Doorstop Interview, Canberra

SUBJECTS: Australian Defence Force Recruitment and Retention; Army Aviation; Harbour Bridge Protest; Middle East Conflict; ADF Sidearms. 

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Welcome everyone. Today I’m here with Matt Keogh, the Minister for Defence Personnel, and we are announcing that in the last financial year, we have seen more than 7,000 people enlisted into the Australian Defence Force. This is the largest enlistment that we have seen in more than 15 years, and it’s very good news. It represents a 17% increase year on year from what we enlisted in the previous year, and it now takes the full-time force to 61,000. In addition, we are seeing the separation rate fall as well, down to 7.9% which is well below the long-term average of around 9%, and that is a function of the policies that this government has put in place – in terms of continuation bonuses, in terms of providing more support for defence families and for defence housing. Now, when we came to government, the Defence Force was shrinking. We were seeing recruitment down. We saw the separation rate at about 11.2%, which was very high, and it was a real challenge for this government to be dealing with a shrinking Defence Force. Today, as a result of the policies that the government has put in place, and as a result of what we’ve seen in terms of an increase in the number of applications to join the Defence Force – 75,000 in the last financial year, again a significant increase, the highest number in five years, as a result of all of that, we have this enlistment number and the Defence Force, once again, is growing. And that is great news for the nation. But as good as that news is, our challenge is not just about keeping the Defence Force at the numbers that we’re at. As important as it is to steady the ship, we have ambitions to grow the Defence Force through the back end of this decade and into the 2030s, and so we know that there is a lot more to do. But today’s number of more than 7,000 Australians joining the Defence Force in the last financial year, the best number in 15 years, is great news for the country.

MATT KEOGH, MINISTER FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL: Thanks, Richard. Look, what was clearly the case when we came into government was that we saw defence numbers going backwards. That was a huge problem. We know that we’ve got terribly difficult geo-strategic circumstances that we face, and the Defence Strategic Review that we undertook made very clear that we had to get about increasing the size of our Defence Force, as well as recalibrating our capabilities across the board. And what we’ve been getting about over the last three years is making sure that we deliver on that increase in our most important capability – that is, our people. And what we’ve been able to do over that time is now get to a point where we’re now receiving some 75,000 applications. That’s a 28% increase on the previous year. Obviously, that’s incredibly important. But getting more people through that system more quickly is also incredibly important. And so we’ve done things like changing eligibility criteria, making sure that our policies weren’t just knocking people out of the system for no really valid reason. In the 21st century, it was in no way appropriate that just because someone had endometriosis, they could not be a member of our Defence Force, or that because they’d had acne or a significant broken bone in their past. We needed to make sure that our eligibility criteria matched the more than 300 different types of roles that we have available in our Defence Force, not just the things that people think about in terms of front-line Army infantry or fighter pilots, but the diesel mechanics, the cyber operators, the new intake that we’ll be bringing on of space operators, those people that are going to be engaged in our nuclear-propelled submarine force. There are so many different roles available. Making sure that eligibility criteria fit those roles meant that we could bring more people through that application process – and do it more quickly, getting that average down from where it was at over a year, bringing it down now on average to being around 260-odd days. But importantly, for our critical roles, those that we need to be accelerating, we’re now getting that process down to around 150 days, and we’ll keep working to make that work faster. We’ve been working closely with our recruitment partner Adecco to make sure that we can get that system working more quickly – doing medical and psychological testing in parallel instead of stringing these processes out, so that we don’t lose people to attrition because of how long the process takes. But also improving the terms of service, making sure that we’re properly supporting and building our Defence Force members and their families, by improving access to ADF health cover, making housing more supportive, by changing policies so that when people are being posted to new locations, they can get access to housing sooner, so they can enrol their kids in schools in those new locations, because they’ll know the address that they’ll be living at. Making sure that we’re supporting people with a commitment, when they decide to commit to the Australian Defence Force for a further period – that we are recognising that with a continuation bonus. So all of these measures have meant that we’ve seen an increase in applications – 28% increase on last year. We’ve enlisted more than 7,000 people over the last year, the biggest number in 15 years. We’re seeing the retention rate being at an all-time high, with separation rates at a historic low. Through the initiatives that we’ve been rolling out over the last three years, there is still more work to do, but we are now on an upward trajectory, which compared to when we came into government, where we inherited a situation where the Australian Defence Force was shrinking – we are now growing again. And we will continue to work hard at this so that we can grow our Defence Force and provide that important capability – the people being the most important capability for our Australian Defence Force.

JOURNALIST: Are you still committed to recruiting foreign nationals, despite the figures you’re reflecting on today?

KEOGH: So we started a program from the middle of last year where we would recruit permanent residents here in Australia who were New Zealand citizens, and from the beginning of this year from other Five Eyes partners, so the US, UK and Canada, and that has been incredibly successful. The number of people contacting us and putting in applications has been great. And what we’ve seen is a number have already enlisted, and we’ve got about 70 that are in the pre-enlistment phase just waiting for a course to start so that we can enlist them, and that’ll be happening very shortly, and we’ve got over 500 applications from those countries now that are working their way through the system.

