The Australian Government will invest $600 million to expand the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The investment was announced as the Government released its 2024 Defence Workforce Plan, which addresses recruitment, retention, organisational culture, wellbeing and support for ADF members and their families.
As part of the Plan, the Government has committed to:
- extending the Continuation Bonus for eligible, permanent members at the end of their initial service, who have served at least four years
- expanding the Bonus for a second cohort of eligible, permanent members after a minimum of seven years of service, to encourage continuation of service and progression to the middle ranks of the Defence Force
- increasing Operational Reserves by 1,000 by 2030, and
- continuing to improve wellbeing and mental health support as well as organisational culture.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said it was crucial that the Defence workforce had the people needed to help protect Australia’s strategic interests.
“The 2024 Workforce Plan will help ensure Defence can recruit and retain the highly specialised and skilled workforce required to meet its capability needs,” Marles said in a statement.
“The Albanese Government is committed to making the necessary investments to support our current Defence workforce, and grow it for the future.”
The Government said it had committed an additional $5.7 billion over the forward estimates and $50.3 billion over the decade to grow the ADF and deliver a more capable, self-reliant Defence Force.
The investment was announced at the 48th Biennial Conference in Hobart, which brought together leaders from ports, maritime services, business, and government departments.