2.1
This chapter considers:
Management of the transition process of each member of the Australian Defence Force;
Ways that the Australian Government could better support the effective and successful transition of women veterans; and
Ways that the Australian Government could better support spouses, partners and family members to enable more successful transition outcomes for former members of the ADF.
The Transition Process
2.2
Leaving one’s job in the Australian Defence Force (ADF), separating from the military, engaging in military to civilian transition, or transitioning from the ADF back to civilian life, can be a process which is challenging, difficult and unique. While entering the ADF and undertaking recruit training in one of the services is renowned for being physically tough and mentally challenging, the process of transitioning out of military service and back to a civilian life can produce challenges which are even more difficult to navigate.
2.3
Entering the military, ‘a process of cultural immersion’, is one in which ‘[c]ollective attitudes, practices, rituals, symbols are inculcated’, transforming a civilian into a soldier, sailor, air-man or -woman and leading to ‘strong attachment, interdependence and behavioural conformity’.
2.4
Those entering the military are trained to fight, to kill and to destroy property. Different units within the military have been trained to undertake different tasks, have different cultural features, and pride themselves on that differentiation. There are many cultures and sub-cultures within the Australian military, serving as points of difference not only between the services, but within each Service. This strong sense of collective identity can pose challenges when mental health issues arise, and can also pose difficulties for external service providers delivering personalised care and support.
2.5
Australian military culture has been described as predictable and certain:
The Australian military culture is ordered and predictable. It is a secure scaffolding in which operations are designed and executed; it is predictable, hierarchical and certain. The transition from serving personnel to ex-serving personnel is much less so.
2.6
Positive features of military culture, including camaraderie, strength and loyalty, can at times lead to difficulties during transition, including delays in seeking professional assistance for psychological distress:
The key operational aspects of the military culture are camaraderie, intensity, elitism, and distinctiveness (Harris et al. 2013), driven by the processes of training and a shared fate. A consequence of this rigid culture is the pressure to be strong (not to fail or be weak), rigid and rational thinking, and an inability (or reluctance) to express emotions and limit options in a time of crisis (McKay et al. 2010). In the transition process this is undone, and there is often an inability to disengage (Yanos 2004) combined with psychological distress that impacts on quality of life and mental wellbeing (Karekla and Panayiotou 2011). The processes in help-seeking behaviour often involves apprehension and delays (Galdas et al. 2005). For the military, this holds far greater solemnity as the culture demands full capacity for active service and the transitions to civilian life are difficult for both the individual transitioning and the families that surround them.
2.7
Mr Rob Manton, Director of Veterans South Australia told the Committee that transition is a ‘shared responsibility’:
The question of who owns the transition is important, but if we acknowledge that transition begins the day an individual enlists, and that every day served is a day closer to transition, it becomes clear that transition is a shared responsibility between the individual, their family, their commanders, the departments of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs, and the community.
2.8
The term ‘transition’ is used to refer to the time when a member of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) leaves the ADF. While it may be said that the individual is leaving a job they have been employed to do, in fact their employer has provided them with an opportunity to be a member of an elite group of individuals, trained to defend the nation, who have taken part in sometimes dangerous missions with significant risk of trauma, and little concern for their own personal safety. It is a transition from one way of life to another. Transition involves a change in almost every aspect of life for many people – employment; household income; location; with loss of the source of identity, acceptance and pride in the military service, and loss of the sense of membership of an elite group, the camaraderie of peers, the ease of a shared military history and set of values. The loss of these intangible benefits can have an enormous effect, particularly if the person had joined the ADF straight from education, and had not experienced independent life as an adult outside of the ADF.
2.9
Some of the more significant challenges of transition include finding a new purpose and a new identity:
Transition from the Defence lifestyle is currently an abrupt process, with little preparation for what will be faced in civilian life. The challenge of this process should not be understated; defining new purpose while undergoing a large change in identity. The skills and experiences military people can gain from Defence are significant and can greatly assist in civilian life. However, if their identity remains as a Defence member, they will struggle to communicate and engage without ever really integrating with society.
2.10
An academic review of 18 qualitative and mixed methods studies of the experience of transition from military to civilian life found that ‘the psychological adjustment experiences of veterans reintegrating into civilian life following discharge from military service are characterised by extensive and multiple losses’. Veterans reported ‘they were impacted by the loss of military culture and community, identity and purpose which contributed to a difficult reintegration experience’ and the findings, which ‘were consistent across countries and contexts’, substantiate the importance of addressing the experience of loss for transitioning military veterans.
2.11
Dr Madeline Romaniuk, Veteran Mental Health Initiative Lead, Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation, told the Committee that there is a significant difference between leaving the Defence Force voluntarily and receiving a medical discharge, and that more emphasis needs to be placed on educating ADF members about the psychological process that they will experience during transition:
A lot of the time, if you’re discharging voluntarily, it’s because you’re either sick of the job you’re currently in or you’ve got a better opportunity outside and so you leave because you think of just the positives. If you’re discharging medically, often it’s a long arduous, difficult process that you’re just jack of by the end and you want to get out. What we’re missing is an understanding of the profound psychological experience that goes with changing from such an ingrained, all-encompassing system to not being in that anymore. We need to pay more attention to educating people about that before they leave.
2.12
The system of training recruits for active military service ‘deeply ingrains behaviour, belief systems, identity and expectations’:
Currently the ADF spends weeks, months, and even years physically and mentally preparing members for the rigours of service. Recruit training, Corps training, and promotion courses, along with years of team-building and activities designed to imprint esprit-de-corps in every individual. This is a good and necessary thing – it builds the strength, resilience, and teamwork needed to fight and win on the battlefield. However, this is a process of acknowledged indoctrination. A process that deeply ingrains behaviour, belief systems, identity and expectations.
