Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—At the request of the member for Ryan, I move:

That this House notes that:

(1) membership of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Cadets:

(a) gives young people the opportunity to be members of a team, develop their skills as leaders and develop an individual's capacity to contribute to society; and

(b) fosters an interest in Defence Force careers, and is important in developing ongoing support for Defence; and

(2) ADF Cadets contribute greatly to the community and Australian society.

In my electorate of Lindsay there are over 180 cadets and 22 adult volunteers across three cadet units: Training Ship Nepean in Orchard Hills, 21 Army Cadet Unit in Penrith and 345 Squadron in Orchard Hills. I would like to give a big shout-out to particularly all the new cadets, including my son Coby, who has joined the Army cadets, because I know it has been a particularly tough year to join cadets hey're doing a lot via Zoom, learning about each other and about what it takes to be a cadet. I know that Coby and his fellow cadets can't wait to get out and do their camps, do their training and their parading—everything that joining cadets is about. ADF Cadets is an inclusive youth development program and is the largest within the Department of Defence. It gives young people the opportunity to be part of a team, to develop leadership, self-reliance, confidence, teamwork and communication skills. Although when I did ask Coby what he liked most about cadets, he said, 'everything'. These are crucial to the personal growth of all young Australians, to help them become the next generation of leaders in our communities and in our country. No matter what they go on to pursue in work or study, they will be well equipped with these important skills and character strengths on their way to achieving their goals. Some may go on to foster an interest in pursuing a career in Defence. I would like to acknowledge my colleague next to me and all the work you did in the Defence Force—you were a cadet too—in serving our great country.

Cadets also have the opportunity to embark on new and exciting challenges such as the cybersecurity competition, sponsored by CSIRO, named CyberTaipan. This is an Australian cybersecurity competition that's modelled on the US Air Force Association CyberPatriot program. It is part of an international framework for educating and inspiring high school students towards further education and careers in cybersecurity and other STEM subjects. Anything to do with teaching our young people about STEM and the jobs of the future is worth doing, and we need to do more of that.

Whether rural or remote, urban or metropolitan, or on Zoom, the cadets place a strong emphasis on connecting with the community across a wide range of socio-economic and cultural demographics. Even during that Zoom time of lockdown they've continued to have parades every week to maintain their connection and to conduct online training.

I would like to acknowledge that our own Penrith branch—21 ACU—was founded on 26 June 1985. This year the Australian Air Force Cadets celebrate their 80th anniversary, and we congratulate them on this remarkable milestone. It shows that the number of cadets recruitment has increased over the last four years. I know my colleague the Assistant Minister for Defence is working on building and expanding our cadets even further. Defence is proud of its values—service, courage, respect, integrity and excellence—which shape the culture and the entire organisation, including cadets. I've seen this firsthand with our local cadets at our Anzac Day services, our remembrance services. Each time we have a special occasion in our community our young people come out as part of their cadet program. We are really proud to see the effort they make and the work they do as part of their service to our community as cadets. For over 36 years our Penrith branch has developed the skills and contributed to the development of young people in Penrith, and I look forward to what they do in the future with their cadet program. Our community is proud of our young cadets and we can't wait to see them out parading—in person, off Zoom—in the very near future.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion.

Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Defence community has long played a very important role in my electorate of Macquarie, in the Blue Mountains and the Hawkesbury, with both communities part of the RAAF family. RAAF Base Glenbrook is home to Air Command, whose mission is to raise, train and sustain the Air Force's air and space power. RAAF Base Richmond, the first to be established in New South Wales, is best known for being home to our C-130 Hercs, the medium transport aircraft. As such, the Australian Air Force cadets also play a major role in my community, providing many local young people aged between 13 and 18 with the opportunity to develop their self-confidence and leadership skills, as well as explore a future career within the Australian Defence Force. The attendance of the AAFC 336 and 323 squadrons at things like Anzac Day, Vietnam Veterans Day and Remembrance Day, often in blazing heat or freezing cold, is very much appreciated by the veteran, defence and wider community. I think the pride in their duties seems to outweigh the weather conditions, which says something for how much they love being cadets.

