Brooke says she was stalked, bullied and raped after joining the Navy. She fears nothing will ever change

Two years after enlisting in the Royal Australian Navy, Brooke* said she was raped by a male colleague. She was yet to turn 20.

It wasn't the first time she said she had been subjected to sexual violence while serving in the Australian Defence Force (ADF), and it wouldn't be the last.

"If these things happened to me, then there's definitely other women or other people out there that these things have happened to," she told 9news.com.au on the condition of anonymity. She was right.

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Sexual violence was a recurring theme in the submissions from female service members and veterans for the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicides.

Though both women and men experience military sexual assault, data from Defence collected between January 1, 2018, and October 1, 2023 showed that over 80 per cent of victims were female, and over 90 per cent of alleged perpetrators were male.

Included among the 122 recommendations made in the Royal Commission's final report was a call for an external, independent, expert inquiry into sexual violence in the ADF to "prevent sexual violence and improve workplace protections and support for victims when it does occur, and ensure perpetrators are held to account".

"Defence is supporting the government as they consider their response to the Royal Commission's report and recommendations. Implementing recommendations will require significant reform across Defence," a Defence spokesperson told 9news.

But Brooke and other female veterans fear it just won't happen.

"I'm not confident about the implementation of change," she said.

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at mleach@nine.com.au

Joining the Navy was supposed to be Brooke's ticket out of a country town; instead, she says she was stalked, bullied, sexually harassed and raped.

It began at her first posting, when an unknown perpetrator repeatedly attempted to access her residence late at night.

"When I first raised concerns about what I had heard and what was happening, it was just dismissed as [me] being young, naïve," she said.

When a more senior, male officer saw someone trying to enter her property, a statement was made to federal police and she hoped it was "just a one off bad experience".

The following year, she says she was raped by a male service member after feeling pressured to use recreational drugs at a party with other Navy personnel.

She didn't report it for fear of being dismissed or blamed.

Sexual harassment from male service members continued for years, including sexual comments, groping, and flashing their genitals at Brooke.

When she reported some incidents of sexual harassment though her chain of command, she claims she was bullied, branded a "trouble maker" and passed over for promotion. She did not report the incidents to police.

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Brooke's mental health deteriorated and she began planning self-harm and suicide.

When she requested support through ADF, she was encouraged to see a psychologist but felt she couldn't speak about the sexual violence due to the ADF culture and years of victim-blaming.

In 2005, she was admitted to hospital in Canberra "on suicide watch". Brooke voluntarily discharged a few months later.

She felt the ADF didn't acknowledge how dire her situation was, and she struggled to access professional support through the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) after discharging.

The claims process was confusing and wait times were "ridiculously" long.

"I just put it in the too hard basket, and things deteriorated further from then into suicide attempts," Brooke said.

She attempted to end her life multiple times during a two-year-period.

It took years for her to secure appropriate DVA support for mental and physical ailments stemming from her time in the ADF, including Panic Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, and PTSD. 

Sadly, Brooke's story isn't unique.

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She's one of many female veterans who shared their experiences in submissions to the Royal Commission in the hopes of sparking change within the ADF that could protect current and future service women from sexual violence.

Brooke now wants to see an end to the culture of silence around sexual misconduct in the ADF and support the Royal Commission's call for an external, independent, expert inquiry.

"There are some fantastic ideas and suggestions in there. I'm hopeful that most of them are taken on board, but I'm not sure that they will be," she said.

"I have children now, and I don't want other people's children or my own to think that Defence is a great career option and not be informed."

*Name changed.

Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyond blue on 1300 22 4636. Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.

If you are a current or former ADF member, or a relative, and need counselling or support, you can contact the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046.

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