Kate Lundy (ACT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in favour of this motion on this matter of urgency before us today, the topic being the government's unfair pay deal for our Australian Defence Force personnel. In my electorate of the Australian Capital Territory there are around 5,230 people in the Army, Navy and Air Force. Like them, I and many thousands of people across the Australian community were shocked and dismayed when the detail of the government's recent pay offer to our Defence Force personnel was made public.

What this government offered was an effective pay cut and a loss of compensatory Christmas and recreation leave. Given the unique, demanding and often dangerous roles performed by our service men and women and the extensive time they are often required to spend away from family, this decision was particularly insulting. Despite allowing for a pay increase of nearly four per cent per annum in the 2014-15 budget, the government has made a pay offer of 1.5 per cent a year for three years—less than half the amount budgeted for and well below the consumer price index, the CPI.

All ADF personnel have been asking for is a fair and equitable pay rise commensurate to the projected increases in the CPI. The insulting pay offer did not come close to that projected CPI increase over the next three years. In fact, by 2016-17 the offer on the table for a service men and women will see salaries 2.66 per cent less than a pay offer in line with projected CPI increases would have delivered. That is the effective pay cut.

It is not just the effective pay cut that has the Australian community seething. The current offer also sees a loss of conditions, and I will go through the loss of conditions now: removal of one day stand-down at the end of the working year; the cessation of extra recreation leave to account for work outside of usual hours; an increase to the minimum qualifying period for higher duties; raising daily driving limits, of course leading to OH&S concerns; removal of food allowance that could see some families losing over $4,000 per year; and the reduction in motor vehicle allowance rates. I have listed all these things and yet those opposite must have been hiding under a rock not to hear the public outcry both from ADF personnel and the broader Australian community about the outrageous cut and loss of conditions for our servicemen and women.

In an unprecedented way, soldiers are trying to make their views known. Whilst I acknowledge what Senator Ludlam said about our soldiers not having a union to represent them and not being inclined, as they are bound to do, to speak publicly about this matter, one soldier has said something and I would like to quote him:

… the government that I have sworn to protect and serve, and that up to this point have been enormously proud to do so, has signed off on a deal that is essentially a kick in the teeth to every Soldier, Airmen, & Sailor.

…    …   …

My own government disdains me and my fellow serving members, and it disdains us publicly and with thinly disguised contempt.

Whilst this is a lone voice, it is not a lone sentiment. I, along with my Labor colleagues, have been inundated with correspondence from constituents expressing disgust at the decision to cut the real pay and conditions of our ADF personnel.

My community—the Canberra community—understands only too well that they do not have a public voice, and yet an enormous proportion of people living here in Canberra are either related directly to or have close friends in the ADF. With over 5,000 serving members here it is not surprising that the vast majority of my constituency would have firsthand experience of what the working life is of serving ADF personnel. They are highly motivated to lodge their complaint about this decision, and we have been hearing from them. As my colleague Senator Conroy said, over 22,000 individuals have signed the Change.org petition opposing this effective pay reduction. Thousands have voiced their concerns on social media and the Defence Force Welfare Association's Facebook page has been inundated with complaints and comments.

These are real people—real families—who are giving up family life to serve the country. One woman wrote:

I saw my husband for 55 days in total last year and this is what we get.

This is a decision from a government that is asking our ADF personnel to defend our country, risk their lives, put their families on hold and make sacrifices to protect our national security.

To add to this government's hypocrisy, the minister yesterday admitted that his government's pay offer represents an 'undervaluing' of our ADF personnel. He said in this place:

The new Australian Defence Force pay arrangements in no way reflect the value that the government places on ADF personnel …

This comes after the minister ardently defended the pay deal during Senate estimates, describing it then as 'fair' and 'not a real pay cut'. I believe the minister should stand up for our servicemen and women. I believe that is his role in the executive, and he has failed in that role. But every member of the cabinet of this government shares in that failure. They are co-owners of this decision, as they have been party to making it.

The 2014-15 budget allocated the funding for a fair pay deal for ADF personnel. I do not accept the minister's shallow exercise in deferring responsibility somehow to the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal. He is hiding from the simple fact that the funding was in the budget and that they are able as a government to advocate for a fair deal. Under the Defence Act 1903, section 58H, the government is able to request the DFRT to reconsider its determination. In doing so, the government is able to set the grounds on which the reconsideration is being sought. The government has until 1 December—that is, 28 days of the determination—to make this request. There are undoubtedly sufficient grounds upon which to seek reconsideration from the DFRT.

Perhaps in requesting the DFRT to reconsider its decision the government should advise the tribunal that the government's original offer failed to provide for a salary increase that would keep pace with the cost of living; it falls well below expected inflation outcomes. It was particularly unfair in light of the 2014-15 budget allocating funding for an above-inflation pay rise for ADF personnel. Perhaps they could say that it does not reflect the community expectations concerning appropriate pay and conditions and that it is affecting morale, and that it has the potential to affect retention and recruitment in the ADF. And perhaps they could say that it has caused a serious backlash amongst ADF servicemen and women, their families and their wider communities, and that they do not deserve this treatment from this government—a government that has made a lot of noise about the ADF and the role it plays over successive terms of parliament. And rightly so, but why now turn their backs? Why now? It is shameful, it is hypocritical and it is unacceptable.

If those opposite truly valued the contribution of our service men and women, they would pay them appropriately. They would honour the pay rise that was contained in the budget, and they would rectify this error on their part immediately. I have over 5,000 constituents directly affected by this decision. Their families, their children and their parents are all affected by this decision. (Time expired)