For many years now they've had the honour of attending cadet services and marching-out parades. But COVID has obviously meant changes to operations in recent times. Remembrance Day 2020, for instance, saw commemorations spread over two services for 323 Squadron at Glenbrook to allow all the unit's cadets to attend safely. Scheyville, near Windsor, has also functioned as the location of big parades, and the sight of the cadets marching through the disused parade ground is really quite spectacular. Even more than that, I love watching the pride of the parents and the grandparents at these events. Some are new to defence and others are continuing a family tradition. It's a privilege as well to hear the Air Force cadet 3 Wing band when they perform.

The experience of these young cadets can lead them to move into careers with the Defence Force. I spoke to William in just the last week, who is certainly seeing it as a pointer to what life after school might be like. When this happens, this parliament and our nation have a huge obligation to these young people and to their families to support them both when they serve and when they finish serving. As a nation, we are obliged to do everything we can to ensure that supports are there for our service men and women, as well as our veterans should problems arise. While in the cadets we've challenged them and pushed them physically and mentally, and we've given them the opportunity for amazing experiences, our duty of care just doesn't end there. When anyone enters the ADF, we know that we're going to ask a lot of them: to go into crisis environments, to possibly confront distressing and dangerous situations and to often put the needs of the country ahead of their own needs. We have a responsibility to ensure that these men and women learn resilience to deal with what is asked of them.

When they leave the ADF, they need to know that the Department of Veterans' Affairs will be there to treat them with respect, not to go slow on their claims. That means that the DVA has to have enough staff to do that. Right now we know claims are blowing out to 12 to 18 months. The latest announcement of a review of the system by consultants McKinsey is a clear admission by the government that they failed to fix the problems in the department in spite of the 2019 Productivity Commission report, which hasn't been responded to fully let alone implemented. The people who pay the price for the incompetence in sorting out the department and its approach are the veterans themselves, and I think we all experience that. The ability of the Department of Veterans' Affairs to process a pension is a long way from the thoughts of a 17-year-old relishing their cadet role, but it shouldn't be far from our thoughts.

When I look at the young people in the Army and Air Force cadets and think of the bright future that they could have in the Defence Force, I'm also aware of the price that they could pay. If they do take that next step, we need to ensure that we are there for them, that they're supported during their years in defence and that when they leave they're given opportunities to use the extraordinary skills and experience that they will have enjoyed as a serving member, and prepare them for the next stage of their career. That's what I think about what I see these young people brimming with enthusiasm at what a career in defence could be. I think cadets is one of the really important stepping stones to that. I'm so proud to have wonderful people supporting our cadets in my electorate. I think we all know that we have the responsibility to maintain that support all the way through.

Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] Northern Tasmania has a proud history of training Australian Defence Force cadets that continues to this day. The cadet program is the largest youth development program within the Department of Defence, and one that has provided a strong connection and important pathway for many young Northern Tasmanians who are interested in exploring a career in our defence forces.

In Bass there are around 120 cadets and 31 adult volunteers across five cadet units, including Training Ship Tamar, the 508 Squadron and the 62 Army Cadet Unit, all in Launceston; the Training Ship York in George Town; and the 67 Army Cadet Unit in Youngtown.

Our government proudly supports the cadet program in regional areas, and in Launceston the Paterson Barracks is home to one of the cadet units and the 16th Field Battery—the oldest artillery unit in Australia—which will soon move all units to the Youngtown Barracks. This will bring an end to our city's long history with the barracks. With many sections of the building underutilised for several years, the move is a great opportunity to revitalise the building through the Launceston City Deal.

Beyond exposing cadets to the possibility of a career path in the forces, the program contributes to the development of youth in rural and regional communities. Importantly, the programs broaden community engagement with Defence by bringing together local youth, volunteers and aspects of military culture. In Tasmania, the cadets participate in school holiday programs with a difference, with robotics, abseiling and weapons training some of the activities on offer to young cadets across Tasmania. Combined with other training aimed at building the character and skills of the individuals involved, the program assists cadets in meeting future life and career goals in study and employment. Despite COVID, many ADF cadet programs have been able to continue in northern Tasmania and across the state in compliance with restrictions.

