Defence Abuse Reparation Scheme – Insights and observations
Serious abuse in the Australian Defence Force is an issue which has confronted Defence members and the Australian community for many years. It has a significant impact on individuals. It should not have happened.
We acknowledge the courage of reportees who made the significant and difficult step to come forward and tell us about their experience of abuse while serving in Defence.
Today, the Commonwealth Ombudsman, as Defence Force Ombudsman (DFO), published a report with insights and observations from the DFO’s experience to date administering the Defence Abuse Reparation Scheme (the Reparation Scheme). A copy of the report can be located here.
The DFO has been administering the Reparation Scheme since 1 December 2016, following on from the work of the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce. The Reparation Scheme provides a mechanism for current and former serving members to report abuse to the DFO and for the DFO to make recommendations for reparation if satisfied the abuse occurred prior to 30 June 2014, was serious and was reasonably likely to have occurred.
The Reparation Scheme closed to new reports on 30 June 2023.
As at 30 June 2023, the DFO had:
- received 4,966 reports
- closed 2,911 reports, with 2,055 still to be finalised
- made 1,815 recommendations to Defence, which has resulted in Defence making 1,815 reparation
- payments to reportees totalling $75,415,000
- facilitated 235 Restorative Engagement conferences
- made 97 referrals to counselling.
The report makes several key observations:
- the number of reports of abuse received increased over time, with the largest number of reports received in 2022 as the end of the Reparation Scheme drew closer
- the highest number of reports of abuse occurred within the Army
- the highest levels of abuse reported occurred between 2009-2012
- occurrences of abuse reported by women were disproportionately higher than their representation in Defence
- bullying and harassment was the most prevalent form of abuse reported
- reports often related to more than one occurrence of abuse
- many reports of abuse involved the participation of a reportee’s superior – either through direct involvement in the abuse or as a witness to the abuse.
Although the Reparation Scheme has closed, the DFO continues to provide an independent and confidential mechanism to report abuse for Defence members who feel unwilling or unable to access internal Defence mechanisms. The DFO will continue to make referrals to counselling and facilitate participation in the Restorative Engagement Program.
The DFO will continue working to finalise all of the reports of abuse that were received by 30 June 2023 under the Reparation Scheme, to determine whether to recommend that Defence make a reparation payment.
Defence’s response to the report is included as an attachment.
Further information about the role of the DFO and the ongoing assistance we can provide is available on the Commonwealth Ombudsman website.