Great food, but cost differences confuse

Recently I took my wife and parents to lunch at the HMAS Harman Wardroom.

The three-course meal was excellent, as was the service provided by the civilian staff. However, I wonder why there is such a disparity in prices that are charged for the meals we consumed? After all, the meals and service provided were the same, regardless of the price paid.

I am aware there are ADF publications that specify the prices to be charged for meals consumed in Service messes and I am also aware of the so-called ‘cost recovery’ requirement.

But surely, across the ADF, we are talking about cost recovery of insignificant amounts arising from a serving member bringing guests into a mess.

Why is there no provision for mess members to invite civilian guests, such as immediate family, into the mess for a meal and pay the same meal rate for those guests as that charged for civilian APS personnel?

I also find it difficult to comprehend why the cost of an evening meal for a serving member is less than the cost of lunch, whereas the cost for purchasing an evening meal for a civilian guest (eg one’s spouse) is nearly double the lunch cost!

I understood that membership of Service messes was primarily for the benefit of personnel serving in the ADF. I have no complaint about APS personnel, who are invited into a Service mess, being charged the same meal rate as a serving member of the ADF.

However, it seems somewhat incongruous that serving members are not permitted to invite civilian guests of their choosing, such as their parents and spouse, and pay the same meal rate as that applied to other civilians — ie APS personnel.

This issue is one that affects all Service members, regardless of rank, and regardless of whether a junior sailor or senior officer.

Quite simply, the expense of taking a guest or two to the mess for lunch or dinner is now becoming something that a lot of Service personnel can no longer afford.

I doubt that anything will change for the benefit of the serving member as a result of this letter, but perhaps that is the reason why the only persons that consumed an excellent lunch in Harman Wardroom that day were ourselves and two members of the Army.

CMDR Dave Letts,
Russell Offices, Canberra.

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