2.13
The Queensland RSL has invested more than $1 million in the past 12 months in research into transition. This is part of a program of research into Defence-related medical, physiological and sociological issues in which RSL Queensland has invested more than $7 million over the past three years, primarily through the Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation. It is the largest ever study of Queensland Defence personnel and their families and aims ‘to better understand who the Defence families in Queensland are and the key needs and challenges that they face. It was necessitated in part because the Australian Bureau of Statistics data does not identify veterans and their families. The research identified those in the transition stage, which was defined as being from discharge until up to two years post-discharge, as the group with the highest needs.
2.14
One of the greatest challenges facing those transitioning is the drop in household income, from, on average, around $92 500 during service, to $75 500 during the transition. Younger members experience a more significant decrease in household income of 30 per cent to $65 000. At the same time expenses relating to housing, health and childcare needs increase because these are no longer covered or subsidised by the ADF. Unemployment among those transitioning in Queensland is four times higher than for the general population, with 19 per cent actively seeking work. Of those moving from Defence to civilian employment, 62 per cent had difficulty in finding meaningful employment. In respect of Defence spouses, 61 per cent of in-service spouses struggled to gain meaningful employment, and 89 per cent of Defence spouses said that having a serving partner had severely or moderately affected their career, due to the demands of postings, and, when ADF members are deployed, raising their families as a sole parent.
2.15
Research into transition in Queensland found that two thirds of those who were discharged participated in the ADF transition programs, but that 81 per cent of those did not find the programs useful. It recommended reviewing the transition process, including training and information provision, and incorporating more input from those who have already transitioned. The research found that those who joined the ADF straight from school or while still living with their parents, that is prior to entering civilian life as an adult, did not have the experiences of adult life as a civilian to fall back on during transition, and were most strongly negatively impacted during their transition from the ADF. The RSL Queensland ‘believe that the inevitable process of transitioning out of the ADF requires a unified and complementary approach, with a focus on increasing the awareness, resilience and preparation of serving personnel and their families whilst early in service’.
2.16
Those who serve in the ADF are broadly ‘Type A’ personalities, who are used to leading and providing for others, and ‘provider anxiety’ arises in them when they transition from Defence and they feel unable to provide what their family needs. RSL Queensland is increasingly of the view that this underlies some of the mental health challenges within transitioning personnel.
2.17
The transition process can produce many unexpected challenges, even for those who have had smooth careers in the ADF, are voluntarily leaving the ADF, and who do not anticipate any major difficulty with their return to civilian life. The process of transition itself can place an overwhelming burden on the mental health of a transitioning Defence member, as well as on that of their relatives:
Legacy Australia has anecdotal information that many people leave the ADF with no civilian plan in place. They may be well adjusted personnel within the military environment and have no compensable conditions at the time of discharge. However some of them do not experience an easy transition to civilian life. Difficulty finding employment while expecting to maintain the same standard of living as experienced within the ADF can lead to depressive conditions. If the ex-service person starts to suffer mental illness, it is common for other members of the family to also suffer mental illness. The family situation spirals downwards and the sense of despair becomes overwhelming. Sometimes suicide is the outcome.
2.18
The Defence Family Research Project found that, while there were key needs at different stages of the Defence journey, those transitioning out of the military were experiencing the most challenging phase. Many were recruited at a young age and had adjusted well into the military way of life, which was often their first experience of employment. Transitioning out can be more difficult if it occurs abruptly or when the circumstances are outside a person’s control, as is the case with a medical discharge. The Defence Family Research Project found four main areas of challenge during transition:
1
Unemployment. Unemployment among those transitioning out is eight times higher than for the general population. Sixty two per cent report difficulty in finding meaningful employment, and only 16 per cent were in full time work. This has an effect on mental health, with 70 per cent of those unemployed experiencing depression. Discharged Defence members typically take six months or less to find appropriate, meaningful employment; 20 per cent take seven months or more, and 9 per cent take more than two years to find meaningful employment. Women who are transitioning out, and those medically discharged, take longer on average to find employment. Partners also experience employment issues, with 89 per cent saying that having a serving partner has moderately or severely impacted their career.
2
Reduction in household income. Median household income during service is $92 500, with significant additional support for household expenses, such as subsidised rent, medical expenses etc. During transition, the median household income drops to $75 500, with younger members experiencing a more significant drop to $65 000, while living expenses increase. Research showed that financial planning and advice and financial education were needed at this time.
3
Impact on family life. Relocations, social isolation, financial pressure in a single income household, mental health challenges, and the periodic absence of one’s partner are all challenges for those in Defence and their partners and family members. Eighty-three per cent of Defence personnel live in family households (compared to 72 per cent for the general population), and 34 per cent of those with children said that they needed family counselling. Families going through transition are more likely to experience this need.
4
Physical and mental health. Most Defence members have at least one medical or physical health condition that they attribute to their service, while many suffer from PTSD, depression, anxiety or other illnesses. Sixty per cent of those in the transitioning out stage need additional help with health or physical therapy, with the areas of greatest need identified as hearing loss, back pain, tinnitus and depression, while a smaller group reported issues with substance abuse, osteoarthritis and reflux. Mental health is a significant and recognised issue for Defence members and their families and can range from subtle issues to more significant PTSD. Evidence supports a link between mental health issues and substance abuse.
