As you might be aware, in August Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the Review of the services available to veterans and members of the Australian Defence Force in relation to the prevention of self-harm and suicide.

The Review is being undertaken by the National Mental Health Commission.

The Commission will report its findings to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Defence Personnel, the Hon Dan Tehan MP, and the Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Sussan Ley, MP. A preliminary report is due on 16 December 2016 and the final report due by 28 February 2017.

The terms of reference of the Review are:

·         The range of services available to current and former serving members and their families

·         The effectiveness of these services in supporting members and their families while they serve, as they transition from Defence to civilian life, and later in their civilian life

·         Any duplication or gaps in current services and how they might be addressed

·         Any barriers to current and former serving members accessing services, taking into account cultural relevance, availability of providers, employment, functional capacity and degree of ill health

·         The extent to which current and former serving members utilise services provided by other parts of government, ex-service organisations, the private sector or non-government organisations

·         The reporting of and incidence of suicide amongst serving and former serving ADF members compared to the broader Australian community.

Specific incidents or issues will not be examined. This focus of the Review is on better understanding how the system works and identifying opportunities to make improvements for the benefit of current and former personnel and those who support them.

In addition to written submissions, the Review will be informed by an online survey, focus groups, consideration of previous studies and inquiries and a reference group that includes current and former members of the ADF.

Submissions can be made and the survey completed at the Review website until 22 November 2016.

I invite you to share this information and the link to this website – www.nmhcreview.com.au - with your networks