PM Transcripts

In recent years the men and women of the Australian Defence Force have met some extraordinary challenges. In East Timor, on Bougainville, off Ashmore Reef and Christmas Island, they have acquitted themselves magnificently.
And as I speak today, some 1,550 Australian servicemen and women ready themselves for deployment overseas to support the international coalition against terrorism.
The Coalition is determined to ensure that these ADF personnel can meet this challenge secure in the knowledge that their future, and that of their loved ones, is a matter of the highest priority to the Government.
It is this determination which drives Recognition, Reward and Respect, the Coalition';s Defence Personnel Policy. It is a policy based on one fundamental fact – that building the best possible defence force requires the best possible people.
The White Paper places special emphasis on the people in Defence. In particular, it recognises the unique requirements of service life and acknowledges that being part of the ADF is more than just a job.
Accordingly, the Coalition';s policy places special emphasis on supporting the families of ADF personnel while on deployment. This includes:  Establishment of a Family Support Fund to provide immediate welfare relief and support to families while ADF members are on deployment, or absent from their normal place of residence, for extended periods; and provision of emergency child care assistance.  Through the Defence Community Organisation, which was set up by the Coalition, ADF families are provided with a 24 hour point of contact to support them while ADF members are deployed.  The assistance provided also includes such things as how to contact the member; local support groups; family crisis support; counselling support; local referrals for specific problems; access to emergency financial assistance; and post deployment programs to re-assimilate families.
These support measures were established during the East Timor deployment and will be repeated during the deployment to support the international coalition against terrorism.
I can also announce that the Government has determined the nature of service to be warlike and will introduce a new allowance for those ADF personnel being deployed overseas. An allowance of $200 per day will be paid for service inside Afghanistan and $125 per day for service in other associated areas of operations.
The total package of conditions will include other related conditions of service similar to that of the East Timor deployment, including coverage under the Veterans' Entitlements Act and enhanced taxation arrangements.
Overall, the White Paper commits an additional $4.1 billions dollars in personnel funding over the next decade. Under the Coalition';s plan, some $68 billion dollars in total will be devoted to personnel issues over ten years.
As part of this White Paper funding commitment, the Coalition has allocated $100 million per year for specific additional personnel initiatives totalling $500 million over the next five years. Our priorities for this funding will be:  Introduction of a modern, flexible remuneration system for ADF personnel along with enhanced family support measures;  Development of a new housing scheme to give single ADF members greater choice over where they live and the type of accommodation they occupy;  Ensuring ADF families continue to have priority access to DHA housing, given their family needs;  Extension of the Spouse Employment Assistance Program;  A major expansion of the Defence Child Care Program;  Improved superannuation arrangements and greater flexibility in leave arrangements; and Establishment of a new stand-alone, military specific compensation scheme.
As part of its White Paper, the Coalition initiated a review of ADFremuneration arrangements headed by Major General Barry Nunn AO RFD ED (Retd). The Review of Australian Defence Force Remuneration 2001 was handed to the Government at the end of August 2001 and is publicly available.
The focus of the review was to provide options that improve the attractiveness, flexibility, simplicity, efficiency and transparency of employment conditions offered to ADF personnel, and to ensure future ADF remuneration arrangements provide an effective and flexible framework, consistent with reforms in the wider public and private sectors.
The Government has directed the CDF and the Service Chiefs to consult widely with both serving and past serving Australian Defence Force members before forwarding to Government their response to the recommendations of the Nunn review.
The Coalition';s plan acknowledges the special nature of military life, and recognises that being part of the ADF is more than just a job. We see our people and their families as an integral part of the nation';s defence capability and have backed this belief with the largest funding increase to Defence in decades.