Questions over dependency

Healthy support

Hot home options

Questions over dependency

I HAVE recently separated from my wife, which alone is a process I don’t wish on any person.
What I have discovered is that once you separate from your spouse you are classed as Member Without Dependants. Which I agree upon if there are no children involved, but in my case there is. The Australian Taxation Department seems to think I still have dependants, the Child Support Agency seems to think I still have dependants, Centrelink seems to think I still have dependants.
My question is, why doesn’t the Department of Defence. I still see myself as Member With Dependants, as my children are dependant upon me.
This doesn’t make any sense at all. And in my situation being at Tindal it changes my district allowance, which amounts to a $5000 a year drop.
So now I’m paying child support as well as taking a pay cut. Can anybody see the logic in this? At all?
I still class MY children as MY dependants, why doesn’t the Defence Force.
CPL N.W. Eaton
RAAF Base Tindal

Response from DPE
IN general, Defence recognises a member’s children as dependants for entitlements purposes when they normally live with the member. The conditions and exceptions are in the ADF Pay and Conditions Manual, Chapter 1, Part 3, Division 2.
When a member separates from his or her spouse, any child will be recognised as a dependant by Defence if he or she lives with the member for at least 90 nights a year. In this case the member will still be categorised as a member with dependants, with all the entitlements that go with it.
Different government agencies use different definitions. For example, the Child Support Agency (CSA) uses levels of care as part of working out child support payments, but Defence uses easier standards because members often have duty away from home.
Even if a member’s child does not stay with them for 90 nights a year, Defence may still class them as a dependant. This may happen if the child is expected to stay with the member on a frequent and regular basis. A member can apply through their unit to ask the Directorate of Entitlements to recognise their child as a dependant on this basis. (PACMAN Clause 1.3.78.2.c.)
District allowance compensates for the remoteness, harsh climate and higher cost-of-living of remote locations. If a member’s child is recognised as a dependant, the member would normally receive the highest rate of district allowance for the location.
Members can check entitlements, and the rules for categorisation, at http://www.defence.gov.au/dpe/pac/

 

Healthy support

ADF military and civilian personnel can expect healthier and safer workplaces with the establishment of the Defence Centre for Occupational Health (DCOH), according to Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence Bruce Billson.
“Health and safety for military and civilian personnel is a top priority and this new centre aims to prevent health problems and tackle both short and long-term health challenges,” Mr Billson said.

The centre, at Canberra’s Brindabella Business Park, is a small organisation of OHS professionals and administrative support that will eventually have the capacity to draw in expertise as, and when, needed.

Mr Billson said, “Those put in harm’s way in the service of our nation must be supported by an organisation continually striving for excellence in occupational health and safety management.”

The centre will use specialists to share professional medical, occupational health and industry experiences.
The DCOH identified three key roles to improve the prevention of occupational illness and disease:

• Become a central source of advice and information, with access to current, relevant and authoritative guidance,
  
• Develop health support services such as health surveillance or monitoring in collaboration with the groups and services, and
  
• Develop a consistent and complete set of occupational health policies with ongoing research to ensure relevance.

Hot home options

By Graham Howitt
Recent editions of the Service newspapers advertised closure, at the end of 2007, of the $80,000 Defence HomeOwner Scheme (DHOS) currently under contract with the National Australia Bank.

Information indicated a number of replacement options were under consideration. Since that initial advice the Armed Forces Federation is now aware that four options are being explored:

• Open Market Subsidy,
  
• Tied Home Loan Subsidy,
  
• Graduated Deposit Scheme, and
  
• Owner Occupied Allowance.

Space in this column prevents coverage of each option but members can access an overview of what is under consideration through the Defence website at: www.defence.gov.au/dpe/pac

Owner Occupied Allowance is an initiative that has long been suggested by the Armed Forces Federation and we welcome its inclusion. It is the Federation’s view that provision of this allowance would provide an ongoing subsidy to members who purchase and occupy their own property, regardless of whether they had utilised the DHOS or not.

While this remains the Federation’s preferred option, we have explored the other options under consideration. We believe a combination of options would provide the best outcome for ADF members who wish to purchase and occupy their own homes rather than occupying a Service Residence (SR) or utilising assistance through Rental Allowance (RA).

The most recent data available (2003) indicates that approximately 24,500 members were either occupying an SR or in receipt of RA, at a subsidy of around $17,000 per annum. On the other hand, about 8,600 members were residing in their own home.

It is unclear how many of the home owner/occupiers were in receipt of the DHOS (an estimated subsidy of $120 per month) or had taken advantage of the upfront assistance of the Home Purchase Assistance Scheme (HPAS) but it is clearly evident that over the life of a normal posting cycle, the homeowner/occupier enjoys far less financial assistance than their SR or RA counterpart.

That said, and acknowledging the fact it is the member’s choice to purchase and occupy their own home, their overall remuneration package should not be reduced by doing so.

The review underway provides an ideal time to provide an equitable solution regarding accommodation assistance across the board and, whatever the outcome, the inclusion of Owner Occupied Allowance must be included as part of the mix if that is to be achieved.

Graham Howatt is the industrial officer of the Armed Forces Federation of Australia.

 

HAVE A SAY
The letters page is an ideal forum for Air Force members to provide feedback on issues relating to the Air Force or the ADF in general, or to comment on items that have appeared in Air Force News. Send your letters to: Email: raafnews@defencenews.gov.au
Fax: (02) 6265 6657 Post: R8-LG-042, Russell Offices, ACT 2600

.