By JESSE GRAHAM
AN Upwey father is campaigning for the ADF to adapt its privacy laws to inform family members of suicide attempts, after losing his son three years ago.
Mark Addison, an Upwey resident currently based in Arizona, has been campaigning for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to include a waiver which would void Privacy Act protections in incidents of self-harm.
His campaign came after losing his son, Stuart Addison, to suicide on 22 February, 2012, while he was a serving member of the Royal Australian Navy.
After visiting his base after the funeral, Mr Addison said he found out that Stuart had made a previous attempt on his life and was undergoing treatment for mental illness – as his father and next-of-kin, Mr Addison was not informed.
Two of Stuart’s shipmates aboard HMAS Stirling also committed suicide after Stuart’s death.
Mr Addison’s demands are simple – for a waiver to be included in the ADF’s contracts of service that would allow immediate family members to be notified of suicide attempts or self-harm.
“My personal feeling of the ADF is that it’s a great organisation, and well into 90 per cent of their work is brilliant,” Mr Addison said.
“But there is a gremlin in the system, and they’ve got to beat it out.”
For Mr Addison, not being informed of Stuart’s mental illness meant not having the chance to be with his son when he needed help the most.
On the third anniversary of Stuart’s death, Mr Addison launched a Change.org petition to have the waiver introduced – after a report on the suicides on ABC’s 7.30 Report, the petition has over 76,000 supporters from around the world.
But so far, the ADF has refused the proposal, and told the Mail its measures were reviewed in 2013 and found to be adequate.
“Defence conducted a review of Health Information Practices in late 2013,” a spokesperson said in a written statement.
“The review reaffirmed that it is the member who determines who has access to their personal health information and recommended that there be no change to Defence policy or practice in third party disclosure.”
The spokesperson said there was a “comprehensive and multi-layered approach” to mental health and well-being in the ADF.
“We have in place initiatives to reduce stigma and barriers to care, improve access to treatment and encourage Defence members and their families to seek help as early as possible,” they said.
After 1 July 2014, the Veterans and Veterans’ Families Counselling Service (VVCS) was expanded to pay for treatment of veterans diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety, depression, alcohol and substance use disorders without needing to prove the condition was related to their ADF work.
But the spokesperson said the ADF would not comment on individual cases, such as Stuart Addison’s, and questions on whether confidentiality could have been broken by his counsellor.
If any content in this story has been distressing, or you or anyone you know may be at risk of self-harm or suicide, contact Lifeline Australia’s 24-hour crisis support line on 13 11 14.
