For years bereaved families of war veterans have been campaigning for an investigation into suicides among veterans and Defence Force personnel.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has answered those pleas with the announcement of a National Commission for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention.
The permanent and independent body will look into ways of preventing suicides within the Defence Force community.
Mr Morrison says the Commissioner and his office will have similar powers to a Royal Commission.
Forty-million dollars will be invested to support the Commissioner’s work.
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds says these measures are important for the welfare of the Defence community.
She says it is the government's responsibility to safeguard the country's military personnel and veterans.
"Our serving ADF members and our veterans are truly remarkable Australians. As a government we are committed to their mental health, their well-being, and their care. It is our duty to do so. We owe them see and we owe them so much more."
In addition to the new Commissioner, Mr Morrison also announced the establishment of a Veteran Family Advocate to exist within the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
The role will be to represent families who have been impacted by veteran suicide.
Ivan Slavich is the CEO of Soldier On Australia - an initiative designed to support serving and retired members of the armed forces
He says the federal government's announcement presents a useful initiative.
In the future unfortunately there's a high probability there will be further suicides, so I think we'll be able to investigate every single suicide that takes place and why."
For more than a decade veteran Ben Farinazzo has been left with psychological scars from his time on the front line in East Timor.
The Soldier On Ambassador says the issue extends beyond just military service men and women.
"It's not a veteran issue for veterans to resolve. This is a national issue that doesn't just affect the veteran community. It affects Australians in every community across our country.
Even though a commissioner has not yet been appointed, their initial task will be to review the 400-plus known suicides dating back to 2001.
They will then be required to report back to parliament within 12 months.
If you or anyone you know needs help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
