The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide has called on the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to capture more data on veterans in the next Census.
Commissioner Peggy Brown said additional data, if captured in the 2026 Census, could be used to better support diggers and their families.
“The 2021 Census was the first to ask Australians whether they had ever served in the navy, army or air force – the data revealing more than half a million had served (496,276) or were serving (84,865) in the Australian Defence Force (ADF),” Commissioner Brown said.
She said that in a submission to the ABS on the 2026 Census, the Commission has called for the current question about military service to be retained – and that ex-serving ADF members also be asked to indicate their most recent year of discharge.
Commissioner Brown said additional ‘year of discharge’ data could be used to provide key insights into cohorts who served in the ADF at particular points in time.
“Significantly, this data could enable important research into the physical health and wellbeing of ADF members who served at differing time periods and through different deployments,” she said.
“It could also provide a more detailed understanding of veterans who served prior to 1985, which is a key gap in the understanding of veteran suicide.”
The Royal Commission, in its Interim Report released last August, estimated that more than 220,000 living Australians served in the ADF prior to 1985, and noted there was currently limited information about them as a cohort.
Commissioner Brown said the robust count of the number of serving and ex-serving ADF members from the 2021 Census allowed key statistical agencies, the ABS and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, to produce fresh insights into the demographics, socio-economic background and health and wellbeing of our military community.
“Census data on those who have previously served in the ADF will hopefully support better policy development, including planning and delivery of targeted and appropriate support programs and services for our veterans and their families,” the Commissioner said.
