The head of the Veterans' Affairs Department has hit back at suggestions that community organisations were doing most of the work to support the mental health of ex-servicemen and women.
Appearing before a royal commission into defence and veteran suicides on Friday, department secretary Alison Frame said the government agency was working closely with veterans groups on support systems.
When asked about comments from former interim national commissioner for veteran suicide prevention, Bernadette Boss, that community groups were doing "much of the heavy lifting" to provide support, Ms Frame said there was an ongoing partnership.
"To properly support the veteran community, and particularly vulnerable veterans, there's heavy lifting required on both sides, and I think that's what both sides are committed to doing," she told the inquiry.
"Many aspects of that heavy lifting in terms of peer support might be best delivered through organisations on the ground as well, but that's not to assert that DVA doesn't have a potential funding responsibility."
Ms Frame said while it was important for the department to work closely alongside ex-service organisations, there were some areas where community organisations were better placed to help with mental health.
"There is a significant extent to which government would not be best placed to provide certain types of support to veterans, peer support for example," she said.
"We do that, obviously ... but it can't ever supplant the connection with colleagues outside of the government program."
A more collaborative way of working with service organisations could provide much additional and widespread support for veteran wellbeing, Ms Frame told the royal commission.
The secretary indicated there were many therapeutic treatment options that the department was not able to support for veterans, due to higher standards being required to secure funding.
However, Ms Frame said the department was investigating the use of emerging treatment options to help deal with mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
"We're always working to build the evidence base as well around newly emerging treatments, so we're funding ketamine treatments, MDMA is in its early stages, it's approved," she said.
"We're seeking to work with Five Eyes partners (Canada, New Zealand, the US and UK) to build an evidence base around that as well."
The royal commission hearings will wrap up at the end of March, before a final report is handed down in early September.
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