Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide begins in Brisbane

A mother whose army veteran son took his own life has made an emotional plea for reform at the start of the long-awaited Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.

Karen Bird’s 32-year-old son Jesse Bird took his own life in 2017 weeks after losing a claim for permanent impairment he had been pursuing for almost two years.

Speaking outside of the commission on its opening day, Ms Bird said although her son died four-and-a-half …