The Military Sexual Trauma Research Project

Survey

To participate in the anonymous survey, you must be:

• a current serving ADF member or former ADF member (permanent or reserves) who finished their service within the past 15 years (since 2011), and
• currently 18 years of age or older.

The survey asks about the impacts of unwanted sexual experiences, including sexual harassment and sexual assault, during ADF service. It looks at how common military sexual trauma is and what support people need.

Your voice can make a difference.

The survey will be live from the end of October 2026 for a 4-6 period.

Interviews or Written Submissions

To participate in the interviews or written submissions, you must be:

• a current ADF member or former ADF member (permanent or reserves) who finished their service within the past 15 years (since 2011)
• currently 18 years of age or older
• located at a participating base (if you are a current serving ADF member).
  • ADFA
  • HMAS Albatross
  • HMAS Watson
  • HMAS Stirling
  • Robertson Barracks
  • Lavarack Barracks
  • RAAF Townsville
• located in select cities (if you are an ex-serving member)
  • Brisbane
  • Canberra
  • Sydney
  • Nowra
  • Townsville
  • Adelaide
  • Darwin
  • Perth

If you are invited to an interview, we want to know:

• what is helpful and what is unhelpful when dealing with military sexual violence
• what responses and supports need to change to help people affected.

The interviews will not ask about your personal experiences. You can share as little or as much as you would like. Taking part is voluntary and you can stop at any time.

Current and ex-serving members in key locations will receive an invitation to participate in an interview or written submission. You can contact mst.research@humanrights.gov.au to find out if your base is participating or if we will be holding interviews near you, and to receive an invitation.

Military sexual trauma refers to the lasting psychological harm that can result after experiences of sexual harassment or sexual assault during military service.

These experiences are often described as military sexual violence. This means unwanted or unwelcome sexual behaviours carried out against a service member in the course of their military service. It can happen on or off Defence premises, while a service member is on or off duty.

It may include behaviours used by fellow service members, ADF civilians, Defence civilians, ADF contractors, foreign military personnel, or others encountered in military settings.

Military sexual violence can include:

• sexual harassment
• sexual assault
• sex discrimination or discrimination based on sex
• sharing intimate images without consent
• stalking
• other sexually threatening behaviour.

Sexual violence in a military setting can feel different from civilian life because of things like rank, chain of command, close living and working conditions, a culture of silence, and expectations around service and loyalty. Military sexual trauma refers to the impact these experiences can have over time. It can include trauma responses, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and/or thoughts of suicide – especially when a person does not feel heard, protected, or properly responded to.

Not everyone who experiences military sexual violence will develop military sexual trauma. However, there is a strong link between the two, and understanding this link is important to improving how victim-survivors are treated within Defence and veteran systems.

This project aims to learn what needs to change to improve responses for victim-survivors of military sexual violence and all people affected.

This project won’t connect you with counsellors, with welfare services, the police, the courts or the ADF. It also won’t fix any problems from past experiences.

This project is also not a place where you can make a complaint.

If you want counselling or to make a complaint, you can find out how from the organisations listed.

The Royal Commission recognised that military sexual trauma is a serious human rights issue and in response, the Australian Government asked us to research how common it is and how it impacts people over time.

ADF records show that almost 800 sexual assaults were reported between 2018 -2019 and 2022-2023. However, ADF acknowledges that many people never report their experiences, meaning the real number is likely much higher.

Military sexual trauma can have long-lasting impacts on people’s lives, health and wellbeing. There is currently not enough research or data to fully understand the scale of the problem or how people are affected during and after service.

We want to understand the impacts of military sexual trauma and think about ways that responses and supports can be improved for those affected.

The Defence and Veterans’ Service Commission (DVSC) is conducting an independent inquiry into military sexual violence in the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The inquiry will deliver on recommendation 25 of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. The Royal Commission found that sexual violence remains a systemic issue in the ADF, significantly harming ADF personnel and their families. The inquiry will begin in late 2026 and be completed by the end of 2027.

While both are recommendations from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, this project is separate to the Inquiry into Military Sexual Violence (Inquiry). The Inquiry has a broad mandate to investigate military sexual violence within the ADF and give recommendations related to prevention and early intervention, reporting, response, and justice processes.

Our research is focused on measuring how common military sexual violence and trauma are in the ADF, and understanding how military sexual trauma connects to suicidality among current and ex-serving members. We aim to develop an evidence base that can be used by the Inquiry and in future research.

Further information about the Inquiry, including how you can participate, and the Inquiry’s terms of reference can be accessed on the DVSC website: www.dvsc.gov.au/inquiries/MSV.

The experiences of all current and ex-serving members are important and valid. For the purposes of this project, we want to hear from ex-serving members who left within the last 15 years because they have experience with the most up-to-date ADF culture, systems and processes. This means we can make recommendations for change which are relevant to today. 15 years may also allow time for some people to have fully transitioned out of the ADF, have reflected on their experiences, and to have had recent experience with veteran organisations or support mechanisms.

The Military Sexual Trauma Research Project is not a project where you can file complaints. If you want those kinds of options, there are some other services which can help you. If you want counselling or to make a complaint, you can find out how from the organisations listed.

In October 2025, a class action was filed in the Federal Court of Australia against the Commonwealth of Australia on behalf of current and ex-serving ADF members who are women. They are seeking compensation for those who may have experienced gender-based sexual assault, harassment and/or discrimination whilst serving in the ADF at any point between 13 November 2003 and 25 May 2025.

Being part of, or wanting to be a part of, the Class Action does not prevent you from taking part in this project. Similarly, you can take part in the Class Action even if you have already contributed to this project.

The project is not related to the Class Action and was not influenced by the Class Action. We will not ask you about the Class Action. We ask that you don’t share information about the Class Action during the survey, in interviews, or in your written submission. Further information, can be found on the ComCover website.

Signing an NDA does not necessarily prevent you from participating in this project.

If you have signed a confidentiality clause or non-disclosure agreement (NDA), you should not disclose legal advice, communications with lawyers, litigation strategy, draft evidence, confidential settlements or settlement discussions, or any information that must be kept confidential or is covered by a court order. If you are unsure, you should seek independent legal advice.

We are working to have NDAs waived so people who have signed an NDA can more easily participate. For updates about this, please visit this webpage or contact the project team on mst.project@humanrights.gov.au.

We recognise that military sexual trauma can have significant impacts on families, partners and other loved ones, and that there is a need for research to better understand those experiences and support needs. Research focused specifically on military families is important and would require a dedicated approach to ensure their perspectives are properly captured. We are not able to do this within the scope and resources of this project. However, participants may choose to share how military sexual trauma has affected their family relationships and support networks, which will help us better understand some of these broader impacts.