Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science, Technology and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Defence delivers youth development in a military setting for young Australians aged between 12½ and 20 years through the Australian Navy Cadets, the Australian Army Cadets and the Australian Air Force Cadets. The ADF Cadets organisation operates in partnership with Defence and the community. In June 2008 there were approximately 22,000 cadets and 2,287 cadet staff in 455 units across Australia.

The cadets organisation provides a fun, challenging and safe youth development program conducted in a contemporary ADF environment and based on defence customs, traditions and values. Cadets provide leadership, team building and life skills and foster an interest in the wider Australian Defence Force. The coalition supports the Australian Defence Force Cadets as a youth development organisation in a military environment. We believe the most important people in the cadet construct are the cadets themselves. For the ADF, sponsorship of cadets is a superb way of giving young people an opportunity to gain an understanding of the Defence Force, its place within society and service career options available.

Cadets comprise less than one per cent of the general population age cohort but about 17 per cent of ADF enlistments. Unsurprisingly, I was both a cadet and someone who enlisted in the Defence Force. Cadets contribute 35 to 40 per cent of the intake of the Australian Defence Force Academy. Unsurprisingly, I was one of those in the academy. More than half of our one-stars—that is, brigadiers, commodores, air commodore equivalents and above—are previous cadets. Although the ADFC does not exist as a recruiting tool for defence, it is impossible to ignore the significant contribution the cadet program makes to ADF enlistment, both in quantity and quality. An increase in ADFC recruiting would undeniably result in increased ADF enlistment.

The Australian Defence Force Cadets program is run by three separate organisations administered by their respective service chiefs under a range of acts—the Defence Act, the Naval Defence Act and the Air Force Act—and the Cadet Force Regulations 1977. Each organisation has a headquarters structure in Canberra, regional headquarters around the country and many cadet units and parade locations. Administrative staff include full-time and part-time members of the APS, the ADF and Defence Reserve personnel. Cadet staff are adult members of the community appointed under Cadet Force Regulations as officers or instructors of cadets. They are generally paid an allowance. Recent changes have seen various of these officers employed in newly created APS positions, effectively seeing the emergence of a full-time cadet staff. That is certainly supported.

School based cadet units are generally restricted to drawing their cadet membership from the students of the parent or affiliated schools. There are 46 school based units: 42 in the Army, two in the Navy and two in the Air Force. Unsurprisingly, I came from a school based cadet unit at the Rockhampton Grammar School. In the majority of these units the cadet program is conducted as an integral component of the school's curricular activities. School based units draw most of their adult staff from the school staff. These units generally receive support from the school, as well as logistical support including the provision of some equipment and stores. In my own experience at the Rockhampton Grammar School, we had a school sergeant who was also the lieutenant in the cadet unit—a man called Jim Giedricht, who had fought in every combat operation since World War II, from the Malayan Emergency through to confrontation in Korea with the 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, and then with the Australian Army training team and then wider combat operations in Vietnam. He was at the time one of the most heavily decorated Australians currently serving, either in the permanent reserve or in the cadet force.

In community based units, cadet membership is open to any eligible member of the local community, and the parade location may be in a range of facilities including defence facilities, community halls or local schools. The adult staff are parents of cadets, interested members of the local community and current or former ADF members. Most of these units receive some type of support or sponsorship from their local community, from parent support groups or committees or indeed from the ADF.

In recognising the benefits of youth development in partnership with the community and pathways to ADF recruitment, the coalition remains absolutely and utterly 100 per cent committed to maintaining vibrant cadet organisations. Cadet programs will continue to be strongly aligned with their sponsoring service, and the coalition will further strengthen and fund this relationship.

In terms of policy history, the Australian Defence Force Cadets have a long and proud history in Australia and can trace their origins back to pre-Federation Australia. From its beginnings at St Mark's Collegiate School in 1866, the cadet movement continued to grow and evolve through the years, until hitting its infamous low point in the early 1970s—surprise, surprise—under a Labor government. During this time, the government was under increasing pressure to withdraw Australian troops from Vietnam. There was a growing feeling of hostility towards defence, especially from the Labor government. The newly elected Whitlam government promised to review the defence forces, including the Cadet Corps. The subsequent report prepared by Dr TB Millar on the Australian Cadet Corps recommended the retention of cadets with some modifications, noting that the scheme attracted broad community support. However, in typical Labor Whitlamesque fashion as we continue to see today, the government decided to abolish school cadets. That is the government's historical view of the value of cadet based work in youth development. The government's general scaling back of the Defence Force as a whole included the withdrawal of their support for cadet units. All Army, Navy and Air Force cadet units either were disbanded or continued without support from the Commonwealth. This decision generated a fair degree of angry unrest in large sections of the cadet and wider communities, but the abolition was appealed without success.

In 1976, cadets were re-established under the new coalition government under Fraser after the disaster of the Whitlamesque years, and the Australian Services Cadet Scheme continued on a different basis. Community based rather than school based units were encouraged, together with a downscaling of military-like training. The community based emphasis was crystallised in 1983 when the Hawke Labor government announced that school based units would no longer receive direct support from the Army with many of these units subsequently becoming limited support units—another Labor administration, another disaster for the military.

On its election in 1996, the Howard government initiated the cadets in schools program and, in mid-1998, moved to re-establish full support status to units which had previously suffered neglectful indifference from multiple Labor administrations. I say simply to the members opposite: may this be the last dreadful Labor administration that cuts funding to school based cadets.

In the 2007-08 budget, the coalition provided an additional $100 million across 10 years to enhance and expand the cadet program. The government in typical Labor style, not content with over 140 reviews, commissions, inquiries and investigations, instigated an investigation into the cadet scheme, the Hickling report. It was the 27th review, study or project into the ADFC scheme since the early years—another review from a Labor government.

This begs the question: whatever happened to the review by the 1,000 best and brightest that descended upon Canberra? Whatever happened to those recommendations and the outcomes? All that butchers paper across the room, all of those pens, all those great ideas—did we ever see any of those ideas? Did any of them ever come to fruition? I wonder what actually happened to the greatest minds that Labor had assembled as they gave a standing ovation to then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. That is right: you sacked him, didn't you?

Here we have the Hickling review, and that has led of course to the Defence Legislation Amendment Bill 2011. This bill is non-controversial as it relates to administration of the school cadet program, which means this is the first Labor administration since Curtin that has not sought to destroy the cadet units as soon as it came to power. So congratulations, Labor. For the first time in 50 years you have not gone and buggered up something that was particularly good, as this bill only makes administrative changes. You actually listened to advice for once when it came to cadets because your history through previous Labor administrations has been deplorable, moribund and disgraceful, to be polite.

