The government has rejected a proposal to scrap differences for compensation between those permanently injured in "war-like" operations and training mishaps. Sexual offences in the military will be targeted by a new inquiry and mandatory discharges for those convicted.
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00:00There were 122 recommendations given to the government just three months ago.
00:09Today, it's accepted almost all of them or expected to do some more work on others.
00:16But of the 104 that the government is accepting, they include things like a crackdown on sexual
00:23offences in the ADF.
00:25There'll be an inquiry set up in the near future.
00:28There'll also be a mandatory predisposition to discharging ADF members who are convicted
00:35of various sexual offences.
00:37The government is also accepting recommendations on changes to the way military leaders are
00:45selected.
00:46There's going to be a new body set up to oversee all of these changes that are being made.
00:52And the Prime Minister says this is one of the fastest responses ever to a Royal Commission.
01:00Let's hear from Anthony Albanese as he unveiled the government's formal response to the Royal
01:06Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
01:10We have accepted through the Cabinet process the overwhelming majority of the Royal Commission's
01:16122 recommendations, agreeing or agreeing in principle to 104 recommendations, noting
01:2517 recommendations for further consideration, and one recommendation is not supported in
01:31part.
01:32So the government, as we heard there, Andrew, has accepted most of the 122 recommendations.
01:39Which have they not supported?
01:41There is one recommendation which refers to something known as the service differential.
01:47It's a long-standing policy that veterans who are injured overseas while on war-like
01:54operations receive a level of compensation that's higher than their colleagues if they're
02:00injured back home in Australia on training or military exercises.
02:06There was a recommendation from the Royal Commissioners to change that, to essentially
02:11bring both of those payments in line, but the government, recognising the difficulties
02:16that that would cause inside the military community, has decided not to do it.
02:22Let's again hear from the Prime Minister addressing this subject.
02:26The service differential is a long-standing feature of Australia's support for veterans.
02:32It's been there a long time.
02:34And while all veterans can access assistance for all conditions linked to their service
02:39through the Department of Veterans Affairs, the service differential supports higher levels
02:44of compensation for injuries or illness that occurs in operational-type service.
02:52We regard that feature as being important, and that is why we've made the decision to
03:00maintain it.
03:02So how quickly will these accepted recommendations be implemented, Andrew?
03:07Some of them have already, in fact, begun after the government received some interim
03:12findings several months ago.
03:14There's other things that will require legislative changes, like setting up this new statutory
03:20body, but the government has revealed that it will set up an interim body to oversee
03:26all these changes almost immediately.
03:29The inquiry into sexual assault across the military, we don't know the terms of reference
03:34yet for that inquiry or when it will begin.
03:38But most of these accepted recommendations, the government is indicating it will get to
03:45work on fairly immediately.
03:47So it's only been a short while since the government's announcement, Andrew.
03:51Has there been reaction yet from the defence and veterans communities?
03:56There has been a little trickling through.
03:58Significantly today, the government paid tribute to former soldier Jackie Lambie, now an independent
04:04senator here in federal parliament, and they said that her advocacy in part helped deliver
04:11this royal commission and its findings.
04:14In a statement, she has welcomed what's been announced today and quote says, it's a very
04:19good start, but there is more work to do.