New Inquiry Into Sexual Violence in Australian Defence Force to Proceed After a Year

Probe to review 11 areas, including victim retaliation, under-reporting, systemic failures and whether ADF justice matches civilian standards.

Australian and United States Army soldiers watch a United States Army M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) fire in Puslatpur, Indonesia during Exercise Super Garuda Shield 2023. (Courtesy of the Australian Defence Force).

CANBERRA, Australia—A long-awaited independent inquiry into sexual violence within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is finally moving ahead, a year after the federal government agreed to establish the investigation in response to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.

Minister for Veteran Affairs Matt Keogh highlighted the scale of the problem and the need for structural reform at the National Press Club.