Defence Reserves wants to know about how your Reservist employees add value to your business or organisation. All stories will be considered for publication on the Defence Reserves website. Please drop us a line and you will receive a Defence Reserves 1GB Memory Stick - and so will the Reservist highlighted in your email! Just remember to provide mailing details for the recipients and keep in mind that we will be dispatching from 1st of June! Submit your story here.

 

 

Employer Support Payments (ESP) are currently set at $1035.90 per week after completing the annual two-week qualifying period. This payment will go up on 1 July. Higher-level payments may be made if a claimant can show substantial financial hardship or loss. Reserve health professionals may also apply for higher-level payments under a special Chief of the Defence Force Approval. Claim forms were revised in early 2007. Copies of the latest versions of the claim forms can be downloaded from the Defence Reserves website.

The importance of the ESP Scheme in supporting Australia's employers of Reservists is reflected in the expenditure for the current financial year. For the period ending January 2007, $8.72m has been distributed from the ESP Scheme, with Navy claims being worth $1.14m (13%), Army $6.53m (75%) and the RAAF $1.05m (12%).

Self-employed Reservists comprise a significant number of Reservists across the three services. Next month's newsletter will take a closer look at how the ESP assists these Reservists to undertake their work in a period when they are increasingly being called upon to operate in many of the theatres in which Australian forces are deployed.

 

 

Looking for something to stretch your capabilities? 
Exercise Executive Stretch (EES) may be the challenge you are looking for! EESs are held in each state and territory, normally over a weekend, and are organised by the Directorate of Reserve Support. They are designed to give employers the opportunity to experience some of the physical and mental challenges Defence Reservists undergo during their training.

Already this year, several states have held an EES, with thirty participants taking part in the mini EES held in Alice Springs on 26 February. Over the weekend of 24-25 March, two EESs were held - one in Victoria, another in Western Australia. The employers experienced a challenging set of activities, incorporating leadership and teamwork development, techniques to excel under pressure, physical challenges and fitness and individual skill set development.

A professional video team covered the WA EES  – look for it soon on the website with accompanying photographs. The next Exercise Executive Stretch is being conducted in Townsville 18 - 20 May 2007. EES could be what you are looking for. Give yourself a challenge – nominate now!

 

 

Like Australia, the United States and Canada rely heavily upon Reservists to complement their permanent forces. Last month Office of Reserve Service Protection Director Phil Johnston and Deputy Director Lieutenant Colonel Chris Grigsby visited Washington DC, USA and Canada for talks with their overseas counterparts.

In the USA, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act Offices of the US Special Counsel and the US Department of Labour perform similar functions to those of Australia's Office of Reserve Service Protection.

While overseas, the ORSP team held productive meetings with their peers and canvassed a wide range of issues including:

•	Superannuation for Reserve service,
•	Lateral recruitment of Reservists from industry,
•	Flexibility of movement to and from the Reserve and Permanent Forces,
•	As part of that flexibility, consideration of legislative change to redefine Reservists as "permanent part –time" members of the Defence Force,
•	Recruitment, remuneration and retention strategies,
•	The development of closer strategic alliances with key industry groups, both through the DRSC and more directly on a one-on-one basis, and
•	Academic support and protection for student Reservists.

 

Mission Accomplished – Operation Bosslift: Solomon Islands 2007
Twenty-seven employers of Defence Reservists recently completed a Bosslift to the Solomon Islands to see first-hand the vital work being performed by the Australian Army’s 7th Brigade as part of Operation Anode, the ADF’s contribution to the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI).

During the five days of Bosslift, the employers observed Reserve soldiers working from their forward operating base in the Solomons assisting police to maintain law and order.

On 17 April, Southern Cross University Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul Clark and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Mr Peter Lindsay MP launched the university’s policy to support students who not only undertake study but also commit to service in the Australian Defence Force Reserves.

The policy provides special consideration for students in areas such as attendance and assessment requirements with, for example, extensions being granted for assignments that are due during their periods of active service.


International Conference on Employer Support for Reservists in London

Leading military and civilian experts from around the globe travelled to the United Kingdom in April to discuss the challenges of making Reservists readily available to respond to world-security, overseas operations and disaster assistance missions.

The experts were delegates at the fifth International Conference on Employer Support for Reservists (ICESR) at the RAF Club in London. The conference program examined how different militaries throughout the world manage the situation when Reservists experience difficulties obtaining time off from their civilian employment and educational institutions to train and serve.

Analysis and collaboration on the best practices of Reserve Force Employer Support Programs featured prominently in these discussions. These programs are intended to encourage employer support for Reservists and thereby facilitate Reservists being granted leaves of absence for training and overseas operational deployments.

Other conference topics included: selling the benefits of Reserve service, incentives for employers today and tomorrow, challenges caused by reservists being called up with increasing frequency, challenges in successfully addressing conflict between employers and their reservist employees, challenges convincing key decision makers (political, military, members of the civilian population) of the importance and relevance of the Employer Support Programs, and challenges recruiting and retaining Reserve Force members.

The next ICESR conference will be held in Australia in 2009. Australia was selected as the venue in recognition of its 'best practice' Reserve and employer support systems supporting the Australian Defence Force.