Cassidy, Laureen (SEN)
From:	Lionel Boxer [lboxer@hotmail.com]
Sent:	Wednesday, 2 May 2001 4:21 PM
To:	fadt.sen@aph.gov.au
Subject:	Submission to Inquiry into Recruitment and Retention of ADF Personnel
Having given the matter of recruitment and retention of ADF personnel a 
great deal of thought and discussion, I feel that the situation can be 
summed up in the following simple sentence:

Service through the ADF has been cheapened so much that people see little 
cause for their service.

This is symbolised partially by the new defence force long service medal 
that consolidates the former reserve force decoration, reserve force medal 
and defence force medal.  That the medal has been consolidated into one is 
good, that the medal does not carry a post nominal is very bad.  In Canada, 
the Canadian Forces Decoration was instituted in the early 1950s and is 
issued to all ranks both regular and reserve of army, navy and air force.  
That decoration carries the post nominal CD.  One step to demonstrating the 
value placed on service though the ADF would be to confer the post nominal 
AD (or something similar) on all those who have been issued the new defence 
force long service medal.  If it is true that the Australian honours system 
was modelled on the Canadian honours system, then this parallel should be 
observed.  Not doing so sends a clear message that military service is not 
valued by the community.

There are of course many other factors that cause poor recruiting and 
retention, but the example given is a symptom of the problems that underlie 
the situation.  There is no real value placed on ADF service and ADF people 
feel that.

I have seen many:
- obstructions to recruiting.
- causes that drive people to resign.

Perhaps these obstructions and causes can be summed up by unbridled ambition 
and personal agendas.  In other words flawed reward systems.

Another item, that might be outside the scope of this committee is army 
reserve bands.  As an example, in the victoria state police force bag pipers 
and drummers are able to join the force as unsworn members, with the 
understanding that they are there solely to play music.  Why is this 
parallel not possible in the army reserve?  There is no reason why army 
reserve soldiers cannot also be part of these bands (and certainly this 
would be the preference), but typically army reserve soldiers do not have 
time to learn to play these instruments.  At the same time, there are plenty 
of musicians (who cannot join the ADF for one reason or another) who would 
willingly either tutor army reservists, or perform with them on parades.

Lionel Boxer CD MBA BTech(IE)
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