Not ready to retire
I HAVE pondered the following thought for a little time now and expect that a senior officer, or the like, somewhere will give me an answer of some description, so for what it’s worth, here goes:
At the age of 55 I shall have reached CRA (Compulsory Retirement Age), but I am of the understanding that for a raft of reasons I can elect to serve an additional two years through to age 57? However, after age 57, I believe I would no longer be able to serve in the RAAF/ADF, permanently? I could elect to serve in the RAAF Reserve, up to age 60, but even beyond that I would not be able to? (I am more than happy to be corrected on these points if I am wrong).
I believe that this restriction does not apply to some specialist target musterings (chaplains, doctors, dentists, lawyers etc) and some senior officer ranks (I believe CDF can serve to age 60)? It makes sense that by the time these people are at their peak they are going to be older given the amount of study and experience that is required to become a professional.
Even if I pass my annual health assessment, physical fitness assessment and maintain all my individual currencies, at the age of 57 I will be asked to leave the ADF.
My question is this: If the Prime Minister can run and administer (admittedly with a little help) a country of 20-plus million people at the age of 67, then why, if I am physically and mentally capable in all facets of my employment, am I not able to serve my country beyond the age of 57? In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, the Prime Minister began running Australia at an age when I would already have been asked to leave the ADF.
I understand and acknowledge that health reasons, the threat of a heart attack, etc, are most likely the big driving force behind the age restriction. Being aircrew, I acknowledge the dangers associated with flying and human physiology would also be a player in the age restriction stakes. But even in commercial aviation, public carriers such as Qantas allow their pilots to fly to age 60, and that has recently been reviewed and changed to age 63.
With recruitment and retention within the RAAF/ADF at critical levels, it seems CRA is merely helping to drive the numbers down and further increase the hurt on an organisation that has already been stretched too far? I look forward to healthy discussion.
WOFF Craig Veitch
37SQN
RAAF Base Richmond
Deputy Director Administrative and Personnel Support Services, WGCDR Brock McKinlay, responds:
WOFF Veitch, thank you for your letter. Your article highlights a number of common misconceptions concerning compulsory retirement and retention of skilled members, which I hope to clear up in this response.
Let me start by addressing your final point about recruiting and retention. While the ADF as a whole is struggling with recruiting and retention, this is not the case for Air Force. While we have occasional difficulties with certain occupational categories, generally we continue to meet our recruiting targets.
With respect to compulsory retirement age (CRA), the ADF last reviewed CRA policy in 2002. While the CDF and Service Chiefs at the time decided to keep CRA as a tool to help shape the ADF for operations, CRA for Reserve members was increased. However, the ADF regularly reviews all personnel policies and CRA is up for review now, with an outcome expected by the end of the year.
Increasing CRA is one possible outcome but this must also be balanced against the unique demands placed upon ADF personnel in support of combat operations.
How does the current CRA policy impact upon Air Force members? Detailed information is available in DI (AF) PERS 7-10 – Extension of Service beyond Compulsory Retiring Age, which was released on August 23, 2006.
In summary, with the exception of chaplains, CRA is standardised at 55 in the PAF and 60 in the Reserves for everyone up to and including the rank of AIRCDRE. Above the rank of AIRCDRE, CRA is slightly higher. However, any PAF or Reserve member may apply to further extend their CRA up until the age of 65. For Chaplains, CRA is 60 in both the PAF and the Reserves with a maximum extended CRA of 65 and 75 respectively. The process for applying, along with the factors considered by decision makers, is detailed in DI (AF) PERS 7-10.
What are your chances of securing a CRA extension? The Air Force approach to the management of people who are willing, able to serve and are required from an organisational perspective can be inferred from the 85 per cent of CRA extension requests approved in the last two years.
Attributes generally common to successful applications are that an identifiable service need existed and the extension approved was for a finite period linked to posting tenure in a current or proposed posted position. Naturally, further extensions may be approved up until the maximum extended age as circumstances dictate.
