Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide

In September 2022, the Royal Commission into Veteran Affairs released its Interim Report after more than 1,900 submissions and 194 witnesses. It included recommendations considered so urgent that the Royal Commission released them to the public in order to drive immediate change.

Unfortunately, this will not come as a surprise to those who are retired or currently serving in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and have experienced this culture and system first-hand.

As a team of human-centred designers, researchers, and strategists, we bring a unique lens to the way that we consider solving complex social challenges. Our extensive work in this space has taught us that in order to find innovative solutions, you often need to take an innovative approach to get there.

Download our latest report to see how the Portable team unpacks and simplifies the findings of the Royal Commission through a design lens, outlining:

• The key findings and subsequent impact on the mental health of those in the Australian Defence Force
• The immediate actions passed down as recommendations to the Australian Government by the Royal Commission
• How we can use human-centred design thinking to solve these issues
• Portable's recommendations and the steps we'll be taking to support those impacted

Content Warning
This report references suicide and suicidality among serving and ex-serving ADF members. 
You may find that reading the report, or thinking about matters related to the Royal Commission, 
leads to the experience of distress. This may include remembering traumatic memories and strong emotional responses. We encourage you to use the available support services if you or someone you know needs help.