Australian Defence Force personnel convicted of sexual offences will no longer be able hide behind the military, with crimes to start showing up on police checks.
From next week, Defence will report service convictions of sexual and related offences to the national police reference system, Veterans' Affairs and Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh said.
It will result in troops who have committed serious crimes receiving a civilian record.
"This means that personnel who commit civilian equivalent offences can no longer hide their conduct within the military justice system," Mr Keogh told the National Press Club in Canberra on Tuesday.
The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide found the Defence Force did not know how many of its personnel had been convicted in civilian courts, even if the offending was against other members.
Mr Keogh outlined progress on implementing the recommendations from the inquiry a year on from the government's response.
By the end of December, 32 recommendations will be in place, with work under way on a further 89.
"Ensuring the wellbeing of our people isn't soft, it's about making sure we have the best war fighters ready when we need them," Mr Keogh said.
Mr Keogh said a standalone military sexual violence inquiry was expected to start in mid-2026.
The fresh inquiry will look at the barriers in the Australian Defence Force to investigating sexual assault and the effectiveness of the military justice system.
Donna Manton, a survivor of military sexual violence, said she hoped "real, systemic, cultural, deep change" would take place in the ADF following the new probe.
"We need to look at why previous cultural changes haven't worked, and accountability is the key to that," she said.
"Otherwise it (the inquiry) becomes another shelf filler. I don't want to see that happen."
The chair of the Athena Project, which advocates for victim-survivors of sexual violence, said a lack of action would signal Defence wasn't serious about cultural change.
Labor will also crack down on the advocacy system to better protect veterans from "unscrupulous" people taking advantage of them.
"I was enraged to hear veterans are being charged staggering fees – things like $20,000 for a single days work by an advocate and charging commissions as high as 29 per cent of a veteran's DVA compensation payment," Mr Keogh said.
The royal commission found 1677 serving and former serving defence personnel had died by suicide between 1997 and 2021, more than 20 times the number killed in active duty during the same period.
Any woman who experienced sexual violence harassment or discrimination during their service in the Australian military between November 12, 2003 and May 25, 2025 is eligible to join a class action launched on Tuesday in the Federal Court.
More than 1000 women have joined the landmark challenge so far.
Joshua Aylward, the lawyer from JGA Saddler heading the action, said the legal case was an avenue to seek justice.
"Women who have suffered in the ADF, who have had their complaints ignored and been punished for raising issues, want their day in court because this is how you get big organisations to actually listen and act," he said.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Lifeline 13 11 14
Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491
Open Arms 1800 011 046
