Pausing for reflection: members of the RAAF Reserves attend a commemoration service at the Australian War Memorial held to mark Reserve Forces Day.

Legislation put in place in April will not lead to the 'routine' calling up of Defence Force Reserves, according to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence, Mr Bruce Scott.

Marking the fourth celebration of Reserve Forces Day in July, Mr Scott said the new laws gave the Government greater flexibility to call out the Reserves.

He said the Reserves were crucial to the Australian Defence Force. 'Increasingly we are drawing on the skills, expertise and qualifications of Reservists to support military operations. Reservists made significant contributions to the success of the Sydney Olympics and continue to contribute in East Timor and Bougainville.

'The intention is not to routinely call out the Reserves,' he said.

Mr Scott said the difficulties faced by employers when their Reservist workers were called up, as well as self-employed Reservists, had been addressed with the introduction of the Employer Support Payment Scheme.

'Other new legislation offers various forms of protection for Reservists including discrimination, employment, partnership, education and financial liability protection.'

Reserve Forces Day was marked for the third time in Canberra with a commemorative service at the Australian War Memorial on Sunday, 1 July that was attended by Chief of the Defence Force, Admiral Chris Barrie, and Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Angus Houston.

• At the time of Federation, the Defence Forces of the six colonies numbered 28,293 made up of 18,063 militia, 8863 unpaid volunteers and 1457 permanent soldiers.
• Since the end of World War II, more than a million men and women have served in the Reserves. Today, Reservists make up 42 per cent of the total Defence Force.
  

Story by Graham Cooke
Photograph by Gary Schafer
Courtesy of The Canberra Times