Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide hearings in Townsville have entered a second week, with the focus on the culture, wellbeing and mental health services at Australia's largest Army base, Lavarack Barracks, which is home to more than 3,000 people.
Monday's session took place on the fifth anniversary of death by suicide of veteran Jesse Bird, who served in Afghanistan in 2017, and the date coincided with PTSD Awareness Day, for which commissioners wore yellow ribbons.
The panel of commissioners were told the introduction of "defence values" has helped to curb poor behaviour among personnel, but that some problems remain.
"As a junior soldier in the 1980s, culture in the army was fairly tough and it was fairly rough," North Queensland Transfer and Transition Detachment Commander Major Tony Kennedy said.
"[But] there are individuals who have not displayed defence values who … may have perpetrated bad behaviour towards others."
Assaults, bullying only 'isolated incidents'
The commission heard from 3rd Brigade Regimental Sergeant Major Warrant Officer Brian Buskell, who gave evidence that he was aware of "occasional instances" this year where assaults, bullying and sexual assault had occurred at the Lavarack Barracks.
However, he insisted that these were isolated incidents that did not reflect the broader defence culture.
"There are up to 52 incidents recorded in [the defence incident management system]," Warrant Officer Buskell said.
"I have seen smaller elements within the brigade, inside units, where their culture is not good, where there is predominance of unacceptable behaviour among four or five soldiers or two or three officers."
However, the commissioners were told that legal resources were not the same for members who had made complaints, and members who had been accused of wrongdoing.
"For the soldier who has been charged … they are required to use an on-call reserve legal system," Warrant Officer Buskell said.
"I can use a legal officer to help me prepare a case against a soldier, but a soldier can't go to the same legal office and prepare their defence.
Health wait times commonly discussed
The commissioners also were told that modern soldiers were more willing to seek help when they are struggling with mental health issues than previous generations had been.
However, they were also told that, within the defence medical system, the average wait time was four weeks to see a psychologist, six weeks for a GP and eight weeks for a psychiatrist.
"When I talk to soldiers, that's a common discussion we have — how long it takes them to see a doctor," Warrant Officer Buskell said. "It has a negative impact, and they feel it is not fair."
However, Chaplain Gary Pope — who served at Lavarack Barracks — told the commissioners some personnel believe that disclosing mental health concerns will damage their career prospects.
"I would imagine that there is a greater level of concern, or concern amongst soldiers, that presenting with a mental health concern will have an impact on their career," he said.
"I think it is greater than what is actually the case, so there is a stigma involved in that."
The commissioners were told of rising concerns about loneliness and identity among personnel, particularly new recruits, most of whom now tend to live alone.
"When an identity of being a soldier is the only identity … the risk becomes that we lose our sense of who we are outside the uniform," the chaplain said.
