The Federation is seeking a 6 per cent increase for members of the ADF.

Pay arrangements are a talking point

At the time of preparing this article the Federation had not been briefed on the content of the replacement EPA or the amount of the proposed increase.

That said, the Federation is on record before the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal (DFRT) as stating we would expect an upfront amount of not less than 6 per cent increase to apply when the matter is presented in November.

We also expressed the view that the replacement EPA should be of short duration (13 to 15 months) and run in parallel with the Defence Employees Certified Agreement (DECA).

It is our understanding that the ADF proposes to limit the focus of the replacement EPA to matters that come under the jurisdiction of the DFRT only.

That is, salary and salary related allowances only.

The Federation is of the view that all remuneration considerations need to be contained in one document and presented to members and the DFRT as a package of entitlements.

It is also our view that conditions of employment provided for Defence civilians in their DECA, that have applicability to ADF personnel in a non-operational environment, should be contained in the replacement EPA.

The ADF has been provided with a first draft overview of what we would like to see contained in the replacement EPA and this will be expanded on as further member input is received. A selection of our proposals, together with a brief outline, include:

• Accumulation of leave credits: No limit be applied to the number of leave days a member can accumulate. Cash out of leave on separation from the ADF would be limited to 60 days.
• Part-time leave without pay: A member returning to duty from parental or maternity leave have access to part-time hours for up to two years from date of birth of the child.
• Compassionate leave: Allow for ADF members to accumulate compassionate leave. No cash-out provision.
• Maternity leave: ADF members be entitled to convert the 12 weeks maternity leave at full pay to 24 weeks at half pay, with the total time off for maternity leave remaining at 52 weeks.
• Isolated Establishment Allowance: The EPA 1999-2002 abolished IEA. The transitional arrangement for ADF personnel concludes on November 11. However, the transitional arrangement for Defence civilians is endless and IEA continues to be received while remaining in the location that originally attracted the allowance. ADF personnel should be given the same consideration.
• Remote Locality Leave Travel (RLLT): The ADF review the delivery of RLLT entitlements with an aim to remove the detrimental impact of Fringe Benefits Tax reporting.

As mentioned earlier, the forgoing is only a sample of what we expect to build on. Any ideas or comments members wish to make on the replacement EPA are most welcome.

To contact the Armed Forces Federation phone (02) 62605100 or 1800 806 861.

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