JOURNALIST: You mentioned before about the terribly difficult geo-strategic challenges and situation the world’s in. Maybe get a view from the two of you, do you think that that’s actually an incentive for people to enlist, or are people sort of thinking again before embarking on a career that could see them in conflict?

KEOGH: There’s one thing that is common across everybody who seeks to join the Australian Defence Force – it’s their commitment to a higher calling, their commitment to serve Australia’s national interest. And certainly, I think when people see that those interests are under pressure, that engages people’s minds into how they can contribute. And we see that reflected in our application numbers and people in the states.

MARLES: I mean, I very much agree with what Matt has just said. One of the unique things about working with people in the Australian Defence Force, which both Matt and I have the privilege of doing, is you're working with a cohort who have all made the decision to serve. And I think the fundamental point here is that young Australians who are the primary target in terms of recruiting into the Australian Defence Force are as willing and desirous of serving our nation as any previous generation. And I think the geo‑strategic circumstances do highlight the importance of service, but fundamentally, there is a desire to serve amongst young Australians, and that's something which is really wonderful to see. 

JOURNALIST: Do you think that Army Aviation is going to live separately, as a separate entity, away from the RAAF forever? Or is it possible that Army Aviation, as some in defence expect, will be folded into RAAF?

MARLES: Well, Army Aviation has a very proud tradition. It has been in different services over the journey. There is no plan to change that now. Army Aviation plays a really critical role in terms of the helicopter support based significantly at Holsworthy, but we also see elements in Townsville, which are doing really great work with our Defence Force– and of course Oakey. So there is no plan to change Army Aviation.

JOURNALIST: What is the– just changing topics, if I may – 90,000 plus walked Sydney Harbour Bridge on the weekend. 

MARLES: Before we do that, are there any other questions on these matters? Sure. 

JOURNALIST: Many people walked across the Harbour Bridge. Ed Husic reckons it was more than 90,000. What do you think that tells you about the Australian community and what they want from you, and what they want to see in the Middle East?

MARLES: I'll make a couple of reflections. Certainly, the march yesterday was a very powerful statement, and I'd also reflect that the protests that we saw yesterday were peaceful and very much commend and thank the protesters and the organisers for that. It's really important. But it was a very powerful statement to see the multitude of people across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in particular. I think Australians are rightly appalled by the tragedy that they see unfolding on their screens playing out in Gaza. It's a tragedy that we all want to see stop. It's why the government has been calling for a ceasefire for a very long period of time now. It's also why we have been increasing our humanitarian assistance, and indeed, the Foreign Minister announced another tranche of $20 million worth of assistance today in support of those in Gaza. But fundamentally, what we see playing out is a tragedy and I think the whole world is calling for this to come to an end. It must come to an end. And the marches that we saw yesterday, I think, are a reflection of so many people in our community being very moved by what they see and seeking that this end as well. 

JOURNALIST: Obviously, Israel, as a modern democracy, is perhaps judged by a higher standard. Do you think that the actions of the Netanyahu government are disproportionate to the peril that they have faced, and what's your message to the Netanyahu government about Israel's international reputation?

MARLES: Well firstly, there's been consistent commentary from our government about what is playing out in Gaza and about the role of the Israeli government. We have said, of course, from the outset that the events that occurred on October 7 were abhorrent, that they were an act of terrorism, that Israel has a right to defend itself. And in making a call that we need to see an end to hostilities in Gaza, hand in hand with that is that we need to see a return of the hostages. That's a critical part of bringing a lasting peace in relation to what is playing out in Gaza. But we've also, in answer to your question, made clear from the outset that the terms in which Israel seeks to defend itself matter, and ultimately, history will judge that. And what we are seeing play out in Gaza is a humanitarian disaster. It's why we need to see a cessation to hostilities. It is why we need to see a return of the hostages. But I think the world is crying out for this situation to come to an end, and that is what we have been calling on the Israeli government to play its part in. As of course, we have called for a release of the hostages, which is a critical component of this. 

JOURNALIST: Ed Husic said the size of the march yesterday was a wakeup call for Australian politicians, were you surprised by the turnout? 

MARLES: It was a very significant turnout, but I absolutely acknowledge that. It doesn't surprise me that people are moved by what they are seeing on their on their screens and on TV. What's playing out is an appalling tragedy and as I've said, I think what people want to see is an end to this hostility, a ceasefire, and a return of the hostages. 

JOURNALIST: The ADF has a new handgun, or is about to introduce a new handgun, which is sort of similar to the M18 in the US? Do you have confidence that that is fit for purpose, despite some of the concerns in the States?

MARLES: Look, the procurement processes that we go through are very thorough. We make sure that we always have the best equipment for the ADF to make sure that we keep our servicemen and women safe. And I have absolute confidence in the processes that we have in place in relation to this this equipment. 

ENDS