Landmark Study Delivers New Foundation for Middle East Veterans’ Health and Wellbeing
Media Release from RSL Australia website
The Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL) has released the findings of a major independent study into the health and wellbeing of Australian veterans who served in the Middle East Area of Operations, establishing a strong foundation of evidence and action with this cohort.
The Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO) Veteran and Families Project Scoping Study was fully funded by the RSL and conducted independently of government. Led by a multidisciplinary consortium of Gallipoli Medical Research, Griffith University, and Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, the Study analysed approximately 2,500 international research studies, held lived experience workshops with veterans and families of veterans, and reviewed Australian MEAO research and data assets linking survey data with administrative health records.
RSL National President, Hon Peter Tinley AM, said the study represented a watershed moment for the contemporary veteran community.
“The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide made clear that the status quo is not acceptable. The MEAO Scoping Study is our answer: a rigorous, evidence-based foundation for change that places veterans and their families at the centre of care where they belong.” Mr Tinley said.
MEAO veterans served in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2001 to 2021, many on multiple rotations, in counterinsurgency and stabilisation roles that blurred the lines between combat, peacekeeping and civil engagement. Improvised explosive devices were a constant threat, contributing to both psychological harm and traumatic brain injuries, often multiple times over successive deployments. Many veterans returned to civilian life without continuity of care, and to communities with limited understanding of their experiences.
To read the full media release on RSL Australia’s website, please click HERE.
