Defence

Coordination and Public Affairs

Defence - it's a Public Affair

The US Civil War was the world's first 'instant' news war, made possible by the telegraph. For the first time the public was afforded the most intimate access available to the battlefield, short of actually seeing it or stepping onto it. Much has changed since then and in 2005, Michael Pezzullo suggests that Public Affairs has a critical role to play in the business of Defence.

Media interviewing Defence officials. Photo by LSPH Kaye Adams

As a function, I see Public Affairs as a critical headquarters adjunct. It's critical in the sense that it is important and you have to get it right. It's something in, and of, the headquarters in the sense that it is so important, you need to have the function positioned next to or near the boss. And it's an adjunct in the sense that values, policy and strategy all come first and communication activities flow from, and support, these things.

Reputation is not something to be spun or trifled with. Nor is it something which, if we are doing our jobs properly, we would ever allow to deteriorate. Not when that reputation has been forged in the fire of war.

In Defence we are rightly conscious of the 'image' of what we do, because we see ourselves as the stewards of a real, hard gained, legacy. This applies to both the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and Australian Public Service staff. The 'legacy factor' in managing our reputation is a living dynamic, reflected in the fact that most of our people value their work, think what they do is important, care about the Defence mission, and the legacy it reflects.

Defence is an instrument of the State - perhaps the most important. It is not an autonomous agency, independent and free to prosecute its mission as it chooses. Our nation's constitutional order requires that the civilian government of the day is the master of what we do and how we do it. Generally speaking, it has been my experience that Ministers, and the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, appreciate having the benefit of competent professional advice before they take a decision. For all that, subordination to the civilian authority is paramount and shapes how we conduct Public Affairs activities.

So, what are the principles that inform our Public Affairs work? Our starting point is that, consistent with the requirements of operational security and the policies of the government of the day, the Australian public (including the media) has a legitimate interest in information regarding the defence of the nation and its national interests.

Public comment and the release of official information by Defence members needs to be conducted within a clear framework of principles, rules and practices which ensure that we pursue coordinated effort across Defence.

In making judgements about what information to release, governments are, of course, required to strike a balance between the public interest in the community having free access to information, as against the public interest in ensuring the secure, effective and proper conduct of official business. Disclosing information inappropriately can be against the public interest for a variety of reasons.

Inappropriate disclosure may damage the relationship of trust between the government of the day and its officials. At its most serious, leaking information can damage Australia's national security. To that end, information must not be placed in the public domain if this is likely to endanger our people, compromise Defence operations, or otherwise jeopardise Australia's national security.

Media interviewing Defence officials. Photo by SGT W.Guthrie

In Defence Public Affairs, we try to turn what is a complex suite of rules and regulations into practical guidelines that enable and empower appropriate public comment by our people and the release of official information, through a whole range of communication avenues.

Across all of these avenues, we try to observe an overarching and interlocking set of goals, namely to:

• Raise awareness in the community of the Government's defence policies;
• Inform the community about Defence operations and activities;
• Increase community understanding of - and confidence in - its Defence Force;
• Support operational information objectives in relation to deployed ADF elements; and
• Attract and retain quality personnel.

With this in mind, our Public Affairs practitioners are trained and encouraged to be proactive in dealing with issues, both positive and negative, and to provide relevant and timely information. In general, information is only withheld when disclosure would adversely affect security, threaten the safety or privacy of our people or pre-empt Government decisions.

We need to employ our Public Affairs capabilities proactively and flexibly, in a manner that ensures that our operations and activities are understood in their proper context. As quickly as the news cycle turns over into another cycle, we need to be able to shape, pre-empt and respond as best we can. In our fast moving information environment, we simply have no option but to connect our Public Affairs function with core headquarters functions such as operations, intelligence and planning.

Training and developing skilled practitioners who are fast on their feet is critical to coping with the modern Public Affairs challenge and essential to our Public Affairs capability. So much so that we deliver, directly or through external contracted providers, vocational and academic training in order to develop our professional Public Affairs staff.

Without the right training, pitched at the appropriate level, Defence's Public Affairs capability is reduced. From the platoon commander in a unit to a Service Chief, it is essential that there is a consistent understanding of Public Affairs objectives, and the process of delivering them. For this to occur, Defence Public Affairs training needs to reach all levels of management in the organisation.

We have created a training continuum, designed to train and hone skills for all of our people - from basic public relations officers undertaking Public Affairs work as part of their 'extra-regimental duties', to full-time Directors of Public Affairs liaising with Government, and other agencies. Our scheme combines on-the-job and vocational training, and academic learning, providing nationally accredited qualifications up to Advanced Diploma level.

Defence assets, including our field unit, the 1st Joint Public Affairs Unit (1 JPAU), are utilised to bring up-to-date field experience into the classroom. Public Affairs staff provide collective training to units prior to deployment. Higher level training is delivered under contract by a national media training organisation, Media Manoeuvres. Defence has also created a partnership with Charles Sturt University for professional development training, offering a range of academic courses in Public Affairs.

These training programs not only reinforce the message that Defence is an employer of choice for Public Affairs professionals, but help us to hone the skills of existing Defence Public Affairs staff, encouraging them to stay and build on their corporate knowledge.

Defence Public Affairs is a critical headquarters adjunct, folded into the higher operating rhythm of the organisation, staffed increasingly by nimble-footed, capable professionals who are conversant with the authority structures and reputational dynamics within which Defence needs to work. To do any less would mean that we are not discharging properly our obligations to the rest of the Defence organisation, the Minister and the government more broadly, and through them the Australian people.

Excerpt from a presentation by Chief of Staff Australian Defence Headquarters (COS ADHQ), Michael Pezzullo, on 22 June

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