The Abbott government will "seriously" examine an independent taskforce's call for a royal commission into sexual assault and abuse at the Australian Defence Force Academy, government sources say.
The Defence Abuse Response Taskforce has called for a royal commission into sexual abuse and assault at the academy and, crucially, Defence's failure to properly deal with abuse claims.
"The taskforce considers that the only way of ensuring confidence that the allegations of very serious abuse at ADFA can be thoroughly and completely investigated, and appropriately dealt with, is by way of a royal commission," the report states.
"Accordingly ... the taskforce recommends that the government establish a royal commission to inquire into, report and make recommendations in respect of allegations of abuse, and the management of reports of abuse, at ADFA from its inception to the present day."
The recommendations come in a landmark report into abuse at the academy which has been released exactly two years since the Gillard government set up a powerful taskforce, headed by retired judge Len Roberts-Smith, to examine decades of abuse allegations in the military.
One of the taskforce's jobs was to closely examine the so-called "ADFA 24" cases – a series of alleged rapes at the academy in the 1990s.
The report states that in particular the taskforce found there had been a "disturbingly high incidence of sexual abuse of female cadets at ADFA in the 1990s".
"In some cases, reports of sexual abuse were seriously mismanaged by Defence and ... a number of individuals allegedly responsible for perpetrating sexual abuse are still serving in Defence."
It describes as a matter of "grave concern" that people responsible for the abuse are still serving in the military.
The taskforce has heard from former cadets at ADFA who "recounted serious incidents of sexual abuse where those responsible appear not to have been held to account", Wednesday's report states.
"Others spoke of relentless sexual harassment and bullying, particularly of female cadets and cadets in their first year of training ... often perpetrated by more senior male cadets."
Given most cadets enter ADFA directly from school, the victims are generally aged just 17 to 20, the report states.
Many victims who spoke to the taskforce described a culture that "discouraged reporting and enabled abuse to occur and remain unpunished".
"Unsurprisingly, the serious abuse experienced by complainants at ADFA has had a significant impact on their lives and careers … These impacts have included physical injuries, severe emotional distress, serious psychological disorders, ostracism by peers, ruined careers, suicidal ideation, social isolation and many others."
The report also concludes it has likely only dealt with the tip of the iceberg because many who suffered abuse at ADFA have not come forward.
A second report also released on Wednesday updates the taskforce's progress on about 2400 complaints lodged about abuse right across the ADF, going back to the 1960s.
