Veteran suicide royal commission imminent | Busselton-Dunsborough Mail

Scott Morrison will soon announce the start date of a royal commission into veteran suicides.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has confirmed the inquiry is imminent.

“It will be announced by the prime minister in the not-too-distant future,” he told 2GB radio on Monday.

“We want that work to get underway and that’s what will happen.”

Mr Dutton said the government remained committed to establishing a permanent commission of inquiry into veteran suicides.

But the independent commissioner will operate alongside a standalone inquiry.

Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie urged the prime minister to establish the inquiry immediately.

“Wake up. We need that royal commission. There is nothing stopping him for calling it today,” she told Sky News.

The government could announce the royal commission in the lead-up to Anzac Day on April 25. If so, funding for the inquiry would be included in next month’s federal budget.

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