The Department of Veteran’s Affairs and the Department of Defence have been working with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to produce the report. 

The report states that between 2001 and 2015 there were 325 deaths of current and former service men and women, and 51 per cent of these were those no longer in service. The overwhelming majority of the suicides, 93 per cent, were men. 

Launceston RSL sub-branch president Graeme Barnett said many returned service people struggled to adapt to life outside the military. 

“The defence are very, very good at training us to cope with all the stuff while you're away, so you don't think twice about taking your rifle between your knees while you're sitting on the loo, you don't think twice about having your rifle hanging on the towel rack instead of your towel when you're in the shower, [but] when you come home they don’t un-train you or retrain you,” he said. 

“It takes an awful long time to get back to being a person not a soldier, sailor or airman.”

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Ex-serving men aged 18 to 24 were twice as likely to die from suicide than non-serving men of the same age. 

However, the suicide rate for those currently serving or in the reserves was significantly lower than the rate for men in Australia, and half as high than ex-serving men. 

A Department of Veteran’s Affairs spokesman said the government is committed to the wellbeing of current and former members of the Australian Defence Force. 

“Successful transition from the ADF is best supported by the establishment of a relationship between the member and DVA as early as practical,” they said. 

“The Transition Taskforce is examining the experiences of ADF members and their families as they leave the permanent forces and enter civilian life, with a view to a implementing a more seamless process.”

DVA is aware of about 840 veterans with PTSD or other stress disorders in Tasmania.

Post traumatic stress disorder can often be a contributing factor to poor mental health in those who have served in the military. 

The DVA has also contracted the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to record data on the number of ex-serving members seeking help for homelessness. 

It has also commissioned a research study by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute looking at the issue of homelessness among Australia’s veterans, which will address a lack of robust data on veteran homelessness the country. 

“Recent research on suicide, homelessness, transition and families will support the design of mental health and rehabilitation specifically to meet the needs of current and former ADF members and their families,” the spokesman said.