Review into the treatment of women at the Australian Defence Force ...

However, in Air Force:[ADFA] wanted to look at the possibility of the Commandant taking a more active role in theselection process. We didn’t actually get to deal with that issue [but]…there is an intention tomove for a more structured methodology for selection and we would need a definition statementof requirement from ADFA as to exactly what would be the nature of the skill set. 17Interviews with the COMDT or ADFA leadership before posting are still not the norm. The cost ofconducting the interviews and any associated travel funding must currently be met by ADFA. The Auditcannot comment on the extent to which this may be a factor in the decision making as to whetherto hold such interviews or not, but would urge Defence and the COMDT to prioritise this activity andensure that funding is available.The COMDT has noted that the timing of ADFA’s action in 2012 has meant that not as much progresshas been made in this area as he would have liked:Now unfortunately we’d sat on our hands to a degree with respect to that particularrecommendation. I would’ve liked earlier in the year to have gone out and done the same thing,to enable ADFA to inject into that selection process before the Services actually post theirpeople...They post their people in about June/July, so that people have adequate notice of theirremovals and everything else. So this year [2012] we’re behind the curve because people havealready been posted. But what I did say to all the Directors-General and they agreed, when wetalk to somebody if we just have this really uncomfortable feeling that this person isn’t right thenwe’ll go back. We can’t veto, but we can say look, we’re not really happy with this, can you lookat an alternative person? Whereas where we’d like to get to is the interview occurs before they’vephysically posted. 18The Audit agrees that this would be a desirable outcome.The Audit acknowledges that there are competing pressures across all training institutions and thatCareer Management Agencies need to balance supply and demand in a very dynamic environment. TheCareer Management perspective is that:we’re not in a position to say the best guys fill up all those posts…it’s not a case of ADFA firstand everybody else second…we have similar meetings with all these different organisations, whosay ‘we’re really important, we need the first eleven’. 19We have a centralised career management model system which means that many parts of theDefence Force and particularly the Army get what they’re given…We’ve recognised that our levelof consultation with ADFA needs to be earlier and more comprehensive than probably any otherpart of Army. So we’re now building into our cycle how we do that and how we do it best. 20All of the Services indicated that they have a close relationship with the COMDT and if there is aproblem with particular individuals they would respond and try to manage the issue, however, with thepossible exception of Navy in some cases, 21 ADFA is put in a position where it needs to be reactive,rather than proactive, in these instances:If the Commandant interviews a person we select and he’s not comfortable and he rings me,we’ll do something about it. 22If they believe we’ve missed something and they want to deselect then we’ll deselect. 23Audit Report: Review into the Treatment of Women at the Australian Defence Force Academy • 2013 • 51