The Defence and Veterans’ Service Commission (DVSC) is inquiring into access to information held by the Department of Defence (Defence) and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) by serving and ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force (the ADF) and their families. To inform our inquiry, we are seeking information on your experiences accessing information from Defence and DVA.

The objective of this inquiry is to assess the implementation of the Australian Government’s response to recommendations 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the Interim Report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide (RCDVS), released in August 2022, and the effectiveness of these reforms.

To assess the implementation of these RCDVS recommendations, the Defence and Veterans’ Service Commissioner will be considering: 

• Was the recommendation fully implemented within a reasonable timeframe? 

• Does the implementation of the recommendation meet the intent of the RCDVS? 

• Did the implementation of the recommendation improve the suicide prevention or wellbeing of the serving and/or ex-serving members of the ADF and their families? 

To make an independent and objective assessment against the above criteria, the DVSC is seeking views and opinions from those who have engaged or are engaging with the information access processes of Defence and DVA, particularly serving and ex-serving members of the ADF and their families, through this online consultation. 

The information you provide to the DVSC will be used to inform the Commissioner’s assessment of the implementation and any further recommendations for improvement. The DVSC may choose to publish survey responses received. You are able to request your responses be published anonymously. De-identified information provided in survey responses may also be referenced in the Commissioner’s final report at the conclusion of the inquiry. 

• The online form should take around 15 minutes to complete, depending on your answers.

• Participation is voluntary. 

• The collection and storage of data from this consultation is in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles and the Defence and Veterans’ Service Commission’s Privacy Policy.  

• De-identification of data is undertaken in accordance with guidance provided by the Office of Australian Information Commissioner. 

• The form asks for demographic information. This is to assist in understanding feedback provided by different groups within the community.

• Please read each question carefully.

• If you cannot answer a question, please feel free to leave it blank or enter a dash into the text-box [ - ].

• There are free-text questions throughout the survey. In answering these questions, please do not provide personal information about any other person. For example, please do not include another person's name or contact details in your response.

• Please keep the information you provide in response to the survey relevant to the purposes of the inquiry and in particular the subject matter of the recommendations 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the Interim Report of the RCDVS that this inquiry seeks to assess the implementation of.

• Please keep the information you provide in response to the form as accurate, up-to-date and complete as possible. If you wish to provide an update on, or correct, your response, please contact us by email at contact@dvsc.gov.au.

• After the demographic questions, the form allows for responses to be typed directly into text boxes. Alternatively, there is an option to participate by uploading a document.

Support is available at: 

• Open Arms – 24-hour mental health support for serving and ex-serving ADF personnel and their families on 1800 011 046 or visit www.openarms.gov.au 

• ADF Mental Health All-hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 - Confidential 24-hour telephone service for ADF members and their families. 

• Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 

• National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service - For free support services if you are in crisis and need to talk to someone 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 

• For First Nations people in Australia needing crisis support or a safe space to talk, you can connect with 13YARN on 13 92 76 - 24 hours a day. 

With any questions or concerns, or to discuss other options to participate, please contact Contact@dvsc.gov.au. 

Thank you for taking the time to participate.