Member's Guide to ADF Pay and Conditions in Australia – see Disclaimer – check PACMAN for full details

1.2 Other information

What is the PACMAN?

This is mostly a guide to the ADF Pay and Conditions Manual, called the PACMAN. The PACMAN contains the determinations that give pay and conditions their legal authority. It has recently been rewritten to be easier for members and decision-makers to read. The PACMAN contains many things this book does not.

· It has all the rules, not just an overview of them.

· It is an authoritative source of information.

· It describes conditions this book does not cover.

· It has all the rates of salaries and allowances.

· It tells you who can make decisions.

· It is amended often, so the online version is the most up to date. Amendments happen when policies or rates change.

How do I check the information in the Guide?

If you have access to a computer you can look up the determinations yourself. Each entry in the Member's Guide gives the reference to the authority. Mostly this will be the PACMAN.

Overseas conditions

This guide does not describe the conditions of service that apply overseas.

The legal authority for overseas conditions is the Overseas Conditions of Service Volume of the PACMAN.

Online versions

The Pay and Conditions home page has ADF and APS information. This includes the ADF Pay and Conditions Manual and the Member's Guide. The online versions are more up to date than paper copies so are a better source of reference. You can find it here:

DEFWEB:     http://www.defence.gov.au/dpe/pac/

Internet:     http://www.defence.gov.au/dpe/pac

Tax

Tax rules are complex, and so are ADF conditions. They can affect fringe benefits tax and income tax assessments. You should check the tax effects of the conditions you are paid so you know what your taxation liability is likely to be.

The ADF Pay and Conditions Manual has some tax information. This includes Tax Alerts about those conditions with special taxation treatment. These are explained in Part 3 of the PACMATE. PACMATE is the administrative companion to the PACMAN.

The Defence Tax Management Office can give you general tax information, speaking as your employer. It cannot give you advice on your individual tax affairs. Contact details for the Defence Tax Management Office can be found on the Defence Tax Management Office web site at http://intranet.defence.gov.au/find/tax/index.html.

Another good place to check for information on tax is the Australian Taxation Office web site at http://www.ato.gov.au. You can also call them on 132 861.

Financial advice

Sometimes you may need to seek separate advice on aspects of your pay and conditions; for example, about fringe benefits tax you might have to pay. If you need advice about how to manage things like your tax and superannuation it is your job to get this. Defence does not provide this advice. By law, it cannot. Each person is different and you may need to talk to a qualified professional to get good advice.

Where can I find out more about financial information?

General information on choosing a financial adviser is at http://www.defence.gov.au/dpe/.

You should also understand how your superannuation choices affect your future. Information about your superannuation fund can be found on the ComSuper website at http://comsuper.gov.au or in Chapter 12 of this guide.

Defence also has a tool that will allow you to see what your ADF job is worth, compared to jobs elsewhere.

(last updated 4 December 2008)