Schedule 9, in its current draft, fails to satisfy Recommendation 122 of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide because it lacks:

• stakeholder engagement,
• clear independence,
• project management,
• common definitions, and
• measurable success criteria.

Stakeholder Engagement. There has been none. The proposed Defence and Veteran Services Commission therefore cannot meet the needs of stakeholders.

Independence. The proposed Defence and Veteran Services Commission remains administratively tethered to Defence. Its reports therefore risk ministerial or departmental influence, breaching the Royal Commission’s call for an unfettered independent entity. Such a structure will not command the confidence of veterans or their families.

Project Management

Mandate.  A mandate does not exist.  Royal assent is not a project mandate.

Governance.  To date the Government has driven all aspects of Defence and Veteran Services Commission, yet the reason we are at this stage is because there are around 3000 families who have lost loved ones to suicide and putting their trust in the Commonwealth has not had the best outcome to date. A formal structure is required.

Timeline.  The timeline is another 80/20 Pareto Principal hope.   There has been so much use of the pareto principle that Pareto Myopia is likely to have overlook around 50% of the issues defined by the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.

The Paradox of Scope.  The Scope of the Defence and Veteran Ecosystem is larger than the scope of wellbeing and suicide prevention.

Recommendation

Schedule 9 should be withdrawn from the Defence Act 1903 and a deliberate and transparent project be undertaken by all stakeholders that follows established project management best practice when implemented it can rapidly operate at the highest level of service delivery with continuous improvement and processes that are consistently executed in an innovative manner that drives uptake and client loyalty.