Page 25 - Australian Defence Magazine July-August 2021

JULY-AUGUST 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
nouncements, Senate Estimates and AusTender all align is difficult.
WORKFORCE
Despite a budget only being released seven months ago, the ADF workforce has seen an uptick in overall numbers; 77,139 last year to 77,873 this year, barely a percentage point change.
This sees 61,468 permanent ADF (79 per cent) and 16,405 APS employees (21 per cent) in the mix with no mention once again of Defence’s contracted workforce.
The APS workforce is set to grow by 1,479 people over the forward estimates period while uniformed personnel will go by roughly the same at 1,437.
Key reform and workforce initiatives for 2021-22 include:
• A modernised ADF Recruiting System;
• Continuation of the ADF Employment Offer Modernisa-
tion Program;
• Maturing the Joint Transition Authority (JTA) and con-
tinuous improvement of Transition Programs to provide members and their families with contemporary transition advice and support; and
• Continue implementation of the Review of Summary Discipline System recommendations.
DEFENCE BUSINESS 25 INDIGENOUS PARTICIPATION
As at 1 February 2021, Defence’s total workforce meets the Government’s Indigenous participation target of three per cent. The ADF participation rate is 3.2 per cent and the APS participation rate is 2.7 per cent.
Defence has set Indigenous representation targets of three per cent for the Defence Australian Public Service (APS) workforce by 2022, and five per cent for the ADF by 2025.
CONCLUSIONS
For many this will be a relatively ‘boring’ budget; govern- ment is doing what they said they would do. However, given the world we now live in, some certainty is not to be sneezed at. Many of the processes that came into play during 2020 are being adopted as the new status quo; faster payments of invoices, flexible/remote working where feasible and the raft of reforms announced by Minister for Defence Indus- try Melissa Price are getting to the business end of release or implementation.
With a federal election due within the next 12 months, De- fence is being watched closely by some voters. Whichever party wins government at that time will have significant dollars al- ready locked into a number of long term complex programs on both the acquisition and sustainment sides of the house. ■
“PULLQUOTE.”
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