Senior defence officials concede the increased assistance of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel during natural disasters may be impacting recruitment and retention. Air Vice Marshal Stephen Chappell has told a parliamentary inquiry into the country’s disaster resilience ADF responses to events like bushfires and floods are becoming unsustainable due to their increasing frequency. As well…

Former female members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) are more than two times as likely to die by suicide compared with the general population, a new report has found. The latest update on suicide among ADF members by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare revealed while suicide rates compared remained similar to previous…

The Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles has requested the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) launch an investigation into allegations Beijing has been headhunting former and serving members. This comes after the BBC reported that up to 30 former UK military pilots were believed to have been recruited by the Chinese regime to train members of the…

Australian defence force families and veterans undergoing rehabilitation and full-time study will continue to receive higher welfare payments after the Defence, Veterans’ and Families’ Acute Support Package Bill 2022 passed the Senate on Sept. 28. The Scheme, which expired in July 2022, will now be extended until July 2023 and backdated for August and September. Matt…

The federal government has apologised to Australian veterans and their families for failings in the way the defence forces and veterans affairs department has operated in the past. The apology comes after the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide released a 300-page interim report and announced 13 initial recommendations on Aug. 11. “To people…

Australia is rapidly accelerating the rate at which it can procure new defence equipment and technology amid a globally deteriorating strategic environment. Defence Industry, Science and Technology Minister Melissa Price has spearheaded the changes, which will involve slashing swathes of red tape that previously extended project negotiations by several years. “For a project that would…