These administrative changes will change a range of acts to provide that the service chiefs' day-to-day administrative responsibility for their respective service cadets is subject to the direction of the minister or the CDF. These will provide the CDF with a delegation making power, ostensibly down to the VCDF, in relation to cadet responsibility and direction.

The bill amends three existing pieces of legislation—the Air Force Act, Defence Act and Naval Defence Act—that currently provide the framework for the administration of the school cadet program. The bill is non-contentious. It has no financial impact in terms of expenditure or direction. Thankfully and wondrously, after 50 years a Labor administration, for the first time ever, has finally decided not to harm the defence cadets or seek to destroy them, remove their funding, take away community support or take them away from schools. Finally, you have learnt the lesson after 50 years when it comes to the Defence Force cadets: do no harm. May I suggest you take that lesson to the disgraceful series of bills relating to your carbon tax that you put into the parliament yesterday and adopt that process once more of doing no harm, because right now the harm you are seeking to do will exact vengeance at the ballot box, I guarantee you.

Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to know what the member for Fadden had for breakfast this morning—

An honourable member: He had Red Bull!

Are you right now? Mr Deputy Speaker, it is a great pleasure to be able to speak today on the Defence Legislation Amendment Bill 2011. In my previous life, before becoming the member for Canberra, I spent four years consulting with the Australian Defence Force Cadets. It was a job I greatly enjoyed. I really loved it. For the benefit of the House, cadets is a youth development program similar to scouts or guides. There are some misconceptions in the community that cadets is a training ground for the soldiers of the future, but that is complete nonsense.

Yes, many cadets do decide to serve their country—they have 20 to 30 per cent sign-up rates for ADFA—but the program is not some kind of junior paramilitary force. It is, however, a community based youth development program that gives young Australians, boys and girls of all abilities and from all backgrounds, the opportunity to learn about the customs, traditions and values of the Defence Force. They learn leadership, team building and survival skills. They learn resilience and discipline. They learn self-respect and how to build their self-esteem. They get to train at barracks and eat at messes. They get to climb all over defence equipment, learn about communications, first aid and orienteering, and, depending on which service they join—be it Navy, Army or Air Force Cadets—they learn how to fly, glide or sail or learn bush craft. And they learn to apply these skills through camps and challenges, both within their own service and across services. They learn these skills from committed volunteer cadet officers or, in the case of schools, their teachers, who are often former or current members of the ADF.

Any young person can join the cadets, including those who have health concerns or disabilities, as it is a team effort and it is as inclusive as possible. Currently the program boasts a membership of close to 22,000 cadets and 2,500 staff in 500 school based or barracks based units throughout the country. Many of these units are in regional Australia, and some of them are in very remote areas. I want to focus on those today, because in my four years of consulting with cadets I had the chance to visit many of the sites throughout Australia. It was a wonderful opportunity and it underscored to me the value of this program for young Australians, particularly in remote and regional areas.

When I was with the cadets, we decided to do a survey on the cadets and also on the staff, to get a sense of what they thought could be improved—where the strengths were and where the weaknesses were. The survey was nationwide and, as part of that, we did a quantitative survey but we also went out and did focus groups with some of the cadets. On one weekend we went down to HMAS Albatross at Nowra to conduct a focus group with some of the kids there. The stories of the kids were quite extraordinary. It was a mixed group of kids. Some of the kids were from defence backgrounds, but others were from the broader community and some were from very disadvantaged backgrounds. When we went to have lunch in the mess, which they all love doing every Saturday, one of the staff who manages the unit was telling me that for some of the kids that lunch at the mess was the only hot meal that they had for the week. That underscores to me the range of people who attend cadets and get some benefit out of it. It was not just the hot meal; those children from disadvantaged backgrounds were getting the friendship of joining with their mates in the activities and also the other opportunities and benefits that you get from cadets, including the discipline, the self-esteem and the self-management. It is a very good program for instilling those skills. During a focus group we asked one of the kids, a bit of rugged nugget, 'What is it you really love about cadets?' He said to me, 'Look, before I started cadets, I got Ds at school and now I'm getting As.' He had seen a huge benefit in his academic achievement, but I imagine there was a huge knock-on effect and benefit for that young man in his personal growth as well as his self-discipline and resilience.

I also got the chance to join in the opening of a new facility out at Cowra. These units are very strong and powerful in schools and in metropolitan areas but they have a huge role in regional and rural areas. This unit was the major youth development hub in Cowra. As was mentioned before by the member for Fadden, the program is designed for kids between 12 and 20. There were little kids there going right up to young adults of 18 or so. There were probably 50 young kids who were part of this Army unit. They were all parading for the first time and were very excited about the opening of this beautiful new unit just off the main street of Cowra. It was really interesting to see them having to stand still for so long for the parliamentary secretary who went down there to visit them. Some of poor little kids—you still see it now when you go to ADFA parades—not being able to move for so long were falling down like dominoes throughout the night. There were parents and others trying to catch these little kids. They did a commendable job in trying to stand up straight for a very long time. The member for Fadden may know this—the member for Eden-Monaro there will definitely know this: you have to move your toes in your boots to stay up straight and not faint. These kids were taught that trick but apparently for some it did not work.

I also got the chance to go to Thursday Island for the opening of TS Carpentaria, a Navy unit up there. The unit has a lot of Torres Strait Islander kids as well as kids whose parents are on postings with the Navy there. Again, I saw very vividly the benefit for youth development for that remote community. The beauty about that training ship was the fact that they capitalised on the skills and the strengths of the culture in that area. It was of course a Navy unit, they were on an island, but they also adapted the program to fit in with Torres Strait Islander culture, because they are great at fishing. So they went out and did a lot of fishing programs, which is not traditionally in the cadets program. So they do adapt programs to whatever remote or regional area they are in. Again it was a very popular unit, very well attended by young kids from Thursday Island and also one with a strongly committed staff.

One of the more interesting units was in an incredibly isolated part of Australia in Bamaga. You can only get there by charter flight. Some members may recall a number of years ago some doctors and nurses being involved in a tragic air crash on Bamaga's tiny airfield. There was a huge memorial there. It was a very touching to land there knowing how dangerous and perilous it could be. Two mothers in the Bamaga community had decided they needed to have a youth development group set up in the community for fear that their youth would run a bit wild. They set this unit up next to a Defence Force facility there. It was pretty basic and we were there to look at how we could make improvements to it. Two Indigenous women set this unit up, got funding for it and got it running as a unit designed for Indigenous cadets. What touched and heartened me in visiting that unit was that, again, it underscores the community nature of cadets and how it was a grassroots-up thing. It had been grown organically by these women, who wanted to ensure that the kids were not running wild, that they were getting life skills, self-esteem skills, resilience skills and discipline skills—and they were doing it through this Army cadet unit.

