Suicide remains leading cause of death for young Australians veterans: Report

Canberra, Sep 24 (IANS) Suicide is the leading cause of death for young Australians who leave the military, a government report has found.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on Tuesday released its seventh annual report on deaths by suicide among permanent, reserve and former members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the report, 1,763 people who served at least one day in the ADF since 1985 died by suicide between 1997 and 2022.

Of those, 1,464 -- 83 per cent -- were ex-serving members of the ADF, 174 were permanent members and 125 were in the reserves.

Between 1997 and 2022, suicide was the leading cause of death among ex-serving personnel under the age of 30, the report said, accounting for the deaths of 42 per cent of ex-serving males and 44 per cent of ex-serving females in the age group.

The suicide rate for ex-serving males has trended downwards since 2014 but remains 26 per cent higher than for males in the general population.

"Every life lost to suicide is a deep tragedy and the impact on their loved ones is profound and far-reaching, including on Australia's defence and veteran community," AIHW spokesperson Paul Pham said in a statement.

Across three years from the start of 2020 through the end of 2022, the suicide rate -- measured as deaths per 100,000 population per year -- was 27.6 for ex-serving males, 18.5 for permanent males, 13.4 for reserve males and 12.6 for ex-serving females, respectively.

The report was published weeks after the landmark Royal Commission into Defense and Veteran Suicide handed down its final report on September 9 following a three-year inquiry.

It found that over the last 10 years, an average of 78 current or former ADF members have died by suicide every year and made 122 recommendations for change, including a proposal for a new agency to help ADF personnel transition into civilian life.

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