Department of Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs in their resolve to foster a culture of proactive wellbeing and mental health care. It leverages combined expertise and resources to ensure our Defence and veteran community receive the support they need during and after service. This strategy is complemented by action plans that describe the initiatives, programs and services that will achieve our goals and outcomes. This strategy will fortify Australia’s Defence capability by building a positive culture, with leadership that empowers self-agency and supports the wellbeing of Defence’s integrated workforce. Our approach will help Defence achieve the outcomes of the National Defence Strategy 2024 while improving recruitment and retention of personnel in the Australian Defence Force. We acknowledge the work of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. The insights and reports of the Royal Commission, as well as other reports including the Productivity Commission’s: A Better Way to Support Veterans inform our wellbeing and suicide prevention initiatives, programs and services. This includes the co-design of a new agency focused on veteran wellbeing. I am proud to share with you the first joint Defence and Veteran Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. It provides a shared vision, goals and outcomes for meaningful change to empower every member of our Defence and veteran community to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. The journey ahead requires concentrated effort and unwavering dedication in order to build a more resilient and healthier Defence and veteran community. I sincerely thank all those who have provided input. You have helped shape the vision, goals, outcomes and priorities in this strategy in an effort to improve the mental health and wellbeing outcomes for those in the Defence and veteran community.