General Angus Campbell continued his evidence at hearings in Townsville this week after previously saying the defense “is not doing enough” to solve suicide.
Key points:
- The Royal Commission heard the defense promoted a person with a reported history of “unacceptable behavior”
- Chief of Defense Angus Campbell refused to introduce legal protection for members of the Defense Forces who submit submissions to the Commission
- Evidence was provided that personnel involuntarily left the defense at higher rates
On Friday, General Campbell was asked why an officer – known as Person C – was promoted despite a record of unacceptable behavior dating back at least five years.
“Do you remember that person C had received a promotion since the period when reports of unacceptable behavior had started appearing on AIMS? [Army Incident Management System]? “said an adviser who assisted Peter Gray QC.
General Campbell offered an explanation.
“No decision-maker or delegate had been able to consider Person C’s repeated unacceptable behavior exhibited over a number of years,” he said.
General Campbell said the incidents were related to “various entities and environments holistically and (there had been) repeated informal attempts by Person C’s command route to correct his behavior.”
Mother’s investigation into son’s suicide led to investigation
The officer in question eventually stopped serving in the ADF, but only after the mother of a veteran claimed that the officer’s bullying had contributed to her son’s death by suicide in 2017.
General Campbell was investigated as to whether person C would have remained in the defense force without the intervention of the mother.
“It is possible,” said General Campbell.
“Both are possible – that he may have become [or] that he may have ceased to serve. “
General Campbell said superiors did not necessarily review a member’s history of unacceptable behavior during the promotion process.
But he rejected the idea from a lawyer who helped him that it was a “deep systemic failure”.
“I see it rather as evidence of an evolving system that has an innate tension between the responsibility of dealing with incidents and seeking to develop your people,” General Campbell said.
No legal protection for submitting staff
So far, the Commission has received 1,683 submissions.
About 13 percent are from current operating staff.
But the commission heard that there was no legal protection in place for current service personnel or veterans of “fear that they would get into trouble” to disclose sensitive information.
“I very much urge current servants or veterans and families to come and talk to the Royal Commission,” General Campbell said.
“There will be no consequences whatsoever and any supervisor who thinks about it will be held accountable.”
However, he rejected the idea that he, as Chief of Defense, should issue a directive that would provide legal protection for those who want to step forward.
“I actually do not think that direction from me removes the responsibility of preserving issues of national security classification,” General Campbell said.
“But more specifically, I am concerned that it is not appropriate for me to refer people to speak to the Royal Commission.
“So it would not be worded as an order or direction, but rather a strong encouragement.”
Recruitment and retention are struggling
The Commission also heard about risk factors that made a defense member at a higher risk of suicide.
They included men, those who did not have officer rank, and those under 30, along with members who had left the Defense Forces involuntarily or for medical reasons.
In his speeches, the Chief of Defense said that the number of personnel who “separated” from the Defense Forces in May 2022 had increased by 2 percent in the past year.
“My views are that the severance rate is higher than we need to meet current and future recruitment and workforce targets,” General Campbell said in his post.
“How is it that so many people have been recruited to the ADF who so often and in such a short time are found unfit for service?” asked the counselor who assisted Peter Gray.
“I think it reflects the challenge of recruiting for an organization that … may either not fit the person, or the person may not be suitable for it,” General Campbell said.
“Of course I would like another dataset here.”
He was asked about the effectiveness of ADF’s current recruitment efforts, which have recently reduced physical fitness standards a bit.
“Doesn’t this have the potential to create negative results and possibly a vicious circle where more and more people will be recruited inappropriately who will print early, which increases the circumstance the ADF is facing?” he was asked.
“I can see the logic in your point,” General Campbell said.
The hearings continue in Townsville next week.
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