1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2005  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 21/01/2005   
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Contents >> Defence >> People

With over 90,000 people, Defence is one of Australia's largest employers. Over half of this workforce (57%) are full-time ADF personnel, a significant proportion (23%) are employed in the ADF Reserves and the remainder (20%) are civilians (graph 4.7).

Table 4.8 shows the distribution of ADF personnel across the three Services. Army personnel represent almost half of the full-time ADF, and almost 80% of the Reserves, with the remaindering personnel divided between the Navy and the Air Force.

Graph 4.7: DEFENCE TOTAL STAFFING - 2002-03



4.8 AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE STAFFING, By Service - 30 June 2004

Full-time
Reserves

Navy
13,133
1,881
Army
25, 446
16,445
Air Force
13,455
2,162
Total
52,034
20,488

Source: Department of Defence.


Men and women have equal access to employment in the ADF, with the exception of certain functions involving direct combat duties. Women comprised 13% of the ADF permanent workforce at 30 June 2004 (table 4.9) and are able to serve in all positions except those involving direct combat duties, including:
  • Navy - clearance divers
  • Army - armour, artillery, infantry, combat engineers
  • Air Force - ground defence officers and airfield defence guards.

For health and safety reasons, women are not employed in areas where exposure to embryo-toxic substances could endanger their health. Women are not employed, for example, as surface finishers and electroplaters within the Air Force.


4.9 DISTRIBUTION IN THE FULL-TIME ADF - 30 June 2004

Navy
Army
Air Force



Males
Females
Proportion of females
Males
Females
Proportion of females
Males
Females
Proportion of females
no.
no.
%
no.
no.
%
no.
no.
%

Officers(a)
2,280
528
23
4,494
744
16
3,492
646
18
Other ranks
8,624
1,773
21
18,352
1,865
10
8,056
1,391
17
Total
10,544
2,301
22
22,846
2,609
11
11,608
2,037
17

(a) Officer numbers include Chaplains.

Source: Department of Defence.



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