Defence Reserves ENews

DEFENCE RESERVES SUPPORT E-NEWS | AUGUST 2007

Major General Melick becomes Australia’s Most Senior Reservist

Major General Greg Melick, AM, RFD, S.C. has been appointed Assistant Chief of the Defence Force (Reserves) and Head Reserve Policy. He succeeds MAJGEN Neil Wilson, AM, RFD who has retired from the ADF after more than 40 years of service.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Mr Peter Lindsay, thanked MAJGEN Wilson for serving in the senior Reserve position since April 2004.

“MAJGEN Wilson has done a wonderful job during a period that has seen increasing demands being made upon our Reserve Forces,” Mr Lindsay said.

Supportive Leave Policies for Reservists in Car Manufacturing.

The four Australian Car manufacturers: Ford, Holden, Mitsubishi Motors and Toyota have recently finalised their leave policies for Defence Reserves. A formal launch of their supportive leave policies will be conducted by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Mr Peter Lindsay MP at RAAF Base Edinburgh in Adelaide on 2 August.

It is anticipated that the family cars produced by each of the “Big Four” will be joined by some impressive military equipment including aircraft and vehicles.

Ford, Holden, Mitsubishi Motors and Toyota join the growing list of defence friendly employers who are supporting Reservists through the development of formal Defence Leave Policies.

Look out for pictures in our next e-news edition.

Higher Level Payments for Service by Health Professionals.

In June 2006, the Chief of the Defence Force signed a new Approval for higher level Employer Support payments for specified doctors, dentists, nurses and allied health officers for service from 1 June 2006.
Those eligible to claim under the CDF Approval are:

• the employers of medical, dental, nursing or allied health officers in the ADF Reserves who are within one
of the specialisations listed in the Payment Rates table; or
• self-employed medical, dental, nursing or allied health officers in the ADF Reserves within one of the
specialisations listed in the Payments Rates table.

Click here to open a document which contains the Payments Rates table and other information.

If the Reservist is in a multiple employment arrangement (for example, is employed in a public hospital and also with a private practice), both the Reservist and the hospital can claim.

Eligible service under the CDF Approval now includes:

• service on or directly in support of an ADF operation;
• service on or directly in support of an ADF training exercise, activity or course, including attendance at
medical fellowships or other training opportunities that have been approved by Head Defence Health
Service (HDHS) or Surgeon General Australian Defence Force (SGADF);
• service on a naval ship deployment (whether an RAN or foreign ship); or
• service providing civil aid, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief or assistance in a medical or civil
emergency, for which the officer's service has been authorised by HDHS or SGADF.

The Reservist must have been released to undertake the Defence service. If the Reservist is on annual leave, long service leave or any form of accrued leave entitlement, no ESP is payable in respect of those days.

If the Reservist performs work for the business during the period of Defence service (except emergency work or work authorised in writing by the Reservist's commanding officer or branch head), no ESP is payable in respect of those days.

How do I claim under the CDF Approval?

To claim under the CDF Approval, you must complete the appropriate ESP claim form for higher level payments under the CDF Approval. This will be either the AD 138-3 (Employer's claim form) or AD 138-4 (Claim form for Self employed Reservist), available here.

The claim form for higher level payments under the CDF Approval should
be submitted direct to:

The Director ESP Scheme
R8-G-026
Russell Offices
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Remember you can call 1800 001 696 and discuss any queries with the helpful staff in our State/Territory offices.

Reminders!

The Employer Support Payment (ESP) Scheme provides financial assistance to both employers and self-employed Reservists whilst on specified types of leave from their civilian employment to render Defence service.

ESP is payable for every block of service of five days or greater, after the two week qualifying period and other criteria have been met. For Reservists employed full-time, the rate at which standard level ESP is paid is $1,070.40 per week. For Reservists in part-time employment, a pro-rata amount of the full time rate is payable based on weekly working hours.

For those who are statistically minded!

ESP expenditure for the Financial Year (FY) 2006/07, totalled $16.5m; of this, $13m (78.8%) related to claims for Army Reservists, $1.9m (11.5%) related to Navy Reservists, and $1.6m (9.7%) related to service by Air Force Reservists.

Of this, $1.226m was attributed to payments under the Chief of Defence Force (CDF) provisions for Higher Level payments for service by Health Officers.

Overseas Defence Reserves Organisations – how do they compare to Australia?

In our May E-News, you may recall a short story about the Office of Reserve Service Protection visit to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. This month, there is more detail about this important visit.

Business Functions for Health Professionals

A series of business functions for Health Professionals was launched on 26 June at the Sofitel Brisbane. The next function will be at Adelaide’s Stamford Plaza Hotel on 14 August. Health Professionals and associated employers are encouraged to attend this complimentary event.

To register contact e-Kiddna Event Management - Click here

DEFENCE RESERVES TO SUPPORT AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE CHARITY BALL

Defence Reserves Support has been named a significant sponsor of the upcoming 2007 Australian Defence Force Charity Ball.

The event will be held on Saturday, 29 September at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

After raising $77,000 for worthy beneficiaries Starlight Children’s Foundation and Legacy in 2006, this year’s event aims to raise more than $100,000.

It will be a prestigious evening filled with regional cuisine, fine wines, and outstanding entertainment. Most importantly the night will raise much needed funds and also draw South East Queensland's Defence and corporate worlds together in a social environment.

Golf Days

The first in a series of golf events will be held for employers interested in Defence Reserves on 29 October in Adelaide. This will be followed by a similar event in Canberra on 12 November. Interested?

Click here to register.

The Canberra Hospital reaps rewards with Naval Reserve Doctor.

The Canberra Hospital believes it has a very good arrangement with the Defence Force. Chris Cole, a 32-year-old Naval Reserve doctor is bringing an extensive range of new skills, knowledge and experience to the hospital and to his own work as an emergency medicine registrar through his involvement in the Defence Force Reserves.

Lieutenant Cole joined the Naval Reserve in 2006 – and there were several reasons behind his decision.

“I was interested in applying my skills as a critical care doctor in different contexts, especially disaster relief,” said LEUT Cole.

“Being in the Naval Reserve provides me with unique opportunities to serve in ADF humanitarian programs, peace keeping operations, and to work as part of a very diverse and dedicated team doing something 'a little different' to my usual job.”