Australia's vice-chief of the defence force says he wasn't able to achieve all the reforms to the military justice system that were needed, and was "disappointed" about the poor experiences other personnel had.
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Vice Admiral David Johnston told the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide on Monday, he was proud of the work that had been done to improve the system which had caused psychological harm to defence force members.
"I have not achieved all that I may have wished to been able to achieve," he said.
"It has been a function that I have respected, I recognise the importance of it."
Vice Admiral Johnston said the justice system was "critical" to the command function and performance of the military's units.
He agreed the royal commission had shed a light on weaknesses in the system, which were not previously known.
"I'm disappointed to hear that my experience and pride in being a member of the Australian Defence Force, and the system that I've experienced, is not a shared one by all of the people who have served our country," Vice Admiral Johnston said.
In his opening remarks of the royal commission's final public hearings block, Chair Nick Kaldas urged co-operation and accountability to address the issue.
"We are not the cause of the ADF's troubles. Our data analysis has
confirmed that their greatest enemy lies within the ADF itself and its
resistance to change," he said.
"It is apparent from the evidence we've uncovered that there are deep-
rooted cultural and systemic challenges within the ADF and DVA (Department of Veterans' Affairs) which have had dire consequences."
Mr Kaldas said no more could the "siloed, fragmented and incremental approach to veteran support be tolerated".
"No longer can these systemic issues be denied, dismissed, diminished or deflected by those in the halls of power and positions of leadership," he said.
Defence Minister Richard Marles and other senior military leaders will give evidence at the hearings.
The last of the public hearings have started in Sydney and will wrap up at the end of March.
It will be the final chance for the inquiry to ask questions of senior Defence and government figures about evidence before its final report is handed down in September.
Australian Defence Force chief General Angus Campbell has already faced questioning at the royal commission. Independent senator Jacqui Lambie will appear at a later date.
The commission has previously expressed its frustration at the slow response from commonwealth agencies to requests for information, as well as claims of confidentiality, parliamentary privilege and public interest immunity.
Mr Kaldas said many of the people who came forward and told their story had expressed a "strong sense of disappointment and betrayal" at being let down by Defence.
"Some are angry or bitter, many are sad, others are shattered, but almost all want to help make it better," he said.
"They want the defence force to succeed. They don't want others to have the same experiences they had."
The final report was originally due in mid-June, but a three-month extension was granted.
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