Just recently, 17 cadets and five adult volunteers from both TS Tamar and TS York participated with both Army and Air Force cadets in a combined training activity at Stony Head Military Training Area, just north of Launceston. Captain (AAC) Jorden Gunton, Second in Command, Alpha Company, Tasmanian AAC Battalion, has been involved in programs for many years and told me of his love for the program, saying, 'Cadets have the opportunity to undertake military-like activities such as field craft, navigation, radio communications and survival techniques, all in a safe, controlled environment.' The AAC has recently modernised the training to include electives such as flying remotely piloted aerial vehicles, cyberskills, robotics and more. The cadets also undertake a range of community service and remembrance activities, such as providing the catafalque party for a number of RSL sub-branches on Anzac Day to pay attribute to our soldiers, both past and present, and by supporting Legacy during the annual Legacy Week badge sales.

Within the Launceston region we have over we have over 60 cadets supported by members of the ADF and Army cadet staff members. We also receive fantastic support from the veteran community and the wider community. The Australian Army Cadets provide a fantastic opportunity for youth to be involved in our community, to gain leadership and teamwork skills and to make new friends. We are always looking for more cadets to join our ranks. We parade on Wednesday nights during school term, conduct weekend activities throughout the year and week-long camps during the school holidays. It's the opportunity to see a 13-year-old cadet recruit walk in the door, shy and nervous, and then, a few years later, see them rising to the challenge of commanding 200 youth on the parade ground or outfield. Seeing the cadets grow into their self-confidence and independence is one of the most rewarding parts of being an officer of cadets.

In March of this year, the City of Launceston bestowed a unique honour, granting cadets the freedom of the city, the highest honour that any Australian city can award. Coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the Air Force Cadets, northern Tasmanian cadets proudly paraded through the city streets from Princes Square to Paterson Barracks—a wonderful sight to see.

Thank you to all ADF cadets in northern Tasmania who continue to contribute to our community, I commend you.

Milton Dick (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to associate myself with the motion before the House today, where we recognise the importance of the membership of Australian Defence Force Cadets, and also recognise the incredible work of the many volunteers—many are parents but many serving members of the ADF support cadet programs in our nation.

The ADF cadet program provides challenging and educational military experience to Australia's young people. It is an invaluable initiative that gives kids purpose and self-esteem throughout their formative years. Currently, there are around 28,000 cadets enrolled in the three cadet programs—the Australian Army Cadets, the Australian Navy Cadets and the Australian Air Force Cadets. These cadets are supported by around 4,200 officers, instructors and approved helpers, who make everything possible by supervising and running the program. In the south-west suburbs of Brisbane and Ipswich, which I proudly represent in this parliament, we have several cadet programs in the Springfield and greater Ipswich area.

I also want to recognise another organisation in my community, Air League Forest Lake, which does so much work in promoting interest in aviation amongst budding future pilots and, hopefully, people serving in our defence forces. I had the opportunity to present Australian flags to No. 230 Squadron based in Springfield and I was incredibly impressed by their dedication, discipline and attitude. I have witnessed this program produce true leaders for our next generation. I also heard about the fantastic opportunities offered to kids in the program, including developing survival skills, gaining first-hand aviation experience, first-aid training, training camps and so much more. Without the cadets program, many kids would not have access to these exciting, enriching opportunities.

While the ADF has an important role to play in the development of our young leaders, it's also an important tool to introduce young people to the possibilities provided by a career in the Defence Force and this makes the cadets program an important and effective source of Defence recruitment for the ADF, with many cadets going on to serve in the permanent ADF or Reserves. I understand from talking to many of the leaders and many of the parents involved just what a critical point this is in ensuring that our young people had a full understanding about the work of the ADF. We should be encouraging and doing everything we can to get more young people to put up their hand to serve their country and to take the many opportunities that comes from a wonderful career in the defence forces. The benefits of this program are clear, and I'm really pleased that today's motion is recognising the outstanding work.