2.19
The challenges encountered during transition vary, but the consequences of an inability to adjust can be significant, and can present as financial issues, mental health issues, difficulties in finding and retaining employment, and family breakdowns. A combination of support from the ADF, DVA and ESOs can help ensure a smooth transition, and that each person has the best start to their post-ADF life.
2.20
A number of those who provided submissions to the inquiry highlighted the difficulties that can accrue when there is a perception that the discharge process has been handled in an insensitive manner:
Transition may be working well for people who have done their 20-25 years and have time to plan an orderly retirement. It is not working for the young digger who is medically discharged. They feel they have been told “You are broken, get out!” This is not good enough.
As a veteran and a former serving member of the Royal Australian Air Force, I feel like I have been tossed aside on the scrap heap, useless and forgotten about by the organisation, (the Royal Australian Air Force, the Australian Defence Force – ADF), the Australian Government … the same government that I worked for and gave my all for, including ensuring that I served wherever and whenever I was required to do so, without thought to the personal sacrifices of my life, my health and my family. I did this as I was proud to be a member of the Royal Australian Air Force, it was an honour to serve and protect the people of my country, and I thought I would be respected and looked after if anything bad ever happened to me. How naïve was I? Broken promises. That’s all I’m getting.
The impact of this poorly managed and administered medical discharge resulted in a severe downward spiral of our family member’s mental health, with feelings of being abandoned, isolated and rejected by those who had previously been trusted while undertaking multiple operations serving Australia.
We have since heard from others who have suffered similar failures with their medical discharge experience. One medical discharge that is a failure is one too many.
2.21
For some, induction and other training while in the ADF has been so effective, that it is difficult to perceive the possibility that one’s transition out of the ADF could be less than successful. The EDiT Group gave a succinct summary of how some members of the ADF view transition while still in the ADF, and how that view changes after they have left:
Approaching Transition – After deciding to discharge, there is little to help them remove the façade that they are better than civilians. Defence provide some theory of what it will take to effectively transition, however there is no de-militarisation training. They hear the transition disaster stories and believe they happen because others aren’t as strong as they are.
Post-Transition – Only once they have personally experienced the transition, do they then begin to realise that this ‘transition thing’ is more complex than they gave it credit for. But at this point, they have missed the transition training offered during their service. Or if they did undertake transition training, the trainers didn’t relate the importance to what they were about to embark on and provide tools on how to address it.
2.22
The departments of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs have taken steps to improve the experiences of ADF members and their families, including:
Working together to implement the Government’s policy to ‘Support Veterans and their Families – Creating a Better Veterans’ Transition Process’;
Collaborating on a Joint Transition Taskforce to identify opportunities to improve the transition process;
Piloting new initiatives to deliver integrated approaches to transition services, including the Transition Health Assessment, the Special Operations Forces and case management pilots;
Sharing information and increasing opportunities for DVA to engage with transitioning members to offer support;
Better supporting medically transitioning members through a more connected rehabilitation system;
Working together to improve the mental health and wellbeing support provided to members and their families during and after military service; and
Conducting joint research to better understand veterans’ needs, particularly in relation to mental health.
Coordinated management of transition
2.23
The evidence before the Committee points to the need for a co-ordinated management of the transition process for all ADF members. Standardisation of elements of the transition process across the services would ensure that ADF members would know what they could expect during their transition. This would enable Defence to better manage those cases where support needs to be provided, and improve the quality of the transition experience for more departing ADF members. While around 80 per cent of the transitioning cohort each year do so apparently without significant issues, the 20 per cent who experience challenges, often have difficulties across several areas of life. Evidence before the Committee indicates that the reverberations from these difficulties can stretch years into the future, and can affect spouses, children, and other members of the extended family of the transitioning ADF member.
2.24
The Productivity Commission has proposed a number of recommendations in its Draft Report, A Better Way to Support Veterans, designed to lead to improved outcomes including improved work health and safety and injury prevention; improved rehabilitation and transition supports; a simpler, fairer and more accessible system of compensation; more consistent claims assessment; a faster and simpler review process; and a better evidence base with which to inform the design and delivery of services.
2.25
The Commission has also proposed the establishment of a new independent statutory agency within the Defence portfolio, the Veteran Services Commission (VSC), to administer the veteran support system. It has proposed centralising responsibility for transition within Defence by establishing a Joint Transition Command, modelled on the existing Joint Health Command to improve coordination of transition and the continuity of rehabilitation, and give greater prominence to transition among serving members and within ADF hierarchy. While it agrees that responsibility for transition should lie with Defence it is the Committee’s view that the administrative arrangements to support transition would be best left to Defence to determine.
2.26
The Committee is broadly supportive of the approach proposed by the Productivity Commission because it clearly reposes responsibility for transition with Defence and ensures that resources will be available to meet this responsibility. Defence should have to report annually to Parliament, through the Defence Annual Report, on the transition process and the outcomes being achieved for transitioning members of the ADF. The United States of America has transition timelines and actions mandated in legislation to ensure compliance with transition policy.
2.27
The Committee is also supportive of reforms proposed by the Productivity Commission to the Veteran Support System as they would go a long way towards removing the anomalies and simplifying the system for the people it is intended to serve.