Another unit I visited on that trip, which was also in Nhulunbuy, was TS Melville Bay, another traineeship, again with a mixture of Indigenous kids and kids who were up there with the Army. Located in a very remote part of the world, this is a unique youth development program linked into something that is nationwide. The kids could have their adapted, tailored program where they lived, and it is managed and guided by broader Defence Force programs on resilience, self-esteem, first-aid and orienteering. They could capitalise at the local level on the local nature of the program but also at the more national and macro level of the program. So it was a win-win everywhere.

My experience with the Australian Defence Force Cadets, as you can probably tell, was something that I absolutely loved. I cannot speak highly enough about the program. It is a great program that builds confidence and provides a constructive activity for young people in the community, particularly in remote and regional Australia. As the member for Fadden has said, many great Australians have started their careers in cadets and many of them have gone into the Defence Force. One of Australia's heroes from World War I, General Sir John Monash, and our only field marshal, Thomas Blamey, both started their distinguished careers in cadets. As I said, it is not just a training ground for future soldiers. Yes, about a third go into the Defence Force, but the other 66 per cent go into life with a great set of skills, high self-esteem, great resilience and a strong sense of discipline. For that we can thank cadets.

The legislation that we are talking about today makes some minor amendments to provide the Chief of the Defence Force with the authority to issue direction to the service chiefs on the administration of cadets. I know from the four years I spent working with cadets that we were faced with a number of governance issues. As a result of having the three services in cadets, there are three different single service cultures. When I was there it was transitioning to a more streamlined approach but there were essentially three different ways of doing things and three different sets of policies. So there were enormous amounts of duplication and siloing, and there was an enormous amount of resistance when it came to streamlining or harmonising some of those policies. When I saw this bill come up, I thought, 'Hallelujah—after all this time!' because there has been an ongoing process in harmonising a range of elements in cadets to improve the governance of cadets, improve financial management and improve accountability. This bill is just another improvement in the effectiveness and efficiency of cadets. It is a welcome improvement for a great program. It is long overdue. It results from a recommendation of the 2008 Hickling review and it will make changes and improvements to the governance of cadets as did a number of other measures that have been introduced over recent years. The program is great and can only get better through harmonised and streamlined policy and management. I do commend this bill and I do commend the government for finally getting around to introducing this bill to the House.

Wyatt Roy (Longman, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak to the Defence Legislation Amendment Bill 2011. This bill seeks to provide that the service chiefs' day-to-day administrative responsibility for their respective service cadets is subject to the direction of the Minister for Defence or the Chief of the Defence Force. The amendments will provide the CDF with delegation-making power to the vice chiefs of the Defence Force in relation to cadet responsibility and direction. While this might not be the most controversial legislation to come through this place, I think it is a good opportunity to raise in this place the importance of the cadets in our community and the contribution that they make to our nation and to their local communities. The defence community is not what we always think it is. It extends far beyond service men and women in full-time operational roles. It extends much further into our local communities and into our very own backyards, be it the significant returned service community out there or the Defence Force Cadets program.

It is interesting that in your role as a federal member of parliament you get out into the community and you see very different experiences and very different facets of people's lives throughout the community. One of the things that I have noticed in the last 12 months as the federal member is that almost everywhere I go I keep seeing the local cadets from TS Cooper. Be it at—as it was recently—Korean Veterans Day, Long Tan remembrance day, Anzac Day, Remembrance Day or even one of the 37 local schools that I have, I keep seeing cadets from TS Cooper. I think that shows the significant contribution that cadets make not only to their own development, their own leadership ambitions and potentially their own career paths into the military but also to the wider community. Cadets are an organisation that is not self-serving; it is an organisation that is about giving back to the community. I myself had a short experience with the cadets with 223 Squadron at Caloundra. There again it was not about self; it was about contribution to the community.

The cadet program provides a significant stepping stone to take a career path into the Defence Force. While I might not have found myself in the defence forces—although I might like to have—many of the mates I was with at that time have found themselves in the Defence Force currently, some of them at the Australian Defence Force Academy. Early next year I will be giving the Petro Fedorczenko memorial lecture to the Australian Defence Force Academy, and I can tell you that at the Australian Defence Force Academy and within the cadet organisation there are countless proud young Australians who are serving our country with dignity and with pride. Recently I returned from a trip to Afghanistan. There on the battlefield I met many people who were younger than I am who had found themselves in the Defence Force after taking that path through the cadets.

Be it on the battlefield or in the cadet organisation, there were young Australians who were rejecting the assumptions that are all too often levelled at my generation. I acknowledge the member for Mitchell, who just might make generation Y—I am not sure. But there on the battlefield and there in the cadets they reject the assumptions that are all too often levelled at our generation. There is a perception out there in the community far too often that our generation are apathetic, that our generation are lazy and that our generation are uninterested, but in the cadet organisation you can see that our generation are interested, our generation are engaged and our generation are committed, determined and willing to serve their country and their communities and to make a positive contribution to our communities and to the future of this country. As legislators in this place, it is appropriate that we do all that we can to support the Australian Defence Force Cadets program and all service men and women in whatever role they might take.

Mike Kelly (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am long past generation Y, although I still ask a lot of questions why! I commend the member for Longman for his comments in relation to generation Y, who are much maligned. I have seen some outstanding products in my previous role as the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support at the parade grounds of ADFA and RMC and making their way through our fantastic defence organisation. This is occasion for a little bit of pride, in that often in life you do not get to see the end result of some of the things you initiate, but here we see coming full circle something that was very close to my heart as the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support, as I was given responsibility in that role for our cadet scheme. Certainly I was very unhappy with many of the aspects of what was going on in relation to the management of cadets in our system. It has had a very chequered history. Over the years there have been something like 27 reviews and studies of the cadets. All of those wonderful reviews, with all of their good suggestions and recommendations—all that hard work—just ended up gathering dust on the shelves in the system.

So we were determined to do something about this—to finally get something done to rationalise and improve this organisation. What gave added impetus to that was the terrible tragedy of the loss of young Nathan Francis in a terrible incident in Victoria. There were proceedings that followed that in relation to the actions of Comcare, which highlighted, illustrated and brought home some of the responsibilities that Defence have and which were not being properly administered or where there were impediments to their administration. That gave us added impetus to try and bring together all of the strands of those 27 dust-gathering inquiries.

I was very proud to have established the Hickling review, under Lieutenant General Frank Hickling, a fine Australian soldier who I had had many dealings with in the service. He really took to this task with a will. Notwithstanding the injuries that he had suffered in an accident on a boat, he really got out there and got into it with his team. They did a great job. They gathered something like 200 written submissions from members of the public, consulted widely with cadet units and parents and produced quite an extensive range of recommendations, bringing things together and up to date for circumstances arising from the Nathan Francis matter. I send out my warmest considerations to Nathan Francis' parents, who should be happy today that, from these experiences, we are moving forward to address the reforms that are necessary.