A strong cadets program also means a strong ADF. The annual Defence report shows that, in 2019-20, 93 per cent of permanent force recruitment targets were met and we know that since the 2015-16 white paper we have been failing to meet some of these targets. So whilst it's important to talk about the Defence Force capability and procurement, it's also important to talk about what we can do as a national parliament and particularly a federal government to ensure there are more people joining the Australian defence forces. The values of mateship, camaraderie and honour have been part of the Australian Defence Force for generations. With a program like cadets, we can foster and encourage them to enter promising and fulfilling careers in our Army, Navy or Air Force. It seems we need an urgent focus to support a recruitment campaign within the ADF, particularly as we come out of the pandemic, to ensure that we see more people being encouraged and mentored to enter the ADF, and that's exactly what the cadets program does so well. We want to boost Defence jobs and ensure our defence forces have the personnel they need to do the incredible important job of keeping Australians safe and defending our national interest. The cadet program is the perfect platform to increase ADF recruitment, expand the experiences and capabilities of our nation's young people and create the leaders of tomorrow. I commend the Australian Defence Force cadet program.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[inaudible] COVID-19 and build our nation's recovery. Team work, leadership and a willingness to contribute are going to be attributes that we need in abundance. We are therefore very fortunate in this country that we have three branches of the ADF cadets, which for decades have helped to instil these values in generations of young Australians.

In the electorate of Fisher we are particularly blessed. We have four units of Army, Navy and Air Force cadets. They are doing a fantastic job in building the future for Sunshine Coast leaders and understand the value and importance of duty and responsibility. TS Onslow in Golden Beach has been going since 1976. It is now in great hands under Commanding Officer Lieutenant Peter Peroz and Whole Ship Coordinator Sub Lieutenant Kerry Contessa. The unit is currently undergoing a transition, with a number of senior cadets, including Cadet Petty Officer Barnett having recently aged out. Nonetheless, the unit's 36 cadets have kept up a full schedule, including participating in the PCYC games in Brisbane; a ship visit to HMAS Mermaid; rigging, sailing, kayaking and taking part in local remembrance activities.

Equally, the Royal Australian Navy Cadets of TS Centaur don't let being up a mountain range in Maleny deter them from taking part in all kinds of naval activities. The unit commemorates the Australian Hospital Ship Centaur, which was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine off the southern tip of Moreton Island in 1943 with the loss of some 268 lives. The unit has been running since 1997 and, since that time, its cadets have taken part in sailing and powerboating, as well as bushwalking, camps and parades, which you'd expect from a unit in the hinterland. TS Centaur do a terrific job in instilling leadership, self-discipline and teamwork in their cadets, and it's a privilege to watch these traits on display every year when I travel up to Maleny for the Australia Day service.

Number 223 Squadron at Caloundra Aerodrome are also going through a period of transition, ably led by their Acting Commanding Officer David Bentley. At the beginning of this year, their respected commander Pilot Officer Barry McGlynn was promoted and moved on to a regional role, while the cadets have been shifting to a new age range of 12 to 18 years. Despite this, throughout COVID-19, 223 Squadron have managed to maintain almost their full program. Their 92 cadets have continued to parade every Monday night; they've done their usual bivouacs and, perhaps most importantly of all, they've continued to fly.

Earlier this year, I visited 106 Army Cadet Unit, then based at Meridan Plains state college, and met with their commanding officer, Captain Morgan Way. Captain Way is a plumber and builder—so he's got to be a good bloke!—with a decade's experience in teaching young apprentices and he brings that experience, along with a passion for the outdoors, to his work with our local cadets. He is ably assisted by 2IC Lieutenant Rob Couchman and administration officer Lieutenant Allison Couchman. Though 106 Army Cadet Unit and its 90 cadets have recently had to relocate to Caloundra Aerodrome, they now have big plans for taking the unit forward. They are instituting a buddy system, expanding the range of locations and the activities they do, and bringing first aid training to all their senior cadets. Perhaps most importantly, they are elevating the role of senior cadets in the management of day-to-day operational matters and giving them input into decision-making. It's exactly this kind of experience of adult leadership and responsibility which lies at the heart of the value of our cadet programs.