Legislation
2.28
A number of submissions referred to the difficulties experienced by former members of the ADF in their applications to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) for acceptance of their illness or injury as service-related, and disaffected with the outcomes. It was suggested that rationalising the three Acts {the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA), the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988 (DRCA), and the Military, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA)} into a single Act, would be beneficial. New Zealand has taken this approach and has one Act, the Veterans’ Support Act 2014. Our goal ought to be ‘[n]ew veteran related legislation that preserves veterans’ entitlements while simplifying the process under a single piece of legislation’. This is a conclusion also reached by the Productivity Commission. It would simplify claims and advocacy, require fewer advocates and save on staffing costs, decrease dependence on ‘the letter of the law’, and place more emphasis on ‘natural justice’.
2.29
The Productivity Commission recommended in its draft report issued for comment in December 2018, that the front end of the claims system be made simpler for clients, and noted two areas where there was scope to rationalise the three Acts covering claims:
The initial liability process – moving to a single standard of proof for all types of service; and
The review process – a single review pathway for all veterans’ compensation and rehabilitation decisions.
2.30
The Commission also recommends the simplification or removal of some payments, and substantial changes to compensation on the basis that ‘an injury is an injury’, with a single rate of compensation covering injuries, illness or death, regardless of the type of service.
2.31
The Commission noted that moving from three Acts to a single Act covering all veterans is the ultimate objective of simplification, an objective that resonates strongly with the submissions received by the inquiry. The Productivity Commission has proposed transitioning through two schemes over time, based on a modified VEA (Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986) and a modified MRCA (Military, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004) (incorporating DRCA {Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988}), which would become the dominant Act over time.
Committee Comment
2.32
While the Committee received a number of suggestions on ways to improve the transition process, the improvements instituted by the departments of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs over recent years need to be acknowledged. Soldier On noted the ‘significant improvement to the transition process for service personnel as they separate from the Australian Defence Force (ADF), over the past three-four years’. Soldier On identified the targeted employment initiative provided by government and other agencies, and greater access to mental health care through the expansion of Non-Liability Healthcare, as positive steps forward, whilst acknowledging that transition also includes social connections, community and family.
2.33
It is the Committee’s view that the reforms proposed by the Productivity Commission in its draft report deserve serious consideration by the Government although the structure of the administrative arrangements within Defence for managing transition should be a matter left to Defence to determine.
2.34
The Committee recommends that the Government:
Regularly assess the transition process for quality and outcomes, including the Transition Seminars, information provided to members and their families, and delivery of that information;
Assign Defence responsibility for managing transitioning personnel through to twelve months post-separation, or to completion of the individual’s assessment process with DVA if longer than twelve months; and
Reduce the complexity of the legislative framework reporting on the outcomes for veteran support (VEA, DRCA, MRCA) with the objective of transitioning over time to a single system under a single Act.
Management of the Transition Process
2.35
Transition can vary in difficulty for those with different experience in the military. Professor John Brewer and Dr Stephen Herron of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute of Global Peace, Security and Justice, Queen’s University Belfast, have conducted research into the effects of counter-insurgency warfare on the reintegration of British land-based personnel. Counter-insurgency (COIN) warfare differs from conventional warfare in the army’s operational objectives and role, the nature of the enemy, and the higher levels of unpredictability and risk in the deployment:
This form of warfare intensifies the emotional labour involved, particularly in terms of trust, identity and stress.
2.36
The study found that ‘[a]n over-identification with the army predisposes veterans to inability to cope in civilian life, with the special features in COIN intensifying over-identification, thus worsening the management of the transition back to civilian life’. Based upon the findings from their research and recommendations made to improve veteran health and wellbeing in the United Kingdom, Professor Brewer and Dr Herron made a number of recommendations to this inquiry, including the following:
Transition strategies need to provide practical and engaged support through interactive learning and mentoring;
Cultural awareness training is necessary for a return to civilian life, with self-reliance and self-responsibility taught as part of a broader process of cultural rehabilitation, and involving transitioning soldiers engaging with communities, employers and educational trainers;
A ‘buddy’ scheme could be developed where a mentoring support worker is assigned to all transitioning soldiers, not just ‘at risk’ ones. A ‘buddy’ system could also be provided for families, with military families who have transitioned well, so that role models may provide practical demonstrations that successful transition is possible;
Encouraging soldiers to view a military career ‘instrumentally’ rather than as an all-encompassing identity, which greatly assists the transition to civilian life, as ‘instrumentality’ is an important part of resilience; and
ADF and voluntary sectors need to be proactive in dealing with veterans, rather than relying on veterans to initiate contact, as some may be unable to do so due to individual and societal pressures.
2.37
Professor Brewer and Dr Herron also stated that local support providers are often best placed to provide support for vulnerable personnel, and that co-ordination of the ADF and voluntary sector stakeholders at local and regional levels can provide better veteran support and share best practice.
2.38
A number of submissions raised the idea of providing more practical support during transition, in the form of a ‘buddy’ or ‘mentor’; more coordination of the ADF and voluntary ESO sector; or more proactive engagement with transitioning personnel. A number of comments also indicated a paucity of information provided at transition to individuals whose lack of preparedness only became apparent to them when they confronted the challenges of their new circumstances.
2.39
The Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (References) Committee recommended in its August 2017 report ‘The Constant Battle: Suicide by Veterans’ that the Department of Veterans’ Affairs develop a two-track transition program for serving members leaving the ADF. Those identified as being in ‘at risk’ groups or requiring additional assistance should be able to access intensive transition services including:
Healthcare, mental health and wellbeing support;
Employment assistance programs;
Social connectedness programs; and
Health and wellbeing programs.
