Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to talk about an issue which is of great importance to our nation but which, unfortunately, isn't being treated as important by those opposite, the members of the government. It is the need in this nation for a royal commission into veteran suicide. It is far past time that those opposite stand up and stop the protection racket for this incredibly important issue for people in our nation. In my electorate, at a veterans roundtable that I had in the last couple of weeks, the young veterans in particular are asking for this and want to know why the former Defence people in the government are not standing up and saying: 'Yes, this is a massive issue. Yes, we need to have a holistic arms-length inquiry to find out why the patriots of this country, the men and women who have served us in uniform, keep taking their lives and why they keep dying by suicide.'

I've recently had a conversation with a member of the government who said no-one in the Liberal Party and no-one in the coalition wants a royal commission because it will cost too much. The Minister for Veterans' Affairs says it will cost $100 million. I could go through a list of companies that keep paying out executive bonuses and dividends through JobKeeper. If we used those funds, we could have a royal commission into veteran suicide tomorrow. We need it done.

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