One of the problems was an incredible anachronism that within the Defence organisation the cadet scheme was administered separately by the service chiefs but bizarrely the CDF had no ultimate command responsibility for the cadets. The CDF had authority to give directions to the service chiefs as to how cadets should be administered. Obviously that was a parlous situation. We had been through the Defence organisation and reformed it and created jointery across the board in every other area but here was this anachronism of the cadet scheme hanging out there.

If you wanted to improve the system and wanted to address the problems that were highlighted in the Nathan Francis matter, it was all about accountability, command and control. This legislation, the Defence Legislation Amendment Bill 2011, finally having made it to our agenda in this House, will address the key aspect of bringing the organisation within the responsibility of the CDF. Administratively, to make sure that that happens from a practical point of view, we then moved forward to connect the cadets with the reserve command structure. The cadets were sort of hanging out there loose within the organisation, finding it very difficult to get their agendas progressed within the system. We tacked them into the reserve command structure, now known as CRESD—Cadet, Reserve and Employer Support Division—so now they have a home. It was very apt that it happened that way because out there in the community quite often you will find that cadet units depend on the support of and are closely associated with a lot of our reserve units and organisations that are spread so broadly throughout our great land and form such a wonderful part of the communities they serve.

The member for Longman is quite right that we see these cadet organisations providing terrific support on all of our important commemoration days and during many other activities. It is wonderful to see how the kids respond to their experience in the cadets. It introduces into their lives the concept that the state is not here just to support you; you owe something to the state as well. I think that is something that we really need to work at in this day and age. It was one of the beauties of the old National Service system that it brought people together from many different backgrounds and people grew up understanding that they did have an obligation to their country as well as their country being there for them. One of the unfortunate things about the loss of that scheme is that we do not have a pervasive way of making sure that that is something that is imbued in generations as they grow up. Through the cadet scheme we see their understanding of commitment to service. The cadet scheme also introduces to them to concepts of leadership and teamwork, which are so important in just about every aspect of life. When we see cadets moving through that experience and going out in the community, they take that through all walks of life that they may enter into. The member for Longman is quite correct, too, that we do see a good flow-on of members of the cadets into the Defence Force in general—quite a significant flow-on rate. As an example, I know that something around 57 per cent of the officer corps in the Air Force come from the cadet experience. It is highly significant in terms of the overall capability that then evolves through the Defence Force, so I am delighted to see this first step.

General Hickling made a number of recommendations in his review and I know that the organisation is continuing to work through those. There were various problems with how the money that was allocated to the scheme by the previous Howard government—which was an initiative that I commend—was being administered, the oversight of it and the visibility of it in relation to its application to the cadet scheme. We have been working through that, working through concepts of the age limits, the experiences the cadets get while they are in the scheme, the standards that are applied to people being in a position of dealing with children—which is of course, an important concern—and putting better frameworks around that, and of course making it possible for a broader number of communities to establish cadet units was something that was very close to my heart as well. There were financial issues there but we were looking towards working arrangements whereby if organisations could band together and come up with financial solutions we could perhaps move forward.

It is also important that some of the schools that are involved in this scheme allow greater Defence oversight of their activities, and this was one of the issues that emerged from the Nathan Francis episode. Quite often there is some reluctance by some schools to allow Defence oversight, and we were trying to move to a situation where if schools were going to have Defence support for activities then they needed to accept that Defence had responsibility, emerging from what Comcare processes around the Nathan Francis matter revealed, and we had to work for a better mode of cooperation. It is good to see this legislation moving us to a better place on cadets, finally. This government, I am very proud to say, has acted after 27 reviews that went nowhere. It is terrific to see.

Associated with that was the work that was begun on the reserves—noting that the cadet scheme is now tied with the reserves—and we are very pleased to see the progress that is now being made on setting up the civilian skills database. It became apparent to me, as part of my responsibility for administering the reserves, that nowhere in Defence did we have on our database the civilian skills of our reservists recorded. It amazed me to think that, in an age when we have a high premium on being able to bring to the operating space a broad range of skills, particularly in counterinsurgency, we would not know if we had those skills out there or where to find them. In high-threat environments it is often not possible to deploy civilians. Building this database will enable us to reach out to those people who have the military skills and the organisational framework to facilitate deployment and who can bring to the table things like civilian engineering, administrative, legal and a whole range of skills that might be important in those post-conflict stabilisation environments. Some people say to me, 'You join the reserves to avoid your day job' and that is very true. In fact, I am still in the reserves myself and I would love to be able to get out of this building to go and do some reserve work, but I do occasionally do my fitness test and weapons test just to feel better. Certainly that is true, but if you offer a reservist the opportunity to deploy, to put those skills to use in a highly challenging environment, then they will jump at that opportunity. It is wonderful to see that that work is continuing and I am really grateful, pleased and proud that Senator Feeney and the team are continuing with that agenda that we established in that last term and that they are pursuing that objective vigorously. I am also pleased to have been a part of establishing, in this context, the Asia Pacific Civil-Military Centre of Excellence in Queanbeyan. It was a major gap in our capability that we had not brought these issues together—tying together a whole-of-government approach to these complex, multidimensional operations—and we were going nowhere, effectively, in achieving the end state we were looking for in places like Afghanistan. You cannot kill your way to success in an environment like that. Let us be clear, of course, that there are certain people in these environments where there is nothing for it but to kill them. You have to be frank and open about that. But to win involves coming up with that other 80 per cent of the puzzle, which are the social, economic and political aspects.

Having just recently spent a week on the ground in Afghanistan with our men and women, many of them good friends, I am very proud of the strategy that we as a government have managed to re-craft in terms of moving to that end state to create the indigenous capacity that will finally deliver us the opportunity to hand off to the Afghan people themselves. Across the board, we are seeing the key issues of education and infrastructure capacity being developed there, and all of them have that interrelated aspect of creating a virtuous circle, which you need in those counterinsurgency environments. So that strategy has changed and we were responsible for doing that. We were also responsible for setting that strategy of building the security capacity—the security sector reconstruction and capacity building—that is now moving us forward to a point when we can bring our troops home from that environment. I am extremely proud of that. One of the reasons why I got into politics in the first place was to address a security policy that I felt was drifting by not addressing the sophistication that we needed to get to in that whole-of-government approach.

The centre in Queanbeyan is now doing a fantastic job in addressing the training, and the doctrinal and strategic concept aspects of developing the planning—and building the international networking that has to happen, because we are in places like Afghanistan in a coalition context and we all need to be singing from the same songbook. There have been many attempts internationally to come to grips with this whole-of-government strategising, and many of them have failed because they have not been able to operationalise it properly. But the concept with our centre in Queanbeyan was to bring together components of all the relevant agencies and aggressively pursue the harnessing of that, if you like, whole-of-government campaign plan type approach, and that is working very well. They have done a great deal of good work, producing products like how to re-establish the rule of law in Afghanistan, the book that was recently launched in which David Kilcullen participated. And it is great to see that the centre is building networks with expertise all around the world in that respect.