By giving young people a voice and accountability for their actions, we grow their confidence and help them to understand the consequences of the decisions that they make. Ultimately, that is what the ADF cadets are all about. When they join up, cadets make a commitment to our community. They demonstrate their desire to make a contribution and their willingness to take responsibility for themselves and for their fellow Australians. Cadet leaders like Peter Peroz, David Bentley and Morgan Way are fantastic role models, giving up their time to help these young people to develop their skills and providing them with an example of service and passion that I know will stand them and their country in good stead into the future.

Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian Army Cadets is a leading national youth development organisation. Cadets allows young people from 12 to 17 to experience a taste of life in the Australian Defence Force and to develop leadership and life skills that will stand them in good stead no matter what path they choose. The Australian Army Cadets adopt the values of the Australian Defence Force to empower youth to achieve their potential, values like service to country and community; the courage to say and do the right thing, especially in the face of adversity; respect for others; integrity of character; a spirit of excellence; and a willingness to strive to achieve every single day. In Indi we have two cadet groups: 37 ACU Albury-Wodonga, based at the Gaza Ridge Barracks in Bandiana, and 33 ACU, based in the Beersheba Barracks at Wangaratta.

Over the last two years, our young people have had a pretty rough go of things. The impact of lockdowns has been hard on all of us, but for young people having two years of school significantly interrupted is a seriously big deal. For those of us in Victoria especially, there have been so many pivotal moments of growing up that young people have missed out on, not to mention the simple joys of being young: playing sport, exploring our beautiful natural surrounds in north-east Victoria, spending time with friends. As we start to come out of lockdowns and start looking towards life on the other side of this acute phase of the pandemic, programs like the cadets will be needed more than ever. Coming together as a group for activities like camping, navigation, first aid, watermanship, abseiling, drill and ceremony, the cadets gives young people a fantastic opportunity to work together to develop resilience and character and vital life skills. These are the types of group activities we've largely been unable to do these last two years, and these are precisely the types of skills and attributes that our young people need as we look to emerge into a world a little less certain than the one we knew a few years ago.

In a place like Indi, which has a large defence community, programs like cadets are also important to connect young people with the significant local defence and veterans culture. The Bandiana Barracks, which hosts the 37 ACU, is a significant presence in Wodonga. I had the great joy of visiting there recently. There are many hundreds of families across Albury-Wodonga who originally moved to the region because they had a family member stationed at the barracks. For the young men and women of the 37 ACU, to see the families thriving in the community, the opportunities, the jobs, the careers and the service is a fantastic thing for them. At the Bandiana Barracks, when I was there last week, I saw advanced manufacturing, a logistics hub and a training centre. For young people to understand these careers exist, they see this through the cadets, and I think it's an extraordinary opportunity for them. The fact that, through cadets, our young people can be exposed to this world is a wonderful thing not just for them but for our broader community. We just heard from our previous speakers that we need to do everything we can to boost recruitment into the cadets.

I'd like to thank all the people in the 37 ACU and the 33 ACU for giving our young people an opportunity to grow and develop. I'd like to celebrate all the young people in Indi who sign up for the challenge. I love to see you on memorial days. I feel great pride in you. You are our real hope for the future. Young Australians have shown remarkable resilience throughout this pandemic, and I know, when I see you, that our country is in very, very good hands with this next generation of young leaders.

Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to thank the member for Ryan for raising this motion, and I'd like to thank all former and current ADF members for their service to our country. We enjoy the freedoms we have today because of you, and I'd like to acknowledge the member for Stirling, who's sitting right next to me, for your service.