2.40
The Government’s response to this report, tabled on 24 October 2017, accepted this recommendation and agreed with the Committee that ‘serving ADF members who are “at risk” should be offered more intensive transition support services’. The Government identified a number of initiatives, including:
Pilot projects underway or planned at the time of response (October 2017) that will inform the design of more intensive transition support services, for example a pilot project of enhanced transition assistance program for Special Forces members, that could be expanded to all ADF members if successful;
A commitment of $4.0 million over two years to pilot a case management service for at risk veterans who may require intensive support immediately following discharge, to influence the design of future transition support services;
A commitment of $2.1 million over four years to enable transitioning ADF personnel to access an annual comprehensive mental and physical health assessment by a general practitioner for five years post-discharge. This initiative is intended to increase the early detection and intervention of mental and physical health concerns during a time that can be an at risk period for the emergence of mental health conditions and increased risk of suicide;
The introduction of a new Veteran Payment to provide vulnerable veterans, who have little or no financial support, with financial assistance until their claims for liability for a mental health condition are determined. This payment will also ensure vulnerable veterans have access to vocational or psychosocial rehabilitation and financial counselling. The Government committed $16.1 million over four years to this initiative.
2.41
The challenges of transition vary in severity, but the consequences of an inability to adjust can present in an unpredictable mix including financial issues, mental health struggles, difficulty in finding and keeping employment, and family breakdowns.
2.42
Only one in ten individuals leaving the ADF access services from DVA during the first year of their transition, but ultimately one in five veterans become known to the department. Soldier On said that it was important to note that this is not an indication that services provided by DVA are not ‘up to scratch’, but that individuals are not accessing them.
2.43
Soldier On made the point to the Committee that ‘when people are transitioning out of service they don’t transition into a department’ but into the community. Soldier On observed that as people are not accessing the services available straight after leaving the ADF, ‘we do need to take a different approach’ and that flexibility of approach, which Soldier On has as an ESO, is needed so as to be able to individualise services for individuals who need that.
2.44
Transition services are now focused on employment, health and wellbeing:
Transition services for members and their families are now focused on future employment and more meaningful engagement; financial stability; decisions on housing and relocation; support mechanisms; our new workforce model, so that those who are transitioning may also consider re-engaging in the range of more flexible employment options that we now offer; and, importantly, maintaining identity and connection. A key underpinning of our approach and our initiatives is the health and wellbeing of ADF members. This is critical to ADF capability and to the individual members’ capacity to transition well to civilian life. We provide effective treatment and rehabilitation programs and services that are responsive to changing needs, which can vary from basic self-care to complex interventions, particularly when people face multiple problems and stresses. The aim is for people to return to work as soon as possible.
2.45
Defence’s transition support includes ‘a strong focus on the first 12 months after leaving the ADF’ during which time Defence undertakes post-transition follow-up calls and surveys to determine the outcomes for transitioning ADF members, noting that these are important opportunities for the member and family to ‘link back’ with the ADF and access transition support services.
2.46
Transition mentors or coaches speak with each person transitioning and discuss their transition plans, including employment, and whether training is needed to achieve their plans, including whether a lateral transfer between Army, Navy and Air Force may be an appropriate alternative to training for them. This is intended to ensure that each person transitioning has an employment plan, knows what they need to do to achieve that outcome, and can discuss this with the trained transition coach assigned to them by Defence.
2.47
Of the 6 000 people who leave Defence each year, most would have a positive experience, but for some it is an involuntary process. Responses to those individuals, and their differing circumstances, need to be consistent and equitable, and need to be deliverable around Australia. DVA is looking closely at initiatives to meet these needs. DVA needs to provide mechanisms for service delivery to these people in metropolitan areas, but also in regional or remote Australia, and to deliver those services consistently to an accredited standard. When dealing with the 288 000 current clients of DVA, there needs to be an awareness that this number is likely to increase with the release of the veterans’ recognition card, and it is thought that there are 600 000 to 650 000 Australians who have served.
2.48
Defence has undergone a significant change in the last five to ten years in the ways that it sees transition. Transition now starts at enlistment, giving people a good understanding of what transition will mean for them, from their time of enlistment. Defence is doing more work in retention, retaining people and their capabilities for as long as possible. The Department of Veterans’ Affairs sees its role as empowering veterans with knowledge, with capacity and with support that puts them in control of their future and their destiny.
2.49
Defence told the Committee that from January 2019 it would introduce a new needs-based transition support model to provide flexible, equitable access to transition support and employment support for all ADF members and their families. Defence is also implementing a new Intensive Employment program to assist members in identified at-risk cohorts, which is expected to be fully implemented by July 2019.
2.50
In January 2019 Defence commenced a two year pilot of a Case Management Program providing intensive and supportive case management services for transitioning members requiring additional support. The dedicated case manager will provide clinical care coordination, help the ADF member identify life goals, determine needs and ensure that transition services provided are individualised, flexible, family inclusive and recovery focused. The pilot is to include up to 200 participants, of whom 80 to 100 will be transitioning members.
2.51
The complexities of the transition process mean that the transitioning ADF members and their families need to be handled with respect, professionalism and care. Assigning a professional case manager to each transitioning person would enable them to better navigate the system, with someone knowledgeable enough to help them make decisions that are best for them in their circumstances. A mentor, someone who has already transitioned, would also be a helpful contact for the transitioning member in the initial stages. Ensuring that responsibility for managing the transition to a successful conclusion is handled by a senior officer in Defence ensures that the individual’s career within the ADF has been professionally managed from its start to its conclusion.
2.52
Military Transition Support Officers have been introduced with the intention of preparing ADF members for transition from early in their career, and of providing support from recruit training through the continuum of an ADF member’s career.
