Page 44 - Australian Defence Magazine Sep-Oct 2022

44 DEFENCE BUSINESS PEOPLE
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST
Hosted by Deputy Chief of Army Major General Natasha Fox and Deputy Secretary Defence People Group Justine Greig, the inaugural Defence People Symposium was held on 29 and 30 June, with the theme ‘Harnessing the best of Australia’s talent together’.
NIGEL PITTAWAY | BRISBANE
HELD in the Plaza Ballroom of Brisbane’s Convention and Entertainment Centre (BCEC), the two-day event attract- ed no fewer than 660 people who attended in person and a further 500 who joined from across Australia via a live video stream.
In her welcome address, MAJGEN Fox noted that De- fence was undergoing significant recapitalisation due to changing strategic circumstances. “Defending Australia and assuring our national interests in an era marked by strategic complexity which has not been seen for genera- tions is a great challenge, and it’s a challenge that can only really be addressed by people,” she said.
ABOVE: MAJGEN Wade Stothart speaks during a panel discussion at the Defence People Symposium
The opening address of the symposium was delivered by Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Matt Keogh, who said he ac- cepts the responsibility of ensuring Defence has the people it needs and, when the time comes, they successfully tran- sition to retirement or other employment. “I do not take that responsibility lightly, because our people are the most important sovereign capability we have. I and the Albanese Government are focussed on policies and initiatives that will provide better outcomes for Defence personnel and the families,” Keogh told delegates.
RECRUITMENT, RETENTION AND REMEDIATION
The proceedings of the first day were focussed on the chal- lenges faced by Defence in the recruitment and retention of the skilled personnel needed for a modern defence force. Recruitment in particular was the subject of a number of
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