By Rebecca Codey
ADF members' contribution to Defence's mission locally, nationally and internationally is recognised and valued.

That's the message from Capt Marcus Peake RAN, Acting Director General, Personnel Policy and Employment Conditions, who said across-the-board pay rises have been proposed in the next ADF Workplace Remuneration Arrangement (WRA) in return for this continued productivity.

"Defence seeks to obtain productivity and pay outcomes in a way that is seen as fair and equitable, balancing the recognition of general community standards and the special nature of ADF service," he said.

"The WRA process takes account of personnel capability requirements, attraction and retention, and maintaining the real value of members' remuneration packages within realistic parameters."

The draft Arrangement has been released and is now available to ADF members so that they can make an informed judgement on what is being offered.

A national roadshow to explain the Arrangement is going to all capital cities except Hobart, as well as to Tindal, Cairns, Townsville, South-East Queensland, Nowra, the Hunter region, the Riverina and regional Victoria from November 3 to 18.

Capt Peake has assured ADF members that the Defence Senior Leadership was serious about seeking member's views on the pay offer, and encouraged service personnel to look at the WRA carefully and provide feedback.

"The ADF remains committed to an ongoing program of communication with its members on the conditions of service matters, including the Arrangement," he said.

The WRA, which proposes a cumulative pay rise of 10 per cent over the 30-month agreement, complements existing ADF conditions of service and employment determined separately to the Arrangement.

It does not propose any direct conditions of service trade-offs.

Travel reforms are being claimed by Defence as an efficiency measure to demonstrate better overall Defence productivity.

The conditions of service applying to travel are unaffected.

Service personnel may soon be using a travel card to pay for their accommodation when travelling for work.

Other proposed travel reforms include a suite of preferred supplier contracts with travel providers including airlines, car rental companies and hotels; and an expense management system, which is currently being implemented as the Defence Card Management System, and a self booking tool - both accessed on line.

A cash advance/withdrawal facility or payment on the Travel Card, or a cash advance for other meal and incidental expenses is also among the suggested changes to ADF travel.

For a more comprehensive snapshot of the key features of the proposed WRA, a plain language Summary of Key Features is available with the draft Arrangement.

Further info

QUESTIONS and feedback on the proposed Arrangement are encouraged.

It is acknowledged that not all ADF members will have access to all the methods listed, however the chain of command will ensure that all members have access to at least one of the feedback options available.

As a minimum, all ADF members should have access to a copy of the Draft Arrangement, the Summary of Key Features and the accompanying ADF Conditions of Service Update.

You can put forward your inquiries through your chain of command, directly to a WRA team member during a briefing visit or by contacting the Directorate of Salary and Allowances (DSA): E-mail: dpe.dsa@defence.gov.au
Defweb: http://defweb.cbr.defence.gov.au/dpedsa, Internet site: http://www.defence.gov.au/dpe/dsa
Mail: Industrial Policy, Directorate of Salary and Allowances, R4-1-112, Russell Offices, Canberra ACT 2601: Phone: (02) 6266 3045

The way ahead

BARRING any requirements for more substantive changes to the proposal, feedback from the main consultation phase will be incorporated into a final draft arrangement, to be submitted by CDF to the Minister for approval by the end of March 2004.

The proposed Arrangement would then be submitted to the DFRT for a hearing before the end of April 2004.

A DFRT determination for the first pay rise to accrue from payday May 6, 2004, would be sought at that time.

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