No
sympathy on subsistence issue
I
thought I would write in response to the tears shed by the SM
members of the RAN with regards to their loss of subsistence and
accommodation allowances.
As a crew member of a FCPB I can without a doubt attest that the
accommodation and living standards onboard a Fremantle are far
below that of a Collins and there is not one red cent extra in
allowances afforded us for this ‘inconvenience’.
Every point brought up in the letters in the Feb 26 issue as to
why the SM’s should retain this allowance is something the Patrol
Boat crews have had to put up with for the last 22 years or so.
The writers of these letters say that service accommodation is
not good enough for them when they’re in a port away from home
ie, Darwin and the only alternative for them is to hang out at
the bar-What a croc! Who is this person trying to kid?
Is he saying that SM’s don’t drink and that all they really want
to do when alongside is stay in their hotel room with their fridge
and TV for company?
Well if this is true for the majority, then I must be sadly mistaken.
WRT the free meals and coffee, nothing is ever free, it’s always
paid for somewhere down the line, so by having to go ashore and
buy your coffee or a meal at Macca’s (like the rest of the Navy
do) you’ll be saving the tax payer a bit of money.
And anyway why are you drinking all this coffee when you need
to catch up on all that sleep you’ve missed out on? Also on a
final note the best thing to come from the loss of these overpaid
and overused allowances is more funds freed up in the Defence
budget to hopefully allow pay rises for the rest of us who are
also out there doing their job.
CPOMT D Dingle HMAS Bendigo
Show
faith in JS
I
attended fleet divisions earlier this year and I must say I was
proud to march amongst the 1200 service men and women.
I joined the Navy to do a job I believe in, not for praise. I
was however truly saddened during the presentations that day.
Of around 28 presentations there were some six Junior Sailors
to receive awards.
Last time I checked there were more Junior Sailors in the Navy
than either Officers or Senior Sailors. Junior Sailors not only
lose out on a percentage basis when it comes to awards but also
on sheer numbers.
I am greatly dissapointed to see that Junior Sailors are not valued
as highly as our superiors. It seems however that I am not alone
in doubting military awards.
In Army News (Feb 12 2004 p11) CPL Scott Timmins writes that he
has lost faith in the Army awards system, he believes them to
be a joke.
‘Doesn’t it seem surprising that of all the personnel over there
(Op Falconer) that only Officers showed exceptional performance?’.
Maybe Navy should take CPL Timmins’ advice and use officers in
place of sailors - then we would have massive performance improvements
right? Maybe we should just recognise that sailors also do an
excellent job.
Junior Sailors are an indispensable part of Navy. Wake up and
show us the faith you expect us to have in you.
ABCSOMW Warwick Ellis, address witheld
Clothing
staff strive to please
In
response to the Letter to the Editor published in Navy News February
12, 2004, the Stirling clothing store staff take exception to
the article.
The person stating the complaint has obviously mistaken Stirling
Clothing Store for some other establishment. If we had no stock
of size 10.5,10.6 there are no half sizes in the RAN catalogue)
we would have procured them from another establishment (usually
in five working days via Fleet Mail).
If the member did not fit into the RAN size roll, we would have
sourced them locally, approx one week. The only conceivable reason
for taking four months, is if the member was away on deployment
or needed special hand made surgical shoes.
The cap issue was four years ago (approx) when the RAN were sourcing
a new supplier, even in that case we would have procured the items
from a local outlet to ensure the member was in his rightful rig.
We at Stirling Clothing Store have 48 years of stores experience
between the three of us, and always strive to provide the best
service possible and are disappointed that our efforts are not
appreciated by those we serve.
L.J. Edwards Supervisor Clothing Store HMAS Stirling
MSBS
concerns
When
I transferred to MSBS from DFRDB, I was able to access all my
member benefits on discharge.
By the time I discharged, the rules had changed, and I could only
access part of my benefit, the rest was to be preserved until
I was 55.
Then the rules changed again, and I had to wait till I was 57
(born in 1962). With the changes proposed by the government recently,
will I now have to wait until I am 65 or even older? Will I no
longer be able to access a lump sum payout when I finally retire
from the workforce?
Will my 20-year career in the Navy amount to a small pension which
won’t even match the old age pension of today? Comsuper needs
to let the Government know that its members are concerned.
I feel let down by the processes that encourages members out of
one scheme (DFRDB) to another (MSBS) and then start changing the
rules.
Defence Service is different to other occupations. MSBS should
be treated differently to other schemes.
What is going to happen to my lump sum payout I was anticipating
getting in 15 years? I NEED to KNOW so I can try and PLAN for
MY RETIREMENT!!!!
Craig
Rogers, address witheld
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Have
your Say
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Navy
News would like to encourage its readers to write in and
express their views.
Preference will be given to typed letters or e–mails
of up to 250 words.
Letters will only be published when they include the author’s
name, ship or unit
(where applicable), location and contact number.
Note that the authors details can be witheld from print
if requested.
Send letters to: The Editor, Navy News, R8-LG-039,
Russell Offices, Dept of Defence, Canberra, ACT 2600.
Phone (02) 6266 7707, fax (02) 6265 6690 or e-mail: navynews@defencenews.gov.au
(Please note that this is not an internal e–mail
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