David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister representing the Minister for Defence, upon notice, on 20 August 2012:

With reference to the White Paper and the Strategic Reform Program 'Indicative Workforce Implications – Military Workforce': for the period 1 January to 30 June 2012, how many uniformed personnel, including full-time and part-time, were employed in implementing the White Paper initiatives?

Bob Carr (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Defence has provided the following response to the honourable senator's question:

The Government provisioned an additional 1,375 full-time equivalent uniformed personnel for 2011-12 under the White Paper, as reflected in the Strategic Reform Program: Making It Happen booklet and updated at Table 2.14 of the Defence Annual Report 2010-11.

The workforce data detailed in both publications are based on approved allocations at the time of publication and reflect full-time equivalent average numbers, known as Average Funded Strength (AFS) for military personnel. Using the AFS approach, Defence counts full-time and part-time service as one overall average quantity.

This workforce has been allocated to the Services to implement a range of White Paper initiatives including the Defence Capability Plan. The personnel ranged from sailors, soldiers and airmen/women to senior officers on an as needed basis according to the particular White Paper projects and initiatives being actioned, including through the Strategic Reform Program.

Because of the breadth and depth of the White Paper initiatives, the number of personnel varied throughout the specified period and it is not possible to provide a specific total referenced to each White Paper project.

In relation to the overall military workforce, the 2011-12 allocation (published as the Revised Estimate in the Defence Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements 2011-12) was 58,257. Over the period 1 January to 30 June 2012, the Defence military workforce decreased from an Average Funded Strength (AFS) of 58,034 to 57,285, and the overall average over the period was 57,628.

The decrease was due to changes in the external labour market and a consequent acceleration of separation rates, combined with the success of measures in place in 2010-11 and 2011-12 to return AFS to the budgeted level after a period of overachievement.