Here - Department of Defence

Ethical Decision - Making Seminar ‘Lifts the Lid’
The ethical and moral challenges facing cadets at ADFA and students
living at Australia’s eight leading universities were the focus of a three-day
seminar held at ADFA in May.
The seminar was initiated by the ‘Linking with Universities’ forum which has
ADFA working with Australia’s ‘Group of Eight’ universities to address critical
issues facing young men and women at the institutions, particularly in their
residential environments.
With a target audience of ‘future leaders of our nation’ 50 delegates
attended the seminar, which was hosted by the ADFA Commandant,
Commodore Bruce Kafer.
“The seminar recognised that there are significant ethical and moral
challenges common to all Australian learning institutions particularly those
with live-in students”, Commodore Kafer said.
The seminar also explored many of the ethical issues raised in the ‘Review
into the Treatment of Women at ADFA’ by the Federal Sex Discrimination
Naval Academies Foreign Affairs Conference
By MIDN Douglas Phillips
The US Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference (NAFAC) is an annual
conference held at the United States Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis,
Maryland. This year the conference ran from 9-12 April. It provides
Midshipmen with an understanding of the global forces which may project
them into conflicts around the world. This was achieved by facilitating
discussion and debate amongst Midshipmen and university students from
over two-dozen countries. Each year a theme is selected for the conference
and this year’s theme was: ‘The Eclipse of the West’. This topic explored
whether the West would continue to be the dominant global power and, if
not, who their successor will be.
I was selected to attend this conference on behalf of the Australian Defence
Force Academy and I believe it provided me with a unique, educational and
very rewarding experience. This was illustrated by the roundtable discussion
Midshipman Doug Phillips (far right) with other delegates at the Naval Academies Foreign Affairs Conference
Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick. A member of the Broderick Review
team attended the seminar. The support of The Saint James Ethics Centre
was also a key to the seminar’s success.
ADFA Officer Cadet Kurt Menzies said the young men and women
representing the various colleges and universities were of the highest calibre.
“The presence of a diverse range of backgrounds resulted in various opinions,
values and beliefs being brought to the discussion. Highly intellectual, and
at times fervent, debate was a feature of the seminar. Not only was the
discussion of ethics and leadership highly beneficial for my own professional
development, it was also hugely morally and personally satisfying.”
The seminar program included discussions on ‘The Ethical Use of
Social Media’, ‘Sexual Ethics: Respectful and Healthy Relationships’
and ‘Ethical Leadership.’
which I was a part of. This roundtable, which addressed the sub-topic of
‘National Identity’, consisted of delegates from Belarus, Turkey, China, Poland
and the USA. The conference also included a wide range of renowned
Defence, civilian and academic speakers such as the United States Secretary
of State, Hillary Clinton and Ambassador Jon Huntsman.
For the duration of the visit I stayed with USNA Midshipmen in their
dormitory, Bancroft Hall, and attended a number of functions and social
activities with my host midshipman. I believe the relationships I have
developed with