Committee Comment
2.53
The Committee understands that since July 2017, ADF members and their families who cease permanent service have been provided with comprehensive transition support through unlimited access to transition coaching which has a strong focus on securing civilian employment. This support includes ADF member and Family Transition Seminars; access to one-on-one support from career development practitioners; post-transition follow-up by phone and electronic survey; and assistance to access documentation.
2.54
The Committee recommends that the Government provide for:
The establishment of professional, qualified case managers in Defence to handle the transition process for transitioning members of the ADF and assist them to liaise with DVA and other agencies; and
The oversight of each individual’s transition by a senior officer within Defence who has responsibility for the successful transition of personnel.
Supporting Women Members of the ADF during transition
2.55
Encouraging women to serve longer in the ADF is necessary to ensuring female participation levels are improved and women reach senior levels in the ADF. Initiatives such as the Total Workforce Model encourage members to serve longer by enhancing career options and encouraging flexibility, allowing individuals to balance their military careers with personal obligations. When comparing median length of service, women have consistently served for less time at separation than men, across each Service and rank group. The median time in service for both women and men is greater in officer ranks than in other ranks. During the eleven years between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2017, a total of 70 675 people left the ADF, with 14 per cent (or almost 9 900) of that number being women.
2.56
The following statistics show median lengths of time in service for both women and men across each of the three services:
Women-Officers:10.4 years;Members of Other Ranks:8.8 years
Men-Officers:18.7 years; Members of Other Ranks:12.9 years
Women-Officers:9 years;Members of Other Ranks:6.9 years
Men-Officers:14.2 years;Members of Other Ranks:7.9 years
Women-Officers:10.8 years;Members of Other Ranks:3.7 years
Men-Officers:13.7 years;Members of Other Ranks:6.3 years.
2.57
The Women in the ADF Report 2016-17 found that overall, the rolling separation rates for women and men are very similar, at 8.8 and 9.1 per cent respectively. The overall separation rates of women and men within each of the services are also similar. For both Army and Navy women and men, there was a notable difference between rank groups, with Other Rank separation rates higher than that for officers. Separation rates in the Air Force were similar for women and men overall, and across rank groups. Separations can be categorised as voluntary, involuntary, age retirement and training separations. Most separations across all three services for women and men were voluntary. Involuntary was the second most common type for both the Navy and Air Force, while the second most common type of separation in the Army was during the training period.
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Among those who separate voluntarily, the main reason reported by both women and men in 2016-17 is that they wanted to make a career change while still young enough to do so. Both women and men reported that low job satisfaction contributed to their decision to leave, and that they had concerns about the impact of job demands on family and personal life. Better career prospects in civilian life were attractive to both women and men. Women were more likely to have been influenced to leave by low morale in their work environment, a general dissatisfaction with Service life, and issues with day-to-day management of personal matters.
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The Navy and Air Force recorded significantly lower retention of women than men after taking paid maternity or parental leave. This difference in retention between women and men has increased over time. The Army showed approximately equal proportions of retention for men and women after taking periods of paid maternity or parental leave. Women who remained in the ADF after childbirth were, on average, more often officers than other ranks. The varying nature of work demands across the three services could make the transition from maternity or parental leave back to work more or less compatible with the addition of childcare responsibilities. The data indicates that women members are more likely to be in a recognised relationship with another ADF member across all ranks and services.
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Using the same methodology as the Australian Bureau of Statistics to analyse pay differences between the genders, the average ADF woman is paid 7.1 per cent less than the average ADF man. This is a lower gap than the Australian national pay gap of 15.3 per cent, but on par with the public administration and safety industry pay gap of 7.1 per cent. Women occupy fewer well-remunerated occupations and ranks in the ADF, which is a structural factor causing the total difference in pay between men and women, rather than a systemic difference in salaries across gender. The gap is also influenced by women’s lower average length of service and lower seniority. Defence is addressing these factors with initiatives to increase the overall female participation rate, and by supporting women by facilitating longer careers, and offering flexible work and career pathways.
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After transition, women are more likely than men to transfer to the Reserves with the intention to render further service, and are more likely to render Reserve service, which indicates that women use a transition to the Reserves as a way to access flexible employment.
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US veteran Sarah Maples wrote that the gender bias women experience in the US military and afterwards differs, and that the traditionally masculine behaviours women in the military are expected to adopt, mark them out as different in civilian life:
… In multiple surveys and anecdotes, both women who are serving and women who have served repeatedly list gender bias as an issue, though the way it manifests itself differs during and after their time in the military.
The military doesn’t just urge women, it requires them–especially if they want to succeed‑to view themselves on the same playing field as their male counterparts. They are also expected to behave and perform in traditionally masculine ways‑demonstrating strength, displaying confidence in their abilities, expecting to be judged on their merits and performance, and taking on levels of authority and responsibility that few women get to experience.
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Losing their military identity is not always something that women veterans want to do, even though the traditionally male values which they have absorbed in their military service, are not always helpful to them in returning to a civilian identity:
What civilians do not realize, what women veterans often do not even realize, is that they might appear to be like other women, but they aren’t operating on the expectations traditionally applied to women. Behaving at odds with these traditional expectations is often a significant drawback in the ability of women veterans to fit-in in the workplace, in the dating world, in the female civilian community, in society in general. …
Complicating matters is that, while I and other women veterans make efforts to assimilate, we are often reluctant to completely lose the identity we developed in the military, particularly if it means assuming traditional gender roles. The idea that the male standard is the normal one has become so ingrained during service that women veterans don’t realize they’ve absorbed the spoken or unspoken message that adding “female” to something diminishes it.