So the government have a great deal to be proud of in how we have advanced the security policy and capability of this country to meet the complex challenges of a complex world, the new world that we faced after 9-11. We are now seeing the ISAF coalition working towards that outcome that is so necessary to deny the ungoverned spaces within which terrorist organisations operate. Obviously, this is not just my view; it is also borne out by the comments of Regional Command South in Afghanistan, who point to what the Australians and Americans are doing together in Oruzgan as the model for the rest of Afghanistan. They say, 'Go to Oruzgan if you want to see what success looks like.' That is not to say that there are not great challenges and that we will not have ups and downs, and setbacks, as we go along. But there is universal recognition in Afghanistan that we are on the right track, and so I am proud that we have been able to do that and proud that this effort in reforming the cadet scheme is just part of the overall success story that we have.

Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support the Defence Legislation Amendment Bill 2011. I want to commend the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for his remarks in relation to the reserves. I think they were wise words about the government and the Defence Force's ability to have a list and register of civilian interests in our reserve forces, and I want to commend his experience and knowledge in that regard. It is a shame, of course, that he is hamstrung by the government that he is a part of in relation to defence matters, because we have seen such a chequered history with cadets. I want to endorse the comments of the member for Fadden on cadet units and the history of the way they have been treated by successive federal governments over the years. In raising matters particularly related to this bill, I refer to the James Ruse Agricultural High School Cadet Unit, which is just outside my electorate in Mitchell. Indeed, it is one of the high schools where I had the fortune of growing up. This unit has been in operation since 1961, with a proud history of service. It has a strength of usually about 60 to 90 cadets, all members of the school, and it has functioned for decades very successfully. All of the things that you would find in a cadet unit go on here: discipline, leadership, military training, first aid, rifle drill, parades, all kinds of mountaineering and orienteering and, of course, weapons training. In the history of the unit I think it is quite important to understand what has occurred in cadets over the years in Australia, because it is relevant to policy today. What we saw was a unit that had been well-functioning and viable since 1961. It notes on its website that in the 1970s there was no slowing in enthusiasm for cadets at James Ruse, despite the fact that in 1975 the federal government withdrew financial support for school cadet units. This funding was eventually restored.

It was the Whitlam government that decided school cadets were not for the federal government at the time and it withdrew the funding for them around the country, which was a retrograde step for school cadets. Something which is seen as being so obviously beneficial today by people like the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, who just spoke, or others here who are endorsing their school cadet units, was very controversial in 1975. In 1984, the Hawke government disconnected the vital link between local military units and the local cadet unit—another retrograde step in the progress of cadets in Australia.

I want to endorse the role of the local military unit, having served as a reserve member myself as an officer with the 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers. The 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers, which is a combination of the 1st Armoured Regiment and the 15th Armoured Regiment, has the highest amount of battle honours as a combined regiment of any unit and regiment in the Australian Army. That, of course, is the parent unit today of James Ruse Agricultural High School Cadet Unit, and served in that function for many years until it was disconnected from it by policy decision of the Labor government in 1984.

This goes to the heart of the matter that we are discussing today. The administrative arrangements in this bill are appropriate and necessary and they are seen as improvements—they are non-controversial. In some senses we wonder why these arrangements need legislation to be enacted, but they do, and we support that. But policy in relation to cadets has been controversial. This is yet another example of how Labor has adopted basically all the features and improvements of the Howard era—we see it in every area. The Howard government brought cadets back into being in 1998 by restoring those vital links between the local military unit and the local cadet unit. A cadet unit is a precursor for military training. It allows those individuals who are interested at a young age to get involved in some military experience, try it out and benefit from it. It is a valuable resource and a valuable thing to have in schools, recognising that the best way to defend our country is to have a vibrant and active citizen military. All free societies have been dominated by a citizen military force, not by a standing military force. That is a difficult concept to grasp sometimes but it is the concept of the ADF Reserves: individuals interested in the defence of our nation do the job by participating in reserve service and citizen military service. Most of Australia's military achievements, and all of the ones that we laud, whether it be Gallipoli in World War I, or World War II, were achieved by citizen military forces, not our standing forces. They were people prepared to volunteer, sign up and fight for our country.

That is why cadets are a component of that great concept that has produced such a great and vibrant history in our nation's military history. Cadets are a vital component. Reserve service is a vital component. It was encouraging to hear the parliamentary secretary endorse reserve service, because it is under a certain threat today from policy of both the Army and, to a lesser extent, within the government. Having a strong and vibrant reserve culture based on local recruiting, local regiments and local units is a vital part of our nation's defence future, and local cadets are an important component of that. This bill is important to ensure that we do enshrine that connection between young people getting experience at cadet level and young people then deciding to go and serve in our nation's military or serve in reserve forces, as appropriate, recognising that with our small population we can never maintain a standing army that would be sufficient to defend our country if a conflict ever emerged. What we require is a large and vibrant voluntary military force who are trained in an ongoing fashion which can sustain us in years to come.

In terms of policy I am glad to see that Labor is adopting all of the best features of the Howard era, including our endorsement of cadets. The cadet program came into full swing under the Howard government, and I fully endorse Prime Minister Howard and the record of the defence ministers in doing that. It has come back to strength now. We should not regress again or endorse any move to weaken the connection between school cadets and our military. That connection between local cadet unit and local military unit is so important for recruiting purposes, for maintaining interest and for generating a sense of local community. Those sorts of items really contribute to the social fabric of our country and have been very important parts. When you go to any single country town around this country or any single local community and you look at their town square or town centre, you find a memorial, usually for local people from those communities. This concept has formed such an important part of Australia's social fabric. We should not allow it to be weakened.

I also want to endorse the role of the Baulkham Hills High School Army Cadet Unit, which was formed in 2000. It is a much more recent one, formed during the rebirth of cadets under the Howard government, and it parades every Thursday afternoon. The Commonwealth government, the Department of Defence, the department of education and the principal undertake to train members of the unit in military custom, navigation, communication, drill, bushcraft and all aspects of Army life. It is open to males and females today and we have an equal amount participating. This concept at local high schools and schools around our nation allows those young men and women who want to get experience with military service at an early age to find out what it is like and also make some great improvements in their leadership and training skills. It gives them that opportunity and it works so well.

It is also available down in Dundas, the headquarters of 8th Brigade at the Timor Barracks. That is where I had my first experience of cadets when I was younger person, visiting there and looking at what they did. I did not actually get to join, but I joined the Army Reserve a few years later. I endorse the work that they do at headquarters 8th Brigade in Dundas.