The ADF cadet program is, and has been for a long time, an integral part of not only the Defence Force but the wider fabric of the Australian community since its inception. At its core the cadet program exists to enrich the lives of young people and to provide them with opportunities that they might not otherwise have received. At the age they join, that sets the foundation for the rest of their life, for their adulthood. We need to recognise that opportunity is given to them, but we also need to recognise how they embrace that and how well they embrace that. The program is built on a military-style support and structure. And don't let anybody ever tell you that boys—and girls, but I speak of boys because I have two boys—don't want structure. They desire that structure. They need that structure. The program also provides the ADF customs, traditions and values, and those tenets are the building blocks of a successful future in business, in team building, and to instil a sense of belonging and that critical self-confidence that our youth need to become well-balanced young men and women—to have that self-belief that, quite often, we don't see in young people these days.

The regions have been significant in producing young men and women who go through the ADF program, across a whole range of socioeconomic and cultural demographics, attracting increasing numbers of young women and young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women, and also engaging with young people with physical and learning disabilities. This continues to grow year on year, and I see that in my electorate of Cowper. At TS Vendetta in Coffs Harbour the number of cadets has increased by four per cent every year over the past five or six years. It's quite incredible, as the last speaker said, that even during COVID we've seen this exponential growth of cadets. I think that is because of what other young men and women see in their friends who join the cadets.

Just before COVID, I remember going to a memorial service. There was a very impressive young man there with his mother. She told me the story of how, only a few years before, the family had become fractured. Her son had become very angry. He was having learning difficulties. He was in and out of suspensions. That lady took that young man to the Air Force Cadets and, almost overnight, with the mentoring and supervision, and that structure that he desperately needed, he changed. He now has his light aircraft pilot's licence. This young man now has a future because of the ADF program. And that's what we see, time and time again, where young men and women go through the ADF cadet program. I have a list of names, which I won't have time to read out today, just from TS Vendetta in Coffs Harbour, but this is replicated all around Australia. Programs such as these are critical in the moulding and guidance of our local communities' future leaders, expanding horizons and providing possibilities for us as a society to function at our best.

Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] I am very pleased to also speak to this motion and I thank the member for Ryan for bringing it forward. Although I did serve in the Australian Army, I wasn't a cadet, but I've seen firsthand here in my electorate the important role that cadets play in our broader defence community. I know that there is a transformative power in being a cadet. I've certainly seen that, and I want to acknowledge all of the volunteers, reservists and full-timers that are working with our cadets around the country. In my electorate, I want to acknowledge Anita Newman from Air Force Cadets up here, who was recently awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. She served in the Air Force and in the NT Police, and she's a bit of a Territory legend up here. She's a commanding officer of 802 Squadron of the Australian Defence Force Cadets, which is based in Darwin and Palmerston. Anita told me that, through cadets, Australia's best citizens are being formed, and I think she's right. They learn the skills of integrity, teamwork, compassion, responsibility, respect and fair play. Cadets learn critical leadership skills but also, in the Air Force's case, about aircraft recognition, aviation, the military way of life, fieldcraft and STEM skills. There's also a strong component of community service to the cadets that Anita leads and across all of the cadet units up here in the Territory. With the Air Force, they work closely with the aviation museum and the military museum. They work as tour guides and they're an important support for community commemorations as well. The Cadet Drum Corps provides support on Anzac Day, Remembrance Day and Vietnam Veterans' Day. I attend a lot of these events, as do my colleagues around the country, and we all admire the great skill and respect that these cadets bring to important occasions. Well done to 802 Squadron and to Anita Newman in particular. Anita told me, 'I get great joy personally in seeing kids who didn't expect to succeed do so, and I love seeing their faces when they do achieve.' Keep up the great work, Anita.

I also want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Australian Army Cadets in my electorate. Recently, nine cadets from the Greater Darwin region, Army Cadet Units 70 and 71, won the National Cadet Drill Competition. It was a great effort. It was the first time that the Australian Army Cadets' Northern Territory Battalion won this competition. It's a tough and prestigious contest with the winning team being awarded the Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army Award, which takes the form of a commemorative pace stick. All those who know RSMs know exactly what a pace stick is. Congratulations to those cadets and to Army cadets in general.

