Personnel changes inside CSIG

AFHQ and CSIG have been working together on a major review into the employment of Air Force personnel embedded in CSIG.

The review has identified that the current arrangements do not fully meet the needs of either Air Force or CSIG, with a number of a major concerns being highlighted that impact on both the capability of Combat Support Group and CSIG’s ability to deliver an efficient and effective level of service.

Several potential solutions have been identified, including development of new business rules for the employment of Air Force personnel, potential changes to duties to closer match Air Force competencies and redistribution of the embedded Air Force workforce to concentrate them at a smaller number of sites.

These solutions are currently being fully scoped and costed, so decisions have not yet been made on what will be implemented. If the review recommendations are agreed, it is expected that the majority of changes would occur from January 2007 onwards. Once decisions have been made they will be communicated formally through both the Air Force and CSIG chains of command.

In the interim, Air Force proposed a number of changes to some positions embedded within CSIG to occur for January 2006 postings in an attempt to provide greater resources and an improved organisational structure to the Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron workforces, while minimising the impact on the delivery of services.

Following negotiations on the impact in affected CSIG regions of the loss and gain of staff in the proposed positions, Air Force has decided to make changes to 31 positions.

It must be noted that the implementation of these changes does necessarily mean that either Air Force or CSIG have agreed to proceed with the options being considered.

The Air Force personnel at locations gaining staff will be employed in accordance with a number of principles:

• They are embedded within CSIG in accordance with the Customer Supplier Agreement between DEPSEC, CS and CAF, in that they remain under the command of their Air Force commander, but are managed on a day-to-day basis by CSIG personnel.
  
• They are to be primarily employed on the Air Force base but can support other sites as required to meet CSIG service delivery requirements. As an example, a CISCON based at Amberley could be tasked to undertake work at Oakey or Enoggera in support of the network or CSIG customers at that site, in order to support service delivery requirements but more importantly to gain valuable experience which might otherwise not be obtained.
  
• All staff at ECSS locations are part of the ECSS and are fully deployable.
  
• Where possible, Air Force staff of corporals and above are to have subordinates.
  
• The future arrangements for duties are still being negotiated so in the interim staff in the affected positions are to be employed on duties as mutually agreed by Air Force and CSIG.
  
• No APS staff are being displaced as a result of this series of postings.
  

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