Minister for Defence Science and Personnel Warren Snowdon joined the Chief of Army Lieutenant General David Morrison today to launch the Australian Army’s new recruitment of women campaign.

The “Women in the Army” recruitment campaign is part of an Army initiative to increase the number of women serving from 10 per cent to 12 per cent by 2014.

Mr Snowdon said the removal of gender restrictions would encourage talented, capable women to join the ADF.

“The removal of gender restrictions signals a key milestone in the significant cultural change we are seeing in Defence – and this will make a real difference in our ability to attract women in to the Defence force and keep them there,” Mr Snowdon said.

Lieutenant General Morrison said for the first time Army has set specific targets for the recruitment of women.

“My major goal for Army is to substantially increase the number of women in the Australian Regular Army, from its current level of approximately 3000 to 3600 by mid-2014,” Lieutenant General Morrison said.

“While this increase may appear small, it represents a considerable challenge for us and the changes we will make to implement this increase will set the pre-conditions for subsequent growth.

“We have worked hard to remove barriers that women face when they consider a career in Army. In particular, we are trialling a 12-month Initial Minimum Period of Service for selected trades and we are working to offer a pre-enlistment training fitness program for women candidates to improve their chances of success.”

“We are also focussed on retaining women in Army and are working with the other Services and Groups to engage our service women to better understand their needs. The result has been the implementation of flexible working initiatives that better support families, such as increased carer’s leave, shared leave between Service couples and the consideration of childcare options. 

“We are also reviewing how career management supports the retention of women in Army, with a view to better accommodating career development and family responsibilities,” Lieutenant General Morrison said.

Army is currently developing and implementing a number of recruiting and retention initiatives to increase the number of women in the Regular Army.

To support this strategy Defence Force Recruiting has developed a marketing campaign that focuses on the opportunities available in the Army to women, and highlights the normality, balanced lifestyle, benefits and rewards of an Army career.

The “Women in the Army” campaign, which will air from Sunday, 17 March, comprises television, radio, and magazine commercials, as well as online advertising and an interactive microsite www.defencejobs.gov.au/army.

To enquire or apply for a job in the Army call 13 19 01 or visit www.defencejobs.gov.au.

Media contacts:

Minister Snowdon’s Office: Lidija Ivanovski 0407 108 935
Defence Media Operations: (02) 6127 1999