Finally, I go to the senior service, the Navy Cadets. I was so impressed by our Navy Cadets up here in the Top End, who, on Anzac Day this year, held a service at one of our retirement villages here in Darwin. They are ably led by the Training Ship Darwin's officer in charge, Aurora Jan, and a former Army combat veteran, Tynan Garrett. He is the Training Ship Darwin's training officer. They held a service with great respect and thoughtfulness with those navy cadets. They really warmed the hearts of those senior Territorians resident in that home. It was a wonderful ceremony, so I just wanted to say well done to Navy Cadets. That is going to be an ongoing relationship between Navy Cadet Training Ship Darwin and some of our retirement villages up here in the Top End. What a great effort. I just want to send out a big thank you to all the volunteers with Training Ship Darwin, and I really do hope that more regulars—more Royal Australian Navy personnel regulars, reservists and volunteers—can join the training ship soon, because there are some great staff there doing a brilliant job, but they could always do with a bit more of a hand.

Of course, not every cadet goes on to pursue a career in the Defence Force but, through the experience that they gain, they really get some important skills and perspectives that they'll use throughout their career, whether that's in the ADF or not, and they'll be great citizens. We know that many cadets go on to become members of the Defence Force, and I can't encourage that course of action any stronger. Well done to all the cadets.

Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] It's a great pleasure to bring this motion to the House and to speak on it this evening. I would have desperately loved to have been there with you, but such is COVID life these days. I particularly want to thank all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for the encouraging words that they've had to say about our cadets around the country. It's one of the many issues that bring us together across the aisle—our admiration for our ADF Cadets and their vital service to our country.

Service, courage, respect, integrity and excellence are the values of ADF Cadets, underpinning their mission to lead and serve our local communities. Australian Army Cadets are, of course, a community youth based development organisation that focuses on preserving customs, traditions and values of the Australian Army. But it's so much more than that. As you've heard from previous speakers, it's the opportunity to provide, to instil, young Australian cadets with the values that we all need to foster our next generation of leaders.

My electorate of Ryan, as many of you have heard me say ad nauseam, has a very proud military presence. We are home of the 7th Brigade at the Gallipoli Barracks and we're home to many current and former service men and women, many of whom are former cadets themselves. In May this year I had the privilege of joining Assistant Minister Hastie to launch the Brookfield cadet unit in my electorate of Ryan. This is a brand new unit that's been made possible thanks to the support of the Morrison government, which committed $100,000 to get the unit underway.

I am pleased to update the House that construction of this new facility is due to commence early in the new year. Assistant Minister Hastie, as we all know, is a distinguished ex-serviceman himself, but many may not know that he is also a very proud ex-cadet. He credits the cadets with many of his own values and skills that he learnt and that he is now applying in his everyday life in the parliament today. It inspired him to go on to join the ADF and serve his country with distinction. Like me, he views the cadets as an important institution, in our country, that builds young hearts and minds with service not just for their community but for Australia more broadly.

As a local member I am very pleased to support the cadet unit and I am a strong supporter of this new unit. I have advocated passionately for funding to get this brand new unit off the ground and to provide it as an opportunity for local youth in the Brookfield area. It will be headquartered at Brookfield and has already gathered tremendous support from the local community. Before I talk further on that, I want to pay homage to 129 Army Cadet Unit—also based in my electorate of Ryan—at the Gallipoli Barracks in Enoggera. It has, currently, 144 serving cadets, which just goes to show the need and desire of our youth out there to be part of this important program.

Despite the difficulties 129 Army Cadet Unit have had—as we've all had during these COVID times—they've still managed to conduct regular parades and weekend activities, like their obstacle courses and the like. I want to pay tribute to them and the volunteers for their resilience during these trying circumstances of the COVID pandemic. Given that they have 144 currently serving cadets, there's obviously a strong interest for this new unit. I am delighted that we the federal government could come onboard to help support it.

