Barnaby Joyce has backed the government's decision to endorse a royal commission into veteran suicide, adding it was pleasing to finally see some movement on the issue.
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The New England MP revealed he was relieved Prime Minister Scott Morrison was no longer standing in the way of the push.
A motion demanding the establishment of a royal commission was passed in the House of Representatives last month, after Mr Morrison finally bowed to mounting pressure.
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Mr Joyce claimed he was one of the people applying pressure, and said the issue was something he had been concerned about for a long time.
"I said I would support the quest for a royal commission after discussions with returned servicemen and women, and the path that we have negotiated allows precisely that," Mr Joyce said.
It was a conversation with retired special forces commander Heston Russell that truly sparked the Nationals member's interest, after he was told up to 700 former servicemen and women had committed suicide in recent years.
Mr Joyce was happy to see Mr Morrison finally accept the urgency of the matter, and emphasised the fact that only the prime minister had the ability to take such significant action.
"You can't vote for a royal commission or stop it, only the prime minister can do that, so these are all making points to pressure the prime minister to do that," he said.
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