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At the Female Veterans Policy Forum on 10 October 2017, Ms Liz Cosson, then DVA Chief Operating Officer and now Secretary of DVA, indicated that ‘recognising the unique needs of female veterans’ was part of the work underway in 2017-18. The Forum considered the following significant challenges impacting female veterans:
a.
How do we grow the Australian community’s respect for female veterans?; and
b.
How might we improve service access to respond to the specific health needs of female veterans?
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The Forum provided an opportunity for participants to develop potential solutions to address these significant challenges affecting their community:
c.
How do we grow the Australian community’s respect for female veterans?
Discussion of this question reflected the following elements:
Female veterans don’t always feel that the Australian community understands their experience or respects their contribution to Australian military service;
When the experiences of female veterans are not understood and respected, female veterans may feel less valued or isolated.
The following ideas and solutions were put forward to address the issue:
i.
Establish an ‘I am a Veteran campaign’;
ii.
Generate awareness through community events, such as promoting female veterans at the Australian War Memorial’s Last Post services;
iii.
Appoint a national female veteran ‘champion’;
iv.
Increase the presence of female veterans in ESOs, by increasing the number of female advocates and placing more women in decision-making roles.
d.
How might we improve service access to respond to the specific health needs of female veterans?
Discussion of this question reflected the following elements:
DVA provides a range of health services, but female veterans are less likely to access these services, and perceive them to be predominantly focused on men’s health needs;
Female veterans experience misdiagnoses of female-specific health issues;
Issues around continuity of care can significantly impact ongoing treatment for female-specific health and wellbeing issues such as fertility and IVF;
It is important that messages on the non-tolerance of sexual trauma and domestic violence are communicated through all levels of the military.
The following ideas and solutions were put forward to address the issue:
i.
Increase number of trained female health advocates;
ii.
Increase advocates and DVA delegates’ knowledge of female specific health needs, and the impact of service on these needs;
iii.
Increase the awareness of available services for female veterans through websites and promotional campaigns;
iv.
Develop a dedicated website for female veterans’ health needs;
v.
Establish a dedicated military sexual trauma team based on the USA Veterans Affairs military sexual trauma service model;
vi.
Establish a female health telephone advisory service.
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Ms Maples stated that women in the US military can feel overlooked compared to men, and that women veterans can continue to hold themselves to the standards they measured themselves against in the military:
Military women often cite that they feel slighted in comparison to their male counterparts, that they don’t get the same promotion opportunities or the same recognition. This is not surprising‑they are competing on standards that were designed and built by men to bring out the best in men. The fact that women are competing against those standards at all is hugely important. After leaving the service, they don’t realize that they often continue to view themselves under those same metrics. They expect, for example, to be afforded the same respect as their male counterparts‑veteran and civilian…
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Ms Maples also stated that US women veterans can feel that their work during their service is not seen and acknowledged as that of their male counterparts is, and that negative experiences including sexual harassment and sexual assault are likewise repudiated, denying them their achievements. Women veterans are also more likely than civilian women to become homeless, and to commit suicide:
The perceived invalidation of a woman’s service can also feel as if her experiences during or related to her service, to include combat, service-connected disabilities, and sexual harassment/assault, are also invalidated. In the past, many women either didn’t take advantage of resources available to veterans or found that available resources didn’t take into account the unique needs of women veterans. Today, women veterans are still facing a number of challenges, including being three to four times as likely as their civilian women counterparts to become homeless and 2.5 times more likely to commit suicide [Figures quoted relating to the United States].
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Women who have been members of the military in the US have access to a dedicated unit treating women who have suffered military sexual trauma and combat trauma. The Women’s Recovery in Supportive Environment or RISE will initially treat 15 women veterans who have experienced sexual trauma through an eight week program, and will also treat women with substance use disorders and vocational rehabilitation needs. The Texas Veterans Commissioner Women Veterans Program Manager Anna Baker said that there are times when ‘depending on how extreme the trauma may have been, that women don’t feel safe in an environment with men’ which is why having a separate facility specifically for women ‘is so beneficial to help them heal and rebuild trust’.
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While there is insufficient information on the factors that affect women during their transition from the ADF, a study commissioned into the issues facing women veterans and women veterans’ families to determine their transition needs, their health and welfare needs, and their employment needs would give the Government a better understanding of how it can provide women ADF members and their families with the best chance of a successful transition, and of fulfilling lives and careers after their military career has ended. The Committee was interested to see the recommendations for change suggested by the Women Veterans Policy Forum, and while noting that the Forum is intended to advise government on better ways to support women veterans, accepts that the lack of these recommended resources has an effect on the health of women veterans which would be significantly improved if they were available.
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The Committee recommends that the Government:
Commission a study into the issues facing women veterans and women veterans’ families so that the Government and the departments of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs may better understand the issues facing women members of the ADF and women veterans, and provide the support necessary to ensure that women have the best chance of achieving a successful transition from military to civilian life;
Develop a dedicated website for female veterans’ health needs;
Increase the number of trained women advocates;
Establish a women veterans health telephone advisory service; and
Establish a women’s sexual trauma team, based on the model of the USA Veterans’ Affairs military sexual trauma service model.
Supporting Family Members during ADF member transition
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Transition does not solely impact upon the ADF member leaving their service, but impacts upon their partner and family members as well:
…Transition impacts the whole family and all are required to adjust to a different way of living. It is imperative that support services are available to the entire family and that longevity of support is provided. While it is encouraging that both Defence and DVA are starting to focus on the next 12 months post-transition, the process itself takes far longer. At Soldier On, we often see issues arise in our participants well after 12 months post transition.
