1. Background and conduct of the inquiry
   1. The Defence Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (the Committee) is empowered under its resolution of appointment to conduct inquiries into annual reports of certain agencies.[1]
   2. On Wednesday, 23 November 2022, the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade resolved to have the Defence Subcommittee conduct an inquiry into the Department of Defence Annual Report 2021–22. Key themes of the inquiry’s focus included:

• Workforce recruiting and retention. The most important part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is its people. The Committee was interested in examining the department’s approach to workforce planning, the holistic recruitment process, retention initiatives, and how the organisation is keeping pace with a competitive job market outside of the Department of Defence (Defence).
• Space Command and capability. Space is now a contested domain, and Defence must be able to rapidly adapt to the ever-changing operating environment as well as ready itself for future competition and conflict. Noting its relatively new command status, the Committee was interested in reviewing Defence Space Command, its relationship and interoperability with coalition partners, and its emerging capabilities including key milestones.
• Support to national crisis. Defence is being called to assist increasingly more as part of the national response to domestic crises. Recent examples include support to the COVID-19 pandemic, and numerous floods and bushfire events. The Committee was interested in examining how this requirement impacts the organisation from a preparation, training, morale, and capability perspective, as well as reviewing current policy and how that translates into appropriate resourcing.
• Other issues as communicated to Defence. This section provided the flexibility to examine additional areas of interest to the Committee as well as officially record any items raised either via the submission process or public hearings that were outside the scope of the three primary focus items.
  3. Eleven submissions were received by the Committee and four public hearings were held in relation to this inquiry. This report, the Hansard transcripts, and all submissions are available on the Committee’s website.

Footnotes

[1]Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, ‘Resolution of Appointment’, House of Representatives Votes and Proceedings, No 3, 4 July 2019, p. 47.