ADF Inquiry reports
Australian Defence Force (ADF) administrative inquiries are conducted under the authority of the Defence Act 1903. These inquiries may take a number of forms, each with different legal requirements and varying degrees of formality or procedural complexity. The most common types of inquiry appointed to inquire into deaths or other serious matters concerning the ADF are Commissions of Inquiry, Boards of Inquiry and Inquiry Officer Inquiries. For more information about ADF Inquiries, please see the FAQs on the Department of Defence website.
Commissions of Inquiry (COI) are established primarily to inquire into deaths of ADF members that appear to have arisen out of, or in the course of their service. A Commission of Inquiry may also be appointed to inquire into the serious injury of ADF members or any other matter concerning the ADF.
Boards of Inquiry have been superseded by Commissions of Inquiry for inquiries concerning the death of an ADF member. However, Boards of Inquiry may be established to inquire into other incidents, for example an accident or injury, or damage to a Defence asset.
Defence Medals reviews
Defence Honours and Awards provide medallic recognition to current serving and discharged Australian Defence Force personnel and Defence civilians. Awards are issued from the Australian and Imperial honours and awards systems from World War One to current day.
Reviews and reports regarding Defence Medals are available from their website.
Defence Reviews reports
Provided below is a selection of Defence Reviews reports published by the Department of Defence. Please note that the links are provided here as a navigation aid only.
| Title and Link | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | On 11 April 2011 the Minister for Defence announced a series of reviews into aspects of Defence and ADF culture. The Minister also announced the DLA Piper Review of Allegations of Sexual and Other Forms of Abuse in Defence. The reviews have now been completed, and the full reports are available. On 7 March 2012, the Minister for Defence, Secretary of Defence and the Chief of the Defence Force jointly announced a strategy for cultural change and reinforcement in Defence and the Australian Defence Force. This implementation strategy, Pathway to Change - Evolving Defence Culture, incorporates the recommendations made in a series of reviews into Defence and ADF culture. The Minister for Defence provided an update on the implementation of Pathway to Change on 26 November 2012. | |
| 2010 | The 2010 ADF Mental Health Prevalence and Wellbeing Study is a major deliverable of the ADF Mental Health Reform Program, as it provides the foundation for the next generation of the ADF mental health strategy and future evaluation of mental health interventions and services. The study shows that the 12-month rate of mental disorder in the ADF is very similar to that of a matched sample from the Australian community, but that the ADF has a different profile which reflects the unique demands of service. The Full Report and an Executive Report is available from the Department of Defence website. | |
Review of Mental Health Care in the ADF and Transition through Discharge | 2009 | The review report highlights the successes and gaps in the delivery of mental health programs and transition services in the ADF and makes 52 recommendations to improve and extend the overall delivery of those services. |
| 2008 | The purpose of the Review was to review the general accountability, probity and the transparency of the management of the ADFC to determine clear lines of responsibility to ensure that the ADFC is achieving its specific objectives in an efficient and effective manner. The panel adopted a broad approach to develop a strategic ‘roadmap’ to guide future development of the ADFC, rather than detailed plans. | |
| 2002 | This document sets out, for the benefit of the national and international communities and the Australian Defence Force itself, a clear and concise account of the Australian approach to warfare and of the constitutional, social, geo-strategic and cultural influences on this approach. | |
| 2000 | This report addresses the outcome of the ‘Review of Service Entitlement Anomalies in respect of South-East Asian Service 1955-75’. | |
| 2000 | The Australian Defence Force Health Status Report summarises the current health status of ADF personnel in terms of available health indicators. It is comprehensive, in that it discusses many health indicators across a number of areas. | |
Report of the Independent Review Panel of the End of War List – Vietnam | 1999 | As a result of continuing representations from the Ex-Service community, the Government decided to appoint an independent Panel to review aspects of the decision on the end of War List for Vietnam announced in February 1998 and report to the Government on any further action that may be required. |
| 1994 | A comprehensive public inquiry into the Australian system of honours and awards conducted in two stages. The first stage was a comprehensive review of Defence and Defence-related areas of interest, including the application of present Australian awards in recognition of service by Australians in defence-related activities. |