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Defence Families of Australia, the official federal government advisory body which advocates for and represents families of current serving ADF members, states in its submission that ADF members rely upon their families for emotional support throughout their service, and even more so at transition. Emotional support can play a major role in how well a member transitions, and in their future success, and families need to be in a position of strength to support the transitioning member.
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The Defence Community Organisation (DCO), on behalf of the Navy, Army and Air Force, offers a broad range of services to help Defence families manage the military way of life. Through the DCO’s Partner Employment Assistance Program (PEAP), partners can apply for funds in each posting location to access a range of employment-related initiatives. Access to PEAP had not been available to partners transitioning from Defence, despite this being a time when assistance is often required. Such assistance is even more important in the case of a medical discharge, when the partner may become the main breadwinner. However, from January 2019, the Department of Defence has extended access to the PEAP to assist partners of medically transitioning members to become ‘job ready’.
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Defence Families of Australia suggested that the DCO could play a greater role in preparing and educating families for transition, including by encouraging families to attend counselling sessions with the social work team, and for personalised facilitation and planning for transition. A transition education program could be developed and delivered to families at Transition Seminars, or facilitated throughout the year. In parallel to the support offered to transitioning members for 12 months post-transition, families could also access DCO support services for up to 12 months post-transition. The first 12 months post-transition is when families are most likely to encounter relationship and family issues, and it is important that they can access a familiar and relevant service to help them successfully navigate this difficult time.
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In Lifting the Lid on Transition: The families’ experience and the support they need released in October 2018 (a tri-Service research project by the Naval, Army and RAF Families Federations in the United Kingdom), six ‘elements’ of transition were found to be required for families, in addition to the Service leavers’ employment: housing, health, education and children, employment, finances and wellbeing. Several conclusions were drawn from the data, which was gathered through an evaluation of services, an online survey and case study interviews:
Families in transition can be positioned along a continuum of vulnerability;
It is never too early to plan for leaving the Armed Forces: unexpected doesn’t have to mean unplanned;
Families want to be involved in their Service leaver’s transition;
Existing in-Service resettlement support could be utilised to support families;
New transition support could be developed specifically for families;
Further research needs to be done to better understand specific cohorts of families, such as Foreign & Commonwealth families and those whose Service leaver is being medically discharged;
The language of ‘transition’ and ‘resettlement’ is important and affects attitudes to leaving the Armed Forces;
The impact of support interventions needs to be measured.
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Themes which emerged from the research include the following:
Transition requires a shift in culture to better appreciate the breadth of transition and the need to engage with it earlier in a Service leaver’s career;
Families’ awareness of the importance of advance planning needs to be raised;
There is a need for an education piece to cover transition entitlement and processes;
The ‘softer’ aspects of transition need to be better recognised as they have a significant impact;
The marketing of support services needs to be reviewed to make them more accessible;
The Armed Forces Covenant should be leveraged to support families in transition;
Support to families must be tailored to their specific needs; and
Families must embrace their own personal responsibility for successful transition.
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These findings from the UK suggest that access to the full suite of transition training seminars for partners, spouses and other interested family members would ensure that information on issues likely to arise during transition, including those issues which may negatively affect them, was available to both the transitioning member and their family. This would help ensure that the relevant, critical, required information for the best transition outcome for the whole family is accessible to someone other than the service leaver in the family, increasing the likelihood of a successful transition outcome.
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The provision of family psychological education initiatives would be timely to ensure that families have knowledge of the indications of psychological ill-health, and are aware of the steps to take to access help for the veteran or themselves if needed.
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Legacy advised that the provision of case histories to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs of those being involuntarily separated prior to transition could ensure that ‘the family is disadvantaged to a lesser degree’, also recommending that the family is involved in the transition process in all involuntary transitions, so that they may be better prepared for all possible outcomes:
Members who are being involuntarily separated have known and well documented case histories which could be transmitted to DVA before transition. At transition their condition should be accepted and compensation provided immediately, to ensure that the family is disadvantaged to a lesser degree. Such action in not having to submit claims after transition and enduring delays in payment would be far less stressful on the family. Additionally, the family should be involved in the transition process in all involuntary separations. Often in such circumstances the service member can be confused and in a stressful state, missing important information or required actions. The family will often become the carer in the most difficult circumstances and the advantage of the family being aware of services available and the circumstances around the separation will be better prepared for possible outcomes and take appropriate steps to avoid some situations.
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Legacy also provides assistance to families in difficult circumstances where the veteran’s claim is not accepted by DVA, or where the veteran does not accept that they have a condition requiring treatment:
Legacy frequently experiences being approached by families who have left the ADF and the veteran either does not have a condition that is compensable by DVA or does not acknowledge they have a condition at all. We see the family in some level of crisis where the veteran is not functioning and may be abusing alcohol or drugs or there is family breakdown due to financial pressure when the veteran is unable to find employment. These are not matters that DVA is able to address no matter what level of reforms they introduce.
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Ensuring that family members have a good understanding of how the compensation process works is especially important in cases of medical discharge, as the ADF member may be so engaged with the effects of their health issues that they are unable to retain vital information pertaining to other elements of their transition. Family members may include partners, spouses, children, parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles or other members of the service person’s extended family who are interested in their wellbeing.
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The Committee recommends that the Government provide access to the full suite of transition training seminars to partners/spouses/family members so as to improve the likelihood of successful transition outcomes for veterans and their families.