This is non-controversial legislation. I simply wanted to take a moment to endorse the record of all our local cadet units and the progress of the Labor Party in coming to the realisation that cadet units are very, very important. I know the member for Chifley feels that way about cadets. Indeed, I know that he in particular finds the Howard government a very worthwhile journey from point to point in this regard and that progress has been made.

Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I take the opportunity to also speak on the Defence Legislation Amendment Bill 2011. Before I do so, I caught most of the speech by the parliamentary secretary and member for Eden-Monaro and commend him not only for his speech but also for his personal role in respect of this legislation. He truly does have a good understanding of the defence forces in this country. It is a very genuine understanding. I thought his remarks earlier on today were very appropriate. As I say, I have no doubt that he also was instrumental in not only having this review undertaken but implementing the findings of it.

The bill updates defence administered legislation—specifically, the Defence Act 1903, the Naval Defence Act 1910 and the Air Force Act 1923—to ensure that the service chiefs' day-to-day administrative responsibility for their respective service cadets is subject to the direction of the minister or the Chief of the Defence Force. The amendments will also provide the Chief of the Defence Force with a delegation-making power in relation to cadet responsibility and direction. The bill also addresses inconsistencies in the three different cadet provisions by bringing the Air Force and Navy provisions into line with the Army provisions.

The Australian Defence Force Cadets is a youth development program for children and is similar to scouts or guides. Cadets are not Australian Defence Force personnel. This bill has no relation to legislation governing ADF officer cadets studying at the Australian Defence Force Academy or other defence training institutions. Labor's 2010 election policy document committed to these changes to the cadet programs' legislation. The reforms will create more organisational accountability and consistency.

The bill will provide the Chief of the Defence Force with authority to issue direction to service chiefs in relation to the administration of cadets and to delegate this authority to the Vice Chief of the Defence Force. Direction from the Chief of the Defence Force is subject to any direction issued by the minister in relation to cadets. Currently service chiefs have administrative responsibility for the cadet programs in their respective services, subject to direction from the minister. Cadet programs have in the past had problems with organisational accountability, particularly with duty of care and occupational health and safety issues.

The Review of the Australian Defence Force Cadets Scheme released in 2008, commonly referred to as the Hickling review because it was led by Lieutenant General Frank Hickling AO, was commissioned by the Chief of Defence Force and announced on 6 June 2008 by the then Minister for Defence, Joel Fitzgibbon. The Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support, Mike Kelly, whom I referred to earlier, announced the review team members on 20 August 2008. The review panel submitted their report to the parliamentary secretary on 24 November 2008. The report was passed to Defence for their response to the recommendations. The review was required:

…to review the general accountability, probity and the transparency of the management of the Australian Defence Force Cadets (ADFC) to determine clear lines of responsibility to ensure that the ADFC is achieving its specific objectives in an efficient and effective manner.

The Hickling report noted that, under existing legislation, the service chiefs are individually responsible for administering their respective cadet organisations. They are also held accountable under the law for the safety of cadet activities.

The Australian Defence Force Cadets is a voluntary, uniformed youth development organisation established within the Australian Defence Organisation, comprising cadets, community based staff and volunteers. Cadets are organised on the basis of Australian Navy Cadets, Australian Army Cadets and Australian Air Force Cadets. Although the prime focus of the Australian Defence Force Cadets is on youth development, it also seeks to encourage young people interested in the Australian Defence Force to pursue careers in the Australian Defence Force, the Australian Defence Organisation or Defence industry and engender a positive attitude towards the Australian Defence Force. Young people can join the Navy and Army Cadets when they reach 12½ years of age and the RAAF Cadets when they are 13 years old.

Over the years I have developed and maintained a close association with many cadet groups and similar youth organisations in my area. The Royal Australian Air Force base in Edinburgh is home to a number of cadet units, and in fact, not surprisingly, we have all three codes represented there, if not within the base adjacent to it. We have the 613th Air Cadet Unit located at the RAAF base at Edinburgh, the TS Stuart naval cadet base just outside the RAAF base and the 49th Army Cadet Unit at Smithfield.

In addition, we have the Legion of Frontiersmen Army Cadet Unit at Ridgehaven and a parallel type of organisation, the Australian Air League, based in the region also. There are a couple of other organisations based at the Parafield Airport which are associated with similar activities.

I will take this opportunity to speak very briefly about those organisations because they are of course impacted by this legislation; more importantly, they are examples of what can be achieved through these organisations. Through my association with them over the years, I have observed both the young people who are involved in them and the people who are leading those organisations.

Firstly, I will speak about the people who are leading these organisations. Most of them originate from the Defence Force. Most of them are people who have spent some time in one of the three different codes within the Defence Force and have had personal experience in Defence matters. As volunteers, they then become engaged with the cadet units. Most of them I could say I know personally, and they show a terrific example of community leadership in every sense of the word. They genuinely care for the future of these young people and they also understand what these young people will need as they progress through life. What they endeavour to do is impart to young people those life skills which regrettably are lacking in too many of our young people today. They do that not only through what you might call the formal training provided, whether it is in the cadet units of the Navy, the Army or the Air Force, but they also do it by making sure that these young people get actively involved in community affairs. It is not surprising to see them at all the memorial services, whether it is Anzac Day, Remembrance Day services or Long Tan Day services that we have throughout the city, or other similar events, but they are also actively involved in a number of what I call civic events that occur throughout the year in the local council areas of that region.

Again, their participation and their involvement in our services add to the dignity of the service on the day. What most impresses me—and I have spoken to many of these young people at the services after the event and during the course of them—is the level of responsibility that they take by participating in the service. They are not only proud of what they are doing on the day and of the uniform in which they are dressed but they are proud to be involved in the activity and they take it absolutely seriously and do it absolute justice by their participation on the day.

I recall that, when I was mayor of the city of Salisbury, before each citizenship ceremony the air cadets would lead us into the room. They would fly the Australian flag and parade into the room ahead of me and all the other dignitaries. Equally, when the ceremony was completed, they would lead us out of the room. To those new Australians who came in and were becoming new citizens on the day it just added to the ceremonial occasion. For them it was a big and an important event and it added to the ceremonial occasion. Those young people, because the air cadets are allowed to join that particular group at a very young age, were in some cases five- and six-year-old kids and led right up to the 17- and 18-year-olds. They all stood at attention and did it absolutely brilliantly.

Importantly, what these cadet units do is teach our kids life skills which, as I said a moment ago, are sadly lacking. Because young people today in most cases live in urban areas, they have lost touch with the opportunities that we might have had in years gone by to develop life skills which you never know when you may need. In the event of an emergency situation, which can occur and arise at any time and at any place, it is nice to think that you have some ability to respond to that situation. That is what I saw happening when I visited the different groups on their display and open days and they showed the skills that they were being taught as part of their training. It is not just about the Army, Navy or Air Force discipline—it is also about teaching them all of those skills. The Naval TS Stuart cadets are a good example. Every year when I go to their presentation evening they go through the drills that they have been taught over the last 12 months and you see them using the skills that they have learned in preparation for perhaps joining the Navy and doing all the different activities that would be required of them on a boat. These are skills that will become invaluable to them as they go through their lives. In addition I believe it teaches them to become responsible community citizens, and that is something that is invaluable for whatever career they pursue, even if it is outside of the defence forces.

For all of those reasons I commend the program itself and I commend those young people and their leaders for the cadets programs we have throughout this country. I notice that of the 48 recommendations most of them were adopted by the government. I also had a quick look through the report and noticed that many of the submissions that were made came from existing cadet units, in particular the National Servicemen's Association. I have also had a close association over the years with the National Servicemen's Association in South Australia. That is an organisation that strongly believes in giving our young people an opportunity to get involved in some kind of national service type of program. I do not mean 'national service' in the military sense, necessarily; it can be national service in any other kind of civic force. It is interesting to see that that organisation took an interest in this program because many of the people who are acting as leaders in many of the cadet units that I am associated with were originally in the National Servicemen's Association.

Ultimately, this program will have two major beneficial effects. On the one hand it is a youth development program, and one that has a great deal of merit. In fact, it is almost with regret that I see fewer and fewer young people getting involved in cadet training throughout Australia. On the other hand, the second important outcome—it might not be the primary purpose of the program—is that it provides those young people who have an eye to joining the defence forces with the preparation they need in order to make the decision that they will finally have to make if that is where they want to go. It gives them a taste of what they are in for if they decide to join the Defence Force. I think that is incredibly important, because I have no doubt that a career in the defence forces quite often turns out to be very different to what a young person thought it would be. Being able to go through the cadet program would give them an insight into what to expect if that is where they want to go. In turn, it enables them to make the right decision when they come to it.

I know of young people who, having left high school, decided that they would join the defence forces, only to find out in a year or two that that is not what they were cut out for, not what they are suited for, and to have to drop out. You learn, and that is fine, but this is an opportunity for them to learn without having wasted—I should not say 'wasted' because it is not necessarily wasted—their time. They could have made a different decision.

In closing I again commend the parliamentary secretary and the Minister for Defence for this initiative. I spoke about some organisations in my area but I commend all of the organisations throughout Australia who provide a cadet service in their areas.

Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I firstly acknowledge the comments made by the member for Makin in relation to the kids of today and the benefits of cadets. The member for Makin speaks with passion on the subject. The exercise that kids do in our communities is fantastic.

I also recognise the member for Mitchell and thank the government for recommitting to the Howard re-establishment of the cadets in 1998. In a mild form of rebuke to the member for Longman, I saw him on the internal television really giving it to the gen Y in his speech. I thought he was very tough. Gen Y may get a bum rap for being very self-centred but I find that kids today—and gen Y in particular—come through when the chips are down. Those of us who make presentations at high schools find that they are so much better organised, so much more responsible than we were. There is so much more expected of gen Y than there was of us at that age.

My own history in cadets is negligible. It was the seventies, man, and it was all about trying to keep your hair as long as possible. So it just was not for me. But the best stories of my mates from school are about cadet camps and about things that happened at cadets. Most important were the stories of the pipe band and the things they used to get up to. Those stories have absolutely nothing to do with training; they were more about getting into mischief. Similarly, the member for Makin mentioned the National Servicemen. We just had the 60th anniversary get-together in Townsville recognising 60 years of National Service in Townsville. Standing around having a beer with those blokes I heard stories of National Service in the fifties and sixties. I also heard stories of National Service from my dad. Those stories were never about what happened at training; it was all about what happened in your own time. The mischief those guys got up to! The lies that they told and the fun that they had! Their performing national service is to be commended.

The son of the member for Ryan, sitting beside me here, was a very strong advocate of cadets and was very heavily involved in cadets. I think she would like it put on the record that, whilst her son had his problems—he and was a problem child from time to time—he thrived on the cadet scheme. This bill amends the Defence Act 1903, the Naval Defence Act 1910 and the Air Force Act 1923 so that the service chief's' day-to-day responsibilities for their cadets will be directed by either the minister or the Chief of the Defence Force. It also provides the Chief of the Defence Force with the power to delegate the program's administration responsibilities to the Vice Chief of Defence Force. This essentially formalises an arrangement that already exists and I think it is good that we have done that.

Finally, the bill makes minor amendments across the three acts to ensure that references made to cadets are all gender neutral. Once again, it is a stickler for red tape and it is probably a good thing that we do it. It is an important acknowledgement of the fact that cadets programs today are no longer male dominated but are increasingly popular with our young women. I support this amending legislation as it reflects the expectations held by the voters that the Chief of the Defence Force is responsible for cadet programs as a part of the Defence Force, despite having had no legal control over them prior to this bill.

The cadets programs provide a great opportunity for young people in Townsville to get involved with the defence community that is so important to my city. Townsville is, of course, the home of Australia's largest defence base at Lavarack Barracks. We are also a proud Air Force city, including 5 Aviation Regiment as well as Navy. Townsville is home to an exceptionally large cadet contingent including the Australian Naval Cadets TS Coral Sea; the Australian Naval Cadets TS Coral Sea, which used to be with Jim Davis, on Magnetic Island; the Australian Army Cadets at 15 ACU; the Australian Army Cadets at 130 ACU; the Australian Army Cadets at 18 Battalion HQ; the Australian Army Cadets North Queensland Brigade HQ; Australian Air Force Cadets 101 Squadron; Australian Air Force Cadets 102 Squadron; and the Australian Air Force Cadets 1 Wing HQ. In no way is that to be any indication that Navy comes first or that the Air Force comes last. As long as the Army comes first, that is all we care about—or all that I care about. I do like my green boys and girls!

These programs encourage young people to stay active, learn new skills and take part in outdoor activities. It passes on the strong values of the Defence Force and creates an environment that fosters leadership skills and respect. It also gives students a better understanding of the Defence Force at a time when they are considering future career paths. It does let you know what you are in for if you do decide to go into the Defence Force. In a place like Townsville—where it is generational, where people retire and come from all over Australia to be part of Townsville and join in our community—it is only natural that we have a large contingent of people joining the Defence Force from here. Cadets programs are a very important thing.

The thing I like most about the cadets programs is that, through the discipline and the training, they teach children today to have pride, to stand tall, to be part of a team, to learn to follow and execute a plan, to accept that you can do better as a team and, most importantly, they are told that it is okay to have fun and to have fun in a work situation.

