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A
rank disgrace
Where is it?
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A
rank disgrace
IN
RESPONSE to Cpl A. Smyth's letter on LIA for ORs [Edition 1113, February
10]: in the past year and a half I have had the pleasure of living-in
for periods of about three months at a time. Before this I usually resided
in MQ or my own home.
To be able to give these members acceptable LIA, we first need to find
a way to make ORs respect the accommodation they have been given at a
minimal charge.
In both my LIA, one at Randwick and the other at Puckapunyal, the standard
hasn't been bad. The problem has been the state in which the previous
members left the accommodation.
The first room that I was given needed to be wiped down and the carpets
cleaned.
As for the second, the previous occupant should have been contacted by
the accommodation people and ordered to return to the locality to clean
up the pigsty she left behind, then she should have been charged.
The member lived in the accommodation block on her own. The verandah had
at least 20 empty alcohol bottles on it, the kitchen bathroom and toilet
needed cleaning and the biggest surprise was when one of the adjoining
room's doors was left open.
It smelt like something had died in there.
When I opened the wardrobe there was rubbish about seven-feet high; the
smell made me sick for a few hours.
The carpets looked like they hadn't had a clean for ages.
A member occupying a MQ is responsible for the general cleaning and carpets
on march-out. If the MQ hasn't been left in acceptable state, professional
cleaners should be called in and the cleaning charges deducted from the
member's pay.
We need to start making ORs more responsible for the way they live in
their accommodation and the state they leave it on march-out.
There should be an inspection of the room with the member and a SNCO before
leaving the premises. ORs should be made to have carpets cleaned on their
way out.
Spotless shouldn't be responsible for the cleaning that a member should
do when they are marching out.
We give ORs too much responsibility.
You cannot live anywhere for $40 a week with broadband Internet except
in the Defence force. Maybe these young soldiers should start realising
how good they have got it, and start appreciating their very low cost
of living.
Cpl C. Bell
P & EE Graytown
TOP
Where
is it?
AS MY
career draws to a close I took it upon myself, as a mature SNCO, to
start researching my entitlements prior to discharge so as to cause
minimal effect on my unit.
As a starting point, I thought I would look at the Where-Is-It site
on the Army Intranet.
Without fault, every sub-heading that has to do with benefiting the
member is unavailable.
For example: removal assistance for breakdown of marriage, bond money
and utility connection, career transition scheme, compensation and rehabilitation,
discharge resettlement training and cost or reimbursement, education
assistance etc, etc.
I could go on, as I am only at the letter "e", but it would bore you
to tears.
This leaves me to ask the question: Where is it? It seems to be harder
to get out than it is to join, or is this some sort of cunning retention
plan?
Sgt Dave MacPhail
FACDU RAAF Base Williamtown
Major Tony Duus, DDCOORD-A, AHQ replies:
Sgt MacPhail, I have checked the site http://intranet.defence.gov.au/ArmyWeb/
sites/_pubs/Load.asp?Page=28530&Titl e=Where%20Is%20It, commonly known
as the Where Is It Book? My faithful sidekick and I checked every link
from A to E - over 95 of them. Only two were unavailable - DECA and
Classified Documents. I can only assume that the conditions that denied
your ability to view your entitlements were a freak IT occurrence, perhaps
caused by your subconscious secretly telling you to stay with the Army.
In the case that it was not, see the following reply from CSIG. I wish
you the best of luck with your career after you have transitioned from
the Army.
From Tanya Robert, Exec Officer DIPS, CSIG:
The term "transitions" is now more commonly used than "discharge" as
Defence supports personnel to transfer from and between the services
with ease as their situation allows.
As an initial option for transition information, you have available
your unit chain of command, or your Unit Resettlement Officer.
As you were opting to search online, CSIG has recently created a new
Intranet site, CSIG Online. The new Intranet site can be found on the
CSIG home page, which is designed to provide members with information
on the products and services that CSIG provides.
CSIG is responsible for: base support, operations support, infrastructure,
corporate support, business and financial services and also personnel
services, which includes transitions.
Unfortunately members are not always aware of a new name until they
go to search for information on the subject and, like you, are left
wondering. The new CSIG Online includes the ability to search all past
names and acronyms to assist members in finding information they require.
In your case, a search on CSIG Online for discharge, transitions or
separation would have given you all the information that you required,
including a link to The ADF Transition Handbook, which is a good starting
point when considering your transition to the reserves or civilian life.
It is envisaged that members will progressively become more familiar
with the name "transition" and we encourage units and the services to
increase awareness and develop a link to the CSIG online services.
TOP
Proud
contribution
CONGRATULATIONS
on the continuing stories of the ADF effort in supporting the victims
of the Boxing Day tsunami in the Indian Ocean. The effort and the outcomes
make one proud to be Australian and a member of the ADF.
Your readers may be interested to know that the civilian teams that
went in early to Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Banda Aceh included many
reservists and former permanent force personnel.
Of the six teams, five were lead by senior ADF or ex-ADF officers. This
deployment of ADF people with other civilians was a great success and
will probably be a template for future operations of this nature.
The RAAF 707 team from 33 Sqn that delivered teams Alpha and Bravo into
Banda Aceh epitomised the ADF at its very best.
Brig Brian Pezzutti
Assistant to DGDHS-Special Projects
TOP
Welcome
news
I WOULD
like to congratulate Army newspaper for putting its news on the net.
My son is with 2 Cav Regt doing the same work I did 25 years ago with
2 Cav Regt; so I have a soft spot for this unit - which is strange as
I was not armoured corps.
I have just read the article about the metal bars around the ASLAV:
this information is good news for parents of service personnel going
overseas and have sons manning these vehicles.
Ian Noormets
Canberra ACT
TOP
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HOW
TO WRITE TO ARMY NEWS
It
is the right of all soldiers to correspond with Army. Soldiers wishing
to air their views through letters to the editor have access to the newspaper
without using the chain of command.
Letters will be edited for spelling and grammatical errors and newspaper
style, and may be edited for space.
Preference is given to typed letters of fewer than 300 words. Letters
will be rejected where they are too long, abusive, cover a subject that
has been exhausted or can be answered in the author's unit.
They will be published only when they include the author's name, unit
(where applicable), location and contact number.
Send letters to: The Editor, Army Newspaper, R8-LG-029, Russell Offices,
Dept of Defence, Canberra, ACT 2600; fax (02) 6265 6690 or e-mail: armynews@defencenews.gov.au
(Please note this is not an internal e-mail address and therefore requires
Sec: Unclassified in the subject line when sending from a DRN terminal)
The opinions expressed in letters to the editor do not represent the views
of the editor or the Army.
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