Army's call-up to the mobile infantry

By Cynthia Banham Defence Reporter
August 23, 2005


The Australian Defence Force is using text messages and internet chatrooms to entice teenagers into its ranks, allowing women on the front line and offering highly qualified recruits bonuses of up to $15,000 a year to make them stay.

The military has resorted to aggressive marketing techniques to turn around a personnel crisis after it fell short of its recruitment targets by about 1000 people last year.

The Minister Assisting the Defence Minister, De-Anne Kelly, outlined the innovative measures yesterday, saying: "We need to reach out to young people in the mediums that they use."

Her spokesman said the Defence Department obtained phone numbers "from agencies".

To try to dissuade marine and weapons engineers from quitting the military for civilian companies, Defence is offering bonuses linked to qualifications not rank. It is also paying the engineers' costs of joining professional associations.

Ms Kelly said cabinet had approved a proposal to allow women to support infantry and armoured and artillery units on the front line. Women would still be barred from hand-to-hand combat but Ms Kelly said the change would improve their career paths.

The initiatives come ahead of a sweeping review of Defence's recruitment and retention procedures. Ms Kelly said "nothing is going to be barred" in the review, including Defence's contract with the recruitment firm Manpower Services Australia.

Ms Kelly said she wanted to appoint "someone young who's had a lot to do with personnel management for Generation Y" - those in their late teens to mid 20s - to head the review.

The Government blames Defence's difficulties in attracting new recruits on the record low level unemployment levels and a shortage in skilled labour.

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