The Ombudsman’s report on an investigation into the Australian Defence Force’s management of service personnel under the age of 18 years contains 11 recommendations.

Young people in the military can look forward to improved support systems, as a result of an investigation by the Commonwealth and Defence Force Ombudsman, Prof John McMillan. The Ombudsman’s report on an investigation into the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF’s) management of service personnel under the age of 18 years was released today.

The Ombudsman initiated the investigation in 2003 after receiving several serious complaints from parents of young people in the ADF. Eleven recommendations are made in the report, with the investigation concluding that:

• training establishments and Commanding Officers require a comprehensive and unambiguous definition of the ADF’s duty of care to minors so that a consistent level of care can be provided to all minors within the ADF
• many training establishments are yet to develop a culture that allows trainees to feel confident about seeking support while undergoing training
• Commanding Officers require support so that they can deliver appropriate care to minors.

The investigation also questioned the policy of recruitment of minors by the ADF.

Prof. McMillan concluded that: ‘The ADF’s obligation to minors is poorly defined and patchily reflected in policies and procedures. This investigation showed that there is considerable confusion among minors and their parents about what is expected of minors within each ADF service and training establishment.’

‘Easily accessible, understandable and accurate information is needed covering what the ADF provides by way of care for minors and how minors can get help when they need it.’

Chief of the Defence Force (CDF), Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, has advised the Ombudsman that the ADF will implement all but one of the recommendations made in the report.

In addition, the CDF has expressed his intention to extend the implementation of many of the recommendations to all young members in their first year of service rather than to only those members under 18 years of age, an approach welcomed by the Ombudsman.

A key recommendation accepted by the CDF is the need to seek legal advice on the extent of the ADF’s duty of care to minors and how that should be interpreted in service and training establishments. Once the extent of the duty of care has been defined, the CDF has advised that procedural guidelines for Commanding Officers and training officers will be developed to meet the gap identified in current reference material.

Other recommendations, when implemented, will have a positive impact on the selection and training of instructional and support staff in training establishments, the provision and access to health services for trainees and the capture of feedback from trainees about their experiences.

The Ombudsman has asked the CDF to provide him with an update on the progress of the implementation of the recommendations.

The report is available at www.ombudsman.gov.au.

Date of release: 19 October 2005