DVA commissioned La Trobe University to investigate literature on best practice in in-home domestic assistance programs in order to provide a contemporary evidence base to inform any future policy and program development aimed at improving DVA domestic assistance service offerings to veterans and families.

The Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) commissioned Australian Catholic University (ACU) National Centre for Veterans and Families to determine the number and accessibility of suicide prevention and postvention programs for the Australian veteran community. The project aims to enhance DVA's understanding of the number and location of Australian suicide prevention and postvention programs and the future needs of the veteran community regarding suicide prevention and postvention programs.

The Department of Veterans' Affairs commissioned the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) to identify and synthesise existing research on older veterans, and their families’ experiences and needs in aged care. The project was commissioned to inform any future improvements to the way aged care is delivered to veterans and to identify gaps in understanding of the needs of older veterans and their families in aged care settings.

The Defence and Veteran Family Wellbeing Strategy 2025-2030 has been developed to recognise the pivotal role families play in supporting current and former serving Australian Defence Force members. 

The Department of Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs worked closely together to develop the Strategy and First Action Plan. This coordinated approach ensures that the impacts of service and related life events on families are managed, both during and after service, with appropriate fit-for-purpose policies, programs and support – now and in the future.

Over the next 5 years, this Strategy will guide how the Department of Defence (Defence) and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) provide targeted support to Defence and veteran families. 

The Strategy outlines how families will be supported, reaffirms a commitment to understanding their needs, and prioritises stronger engagement and ongoing support to enhance their wellbeing.

The First Action Plan outlines the actions that Defence and DVA will initially take to achieve the Strategy’s objectives. Defence and DVA will update the Action Plan as actions progress, with the most current version available here.

The aim of this project was to review the literature in relation to how moral injury is conceptualised, models of moral injury, linkages between moral injury and common mental health issues, and the effectiveness of moral injury interventions in veteran and military populations.

In order to answer these questions, a narrative literature review and a REA were conducted.

The focus of this review is the comparison of veteran rehabilitation offerings of the Five Eyes countries to understand where Australia's offerings sit in terms of focus, scope of services and eligibility in relation to comparable schemes.

The key findings of the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO) Census and Prospective Health Studies were launched by the Chief of the Defence Force on 8 August 2013.  These studies are part of the Military Health Outcomes Program (MilHOP), a significant body of research commissioned by the Department of Defence to determine the impact of operational deployment on the health and wellbeing of service men and women.

The results suggest that ADF members deployed to the MEAO are generally physically and mentally healthy.  However, members repeatedly exposed to traumatic experiences, either at home or on deployment, are more likely to develop mental health concerns.

DVA continues to seek opportunities to improve and evolve service models to meet the changing needs of clients and will use the studies’ findings to help inform future research priorities within DVA’s Strategic Research model.

Further information on the studies and access to the reports is available on the Department of Defence’s Military Health Outcomes Program webpage

The report fulfils a recommendation of the 2017 Senate inquiry into Suicide by Veterans and Ex-Service Personnel, for an independent study into the mental health impacts on veterans when they navigate the compensation claim assessment processes. It considers the evidence available and discusses leading practice in personal injury claims management.

Inquiries and reviews of the DVA support system have identified that the compensation claims assessment process may contribute to the psychological distress and mental health conditions experienced by some veterans, including self-harm and suicide.

In response to the Senate inquiry into suicide in veterans and ex-service personnel, the DVA commissioned Phoenix Australia to provide a desktop study and literature review examining the mental health impacts of compensation claims assessment processes on veterans and their families. The DVA subsequently commissioned Monash University to undertake this study to review the Phoenix report and to further explore potential for DVA actions that may mitigate potential mental health impacts of its compensation claims processes.

The study involved document review, site visits to DVA offices and a targeted literature search and is presented in three sections.

This comprehensive report compares mental health care support in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with world’s best practice and assessed the extent to which the mental health needs of serving and transitioning ADF members were being met.

Independent studies by Professor David Dunt

In addition to undertaking the Independent Study into Suicide in the Ex-service Community, Prof. Dunt was also appointed by the then Minister for Veterans Affairs’, the Hon Alan Griffin MP, and the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, the Hon. Warren Snowdon MP, to undertake the Review of Mental Health Care in the ADF and Transition through Discharge.

The review was released on Friday, 1 May, 2009, along with the Government’s response.

Prof. Dunt’s comprehensive report compared mental health care support in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with world’s best practice and assessed the extent to which the mental health needs of serving and transitioning ADF members were being met.

The review highlighted successes and gaps in the delivery of mental health programs and transition services and made 52 recommendations to improve and extend delivery of those services.

The Government’s response (PDF) to a review of the circumstances surrounding the death of Signaller Geffrey Gregg was published on 30 July 2008. The response outlined 15 outcomes to address systemic problems with transition out of the services.

The review of SIG Gregg’s circumstances involved three parts.

Part 1 was an independent inquiry by the Inspector General Australian Defence Force, Geoff Earley AM, which examined SIG Gregg’s Defence Service, including deployment to Afghanistan, and the ADF’s role in transition management at SIG Gregg’s discharge.

Part 2 was undertaken by Mr Chris Doogan AM (former Registrar of the High Court) and examined DVA’s actions in SIG Gregg’s transition management from the ADF, DVA’s handling of his compensation claims and the actions of the Commissioner for Superannuation in administration of SIG Gregg’s claim for military superannuation benefits.

Part 3 of the review was undertaken by Mr Ron McLeod AM (former deputy Ombudsman) to examine the whole-of-government approach to handling the Gregg case.

The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Alan Griffin, and the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, Warren Snowdon, issued a media release about the Government’s response.