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The federal government has announced expanded recruitment criteria to allow eligible permanent residents from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States to join the Australian Defence Force.
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Under the newly announced changes, eligible New Zealanders who are living in Australia can apply to join the ADF from July this year while eligible permanent residents from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada will also be able to apply to join the ADF from January 2025.
As outlined in the National Defence Strategy, Defence must recruit, retain, and grow a highly specialised and skilled workforce. The new changes are expected to assist federal government initiatives to grow the Australian Defence Force.
“Australia and New Zealand have a longstanding relationship – opening the Australian Defence Force to New Zealanders living in Australia will increase opportunities whilst strengthening our Anzac bond,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles said.
“The Australian government has chosen to grow the Australian Defence Force because it is essential to meet the nation’s security challenges through the next decade and beyond.”
As well as meeting ADF entry standards and security requirements, permanent residents wishing to join the ADF must have lived in Australia for at least one year immediately prior to applying, not have served in a foreign military in the preceding two years and be able to attain Australian citizenship.
Defence is also streamlining the existing Overseas Lateral Recruitment Scheme, which allows the ADF to fill capability shortfalls by recruiting skilled military overseas applicants.
Minister for Defence Personnel Matt Keogh said the changes are considered bold to grow the Australian Defence Force.
“Our people are our most important capability, but reversing the Defence recruitment shortfalls of the last government requires innovation,” he said.
“Recruiting from a wider pool of people will help ensure our Australian Defence Force reflects the full diversity of Australia and is able to draw on the talents of the entirety of Australian society.”
In early 2023, the Defence Strategic Review, unveiled by the Australian federal government, revealed that Defence recruitment was considered a reoccurring issue across ADF, APS, and defence industry.
In addition, the document outlined that recruitment was likely to continue to deteriorate without creative and flexible responses, and recommended an increase in recruitment speed from application to enlistment to recruitment and the process of recruitment should be achieved in days, not months.
Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell, speaking at the Senate foreign affairs, defence and trade legislation committee (Senate estimates) meeting on 14 February, said current inflow rates remain below the level required to maintain the Defence Force.
“Recruiting and retention, Defence is addressing retention and recruitment as a priority. As at 1 January 2024, the ADF is 6.9 per cent or 4,308 people below its authorised strength (of total 62,735),” he said.
“Recruiting performance is highly correlated with unemployment: low unemployment, low recruiting, and vice versa.
“Nevertheless, considerable effort and innovation continue to inform changes to our recruiting system, focused in four areas of activity.
“Firstly, widening the aperture of eligibility to increase the number of potential applicants who might wish to join the ADF, including through consideration of non-citizen enlistment on a pathway to citizenship.
“Secondly, increasing the capacity of the recruiting system to manage a greater volume of applicants.
“Thirdly, improving recruiting processes so as to accelerate and thereby shorten the time taken to recruit an applicant.
“And finally, encouraging our people to remain in service through targeted retention initiatives. There have been some early encouraging results.
“Separation rates have declined from a high of 11.6 per cent per annum to 10 per cent, as at 1 February 2024. The size of our Air Force is at a 20-year high. The Australian Defence Force Academy has just commenced one of its largest intakes of trainee officers. Last year, Army graduated its largest cohort from the Royal Military College.
“Nevertheless, a considerable effort continues to be required to remediate our recruiting and retention challenges.”