It's led by a fantastic team out of the Kenmore-Moggill RSL sub-branch, including it's president, Lieutenant Colonel Rick Maher, and the sub-branch treasurer and former officer of the royal engineers of the British army Richard Ponsonby, and Leonie Smit. They have all been instrumental in bringing this initiative to the fore. Rick and Richard, as I said, are both ex-servicemen who are devoted to giving back to the future of our country's Defence Force through the Brookfield cadet unit. They already have more than 40 cadets who have registered a very keen interest to join as soon as possible, with the unit up and running early next year. So I know the support that the Morrison government has provided to enable this unit to occur is going to a very good place.

It is my hope that the local unit, like all cadet units, will foster strong young leaders who are motivated by a selfless desire to serve their local community and, in particular, to serve their country. Our community at Brookfield and the electorate of Ryan will be better off for their efforts. Congratulations to everybody involved in the Army cadets.

Fiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] My electorate is steeped richly in naval tradition, home since 1948 to HMAS Albatross near Nowra. The naval air station for the Royal Australian Navy's aviation branch, the Fleet Air Arm, is home base for the four helicopter squadrons of the Navy Aviation Group: 723 Squadron with EC-135T2+ helicopters, 725 Squadron with MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, 808 Squadron with MRH-90 Taipan helicopters, and 816 Squadron with MH-60R Seahawk helicopters. There is also 822X Squadron with unmanned aerial systems. Then there is HMAS Creswell, located on the south-western shores of beautiful Jervis Bay within the Jervis Bay territory, home to the Royal Australian Naval College. So, locally, our young people, as members of their respective Navy, Air Force and Army cadet units understand the significance of Defence values—Defence values, which, by extension, are their value of service, respect, integrity, teamwork and excellence.

The weekly parade, over three hours, brings to its core the military-themed youth development program, advancing teenage children with personal confidence, time management and community participation. This is from procedural roll call to uniform inspections, but practical lessons also—for example, from construction of shelters, understanding navigation by utilising compass bearings and necessary radio procedure, through to Australian military history, including medals.

But there's also plenty of activity in the field, on camp and the usually most-enjoyed adventure training. At HMAS Albatross, under the base commander, Captain Robyn Phillips, there is now proudly a cadet program for the Australian Navy, Australian Air Force and Australian Army Cadets. The latter were established just last year, with eight cadets at the Sussex Inlet RSL sub-Branch. It now welcomes 26 members, parading within the multipurpose training aviation authority at HMAS Albatross.

One of the main concepts within their exercise routines is for the cadets to share a semirealistic idea of what the Australian Defence Force is all about. They learn about the rank structure, how to follow orders and how to give orders, as a great number of cadets will progress and complete promotion courses like lance corporal and corporal and rise to become a cadet under-officer. Once a unit has a cadet with rank, the focus changes so that cadets lead cadets. Upon completion at the age of 18, the grounding is vast and completely transferrable into employment opportunities. Additionally, banking on their developed radio and navigation skills, many become welcome members of local Rural Fire Service, SES and/or marine rescue community services.

I understand that the cadet family at HMAS Albatross is hopeful of holding an inaugural tri-service parade in December. Further, within the electorate of Gilmore is also 222 Army Cadet Unit—South Coast. It has an historical lineage that includes being based at Milton from as early as 1911 and a renewal in Ulladulla from 1993 to 2007, before relocating to Broulee—south of Tomakin and north of Moruya. For some time the weekly parades on a Wednesday have been held within a local high school; however, increasing restrictions, given the COVID pandemic, have brought real challenges, with limitations as to what the school can allow the cadets to do. For the last several months, meetings have been limited to online. I'm aware there's consideration to moving the unit to facilities in Moruya.

It is clear to me that the opportunity to form part of a team, one that fosters leadership with consideration of the immediate community, is the real essence of being an Australian Defence Force cadet—and to willingly demonstrate this publicly by supporting local sub-branches and participating directly during commemorative occasions like Anzac Day and Vietnam Veterans' Day. Should this lead in time to an interest in a Defence Force career, then I suppose it's double good luck.

I would like to acknowledge the commitment, energy and guidance of the many volunteers and leaders who guide, coach and mentor our cadets. Their investment with Australian Defence Force Cadets reaps its return not only locally in Gilmore but across Australia. I say thank you.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 18:54