A future that never forgets: Honouring service and sacrifice, and lighting the way forward

As Remembrance Day approaches, I find myself reflecting on what it truly means to pause, remember, and pay tribute.

This day remains one of our most profound traditions centred on gratitude – linked strongly to history but also with a future that we hope will value sacrifice and benefit from hard-learned lessons of the past.

The act of remembrance is a simple yet powerful gesture that links every one of us to those who sacrificed so much. It’s a reminder that while time moves forward, some moments and sacrifices are simply too important to let fade from our collective memory.

Today, we recognise that reflection is also a way to acknowledge the hardships still faced by many in our veteran community. With the recent conclusion of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, we are reminded of those lost not just in the course of active service but to the unseen battles they face, often alone.

The findings of the Royal Commission reveal organisational dysfunction, leadership failures, and deep-seated cultural issues within the Defence Force, as well as a troubling indifference by successive governments toward veterans’ wellbeing.

Tragically, this has resulted in a veteran suicide rate up to 2.1 times higher than the national average and an attempted suicide rate 15 times higher than among the general population.

Difficult as the learnings from the Royal Commission have been for all of us in the Defence and ex-service community, we at the RSL in Victoria believe we must take this opportunity to drive meaningful and positive change. With at least 57 prior reviews and 770 recommendations already made over the past decades, many of which now sit forgotten as dusty tomes in parliamentary libraries, we are hopeful that this moment will be different. To the individuals and families who bravely shared their stories to bring about this change – your courage matters, and it is helping to shape a stronger, more understanding Australia.

Two months on from the closing of the Royal Commission, we are at a pivotal moment – one that requires us all to be brave in recognising what needs to be changed and what can be improved upon and taking bold, decisive steps towards change.

At the RSL, we recognise that there is more we can do to support the wellbeing of veterans and their families, and we are committed to ensuring the service we provide continues to meet the increasing and evolving needs of all veterans.

We call on the solidarity of the entire veteran community in this – each of our voices and actions is essential in creating meaningful, lasting change.

As we look to the future, we call on the Federal Government to also show their commitment by adopting all 122 recommendations from the Royal Commission, and we look forward to an ongoing, constructive and consultative process under which no veteran is left behind or left worse off by the harmonisation of legislation around veteran entitlements.

The Royal Commission’s recommendations, if fully implemented, will provide much-needed support for our most vulnerable veterans: more robust health services that meet the needs of veterans and their families, critical support for those transitioning to civilian life, and the establishment of an independent oversight body.

We echo the words of the Chair of the Royal Commission, Nick Kaldas APM, who called on this government and succeeding governments to finally take the courageous step of overruling bureaucratic inertia and doing what is needed, what is necessary and what is right for the men and women of the ADF who have worn the uniform, done all we ever asked of them, gone where angels fear to tread, and paid a very dear price for their service.

It is against the backdrop of the Royal Commission’s journey that we understand, more clearly than ever before, that Remembrance Day is about more than looking back; it’s about ensuring we move forward with empathy, respect, and gratitude. It’s about creating a nation where those who return from service find support and understanding, and where future generations inherit a culture that values peace, resilience, and the importance of community.

Today, however we choose to pause, reflect and remember, in doing so we keep alive the values and resilience of all those who have served and sacrificed. Every poppy worn and every moment of silence observed honours not only those who fell but also the ideals they believed in: the value of peace, the courage to serve, and the commitment to one another, and the enduring bonds of mateship born out of the fire of service in adversity.

At this time, let’s come together not just in remembrance and gratitude but in shared purpose. Let’s carry forward the promise to care for our veterans, to reflect on the heavy cost of war, and to honour the courage it takes to strive for peace. In the simple act of remembering, we honour those who served, and we shape a future that never forgets.

Together we remember, today and always.

Dr Rob Webster OAM

RSL Victoria State President