The
conditions of service applicable to Royal Australian Navy personnel
deployed to The Gulf region on Operation Bastille will, in essence,
be those which were developed for Operation Slipper.
Deployed members are entitled to an allowance of $125 per day
(International Campaign Allowance) while in the area of operations.
In addition they remain entitled to any special action forces,
flying, sea-going, hard lying or field allowances that may apply
to their individual circumstances.
All ADF salary and allowances earned inside the area of operations
are tax exempt, however other income derived from sources within
Australia, such as that from a rental property or share dividends,
remain subject to taxation.
Other applicable conditions of service include:
- War
Service Leave: War Service Leave accrues at the rate of one-and-a-half
days for each completed month of service in the area of operations.
- Enhanced
Home Loan Assistance: Members who render warlike service and
have a Defence Home Owner Scheme (DHOS) entitlement, are entitled
to a waiver of the normal five-year qualifying period for assistance
under the DHOS and additional years of subsidy dependant upon
the number of months of warlike service.
- Rehabilitation
and Compensation: All members who are assigned to Operation
Bastille and serve in the area of operations qualify for dual
eligibility under the provisions of the Veterans’ Entitlements
Act and the Safety Rehabilitation and Compensation Act.
- Family
Assistance: Members who deploy with an expected deployment period
of six months or more and who meet the eligibility criteria
may elect to have their family moved to an appropriate location
within Australia at departmental expense. Application can be
made to offset an entitlement to have extended family support
travel to the posting location if this arrangement would better
suit the family’s needs.
Details
of these provisions can be obtained from the ADF Pay and Conditions
Manual, Overseas Conditions of Service Volume, chapter 6. Questions
regarding these conditions of service should be addressed through
the normal chain of command.
