A mum who lost her veteran son to suicide has hit out at what she calls a “delay, deny, die” culture within the Australian Defence Force. Karen Bird warned bureaucratic sclerosis has fatal effects for soldiers, sailors and airmen suffering through mental health challenges. “These three words are well recognised across the veteran sector,” Karen Bird said during her testimony at the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide on Tuesday.
“They were coined by people who work in the support of Australian veterans and their families. Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion. “I adopted this phrase from about 2016-17 when I realised this was my son’s experience.
” Dr Bird lost her son Jesse to suicide in June 2017. Jesse served Australia in Afghanistan and struggled with mental health issues on his return to civilian life. Jesse put in claims for assistance to the Department of Veterans Affairs but what Dr Bird called “malfeasance and maladministration” prevented him from receiving support in a timely manner.
“His suicide was preventable because he had a really good family behind him,” she said, her voice breaking. Dr Bird said her son lodged support claims with the DVA but the claims were not logged, meaning they were not actioned by the Department, pushing out wait times for a response. In May 2017, the commission heard Jesse’s claim for incapacity payments, or payments to veterans who cannot work due to .