I support this legislation and I would also like to take the opportunity to recognise the great cadet staff and volunteers for their tireless dedication for this wonderful youth organisation. The work they do on mentoring, supporting and developing Australia's youth is very important and I commend them on their efforts. I spent a bit of time down at TS Coral Sea and the guys down there have such tremendous pride in their charges and the kids that are doing the cadetship respond in kind. They show great discipline but they have a smile on their faces as they are doing it. The parents are very proud of their children. The cadets programs have proven to be a great opportunity to foster young people's interest in the three arms of the defence forces and they have created an important part of the Townsville community. This bill creates minor amendments to the administration of this popular program and I, along with the coalition, support them.

Deborah O'Neill (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of the Defence Legislation Amendment Bill 2011. As a former teacher and now a member of parliament, I understand that young men and women embark on a variety of enabling extracurricular activities that are important to their physical and personal development. Defence Force Cadets has throughout our history been a very popular activity for adolescents, enabling them to be part of our proud and famous Defence Force in a very particular way. It is, however, important to ensure that the Defence Force Cadets are governed properly. This bill provides the Chief of the Defence Force with the authority to issue direction to service chiefs in relation to the administration of the cadets. It also provides for this authority to be delegated to the Vice Chief of the Defence Force.

The legislation before us is necessary because Defence Force Cadets have identified issues that need to be resolved with regard to organisational accountability, particularly in relation to duty of care and occupational health and safety issues. Direction from the Chief of the Defence Force is subject to any direction issued by the Minister for Defence in relation to cadets. This policy is necessary to ensure that the issues that may arise in relation to Defence Force Cadets can be dealt with in an appropriate manner.

As a member of this parliament, I see the enormous potential and I acknowledge the role of current and former members of the Defence Force in serving as role models for our youth through the Defence Force Cadets. This reality demands that the highest standards and the best administrative practice are applied. The cadets program is separate from the Australian Defence Force, and members of the cadets are not themselves members of the ADF; therefore, issues relating to the governance of the ADF are quite separate from those concerning the cadets.

Last week I attended the commemoration ceremony of the Battle of Australia at the Gosford Cenotaph. It was well attended by the Gosford national servicemen, who have kindly conferred on me the honour of being their patron. As at all commemoration and remembrance ceremonies I have the honour of attending as an MP representing the federal government. I was, once again, inspired by stories of courage, mateship and sacrifice. I was very proud to stand alongside representatives of the local RSL clubs and Legatees. I also saw in the cadets who provided the catafalque party the pride that they had in their service that day and their regard for the flag under which we unite in honour of our belief in democracy and the freedom that it confers on us.

You can see how these values are shared by the vast majority of our younger generation in increasingly large attendances at the Anzac and remembrance ceremonies by younger people. I know that the presence of young people is very heartening to older members of our community, particularly those members who served. It is a sign that we are handing on the stories that give shape to our beliefs and that we are telling the history that reveals our capacity to act on those beliefs in the national and international interest.

I have long believed that the primary means of improving the outcomes of our youth is to ensure that they have opportunities to engage in ways that are meaningful for them in our local community. This is manifest in various ways—through engagement at school, employment after school, sport and religious and other community organisations. As stated in the House by members last night, we see with the Scouts and Guides particularly organisations that, like the cadets, have played a constructive role in engaging younger people in their local communities.

The Australian Defence Force Cadets represent a very particular way in which younger people are very proud to be engaged with their community and to take on roles of leadership at critical times of commemoration for us. The cadets also have the reputation of being very successful in engaging younger citizens who then progress to full membership of the Australian Defence Force community.

I witnessed firsthand the type of community the Australian Defence Force is when I participated in the parliamentary program earlier this year. When I visited the Navy personnel on HMAS Stuart, under commanding officer Brett Sonter, in the Red Sea, I witnessed firsthand the fine quality of our Defence Force personnel. I am pleased to say that nearly a dozen of these fine young men and women on board HMAS Stuart originated from or now live on the Central Coast. Apart from hailing from such a beautiful part of the country, these men and women, like their colleagues, demonstrated admirable personal quantities by choosing a career in the service of the nation. I would not be at all surprised to see the very same people come back and become very active in our community with our young cadets. The Australian Defence Force Cadets has always been a means by which the values that underpin service can be revealed and embedded in the younger generation. These values, for me, are personal respect, resilience, professionalism, loyalty, courage, integrity, teamwork and initiative, about which other members in this place have spoken today in giving their accolades for the cadets. I will always respect an organisation that succeeds in teaching these values to our younger generation. I thoroughly believe that Defence Force cadets play a vital role in our local communities and, through them, in Australian society more broadly. I strongly support this bill because it will ensure the continued successful operation of the Australian Defence Force Cadets in a shifting administrative climate.

Younger generations have always been a target for a free kick by the Australian media and even, on the odd occasion, dare I say it, by members of this parliament. But in my role as the member for Robertson I continue to be inspired by the role that many young people play in our local community. This is demonstrated by their involvement in youth leadership programs and policy development in addition to their extensive community involvement. Of course, we on both sides of the House encounter many young people who are members of political parties, seeking to make a difference in the country they love—not quite in the same way as the cadets, but still with that interest in participating in a healthy and vibrant democracy and bringing to it the gifts and talents they possess.

The Defence Force Cadets is an important avenue through which younger people become connected with their local communities. In enabling the Defence Force cadets to continue to play their vital and constructive role in the community, it is critical that issues regarding organisational accountability are addressed. That is what this bill will achieve. These issues were identified in Labor's 2010 election policy document and this bill is intended to address specific duty of care and occupational health and safety issues that arise. The building of strong communities supported by well-regarded institutions such as the defence cadets has always been a Labor ideal that is consistent with Labor values. It is something I am always working to help facilitate as the member of parliament for the seat of Robertson and it is something that involves young people, about whom I am constantly passionate. I commend this bill to the Main Committee and hope that it promptly passes through parliament.

Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak briefly on the Defence Legislation Amendment Bill 2011 and, in doing so, endorse many of the comments made earlier by my colleagues in support of the Australian Defence Force Cadets program. It is an outstanding program, and I know that many of the children in our communities benefit from the outstanding work that it does. My own son, as the member for Herbert indicated, was an active member of the air cadets. The flight of which he was a member benefited from the support of the Sherwood-Indooroopilly RSL subbranch. I know that many of the cadet groups around the country also enjoy the benefit and support of returned servicemen. In contrast to the member for Herbert, I suggest that, because of his involvement in the air cadets and scouts, my son was never a problem child. Indeed, as the member for Robertson just said, the attributes that are learnt through these programs play a vital role. Qualities like leadership, responsibility, good citizenship and teamwork are all great qualities that can be instilled at an early age and can be carried through to their future careers. I think that the Australian Defence Force Cadets program is quite outstanding in this way. I wholeheartedly support this legislation and, indeed, anything that improves the existing program.

Debate adjourned.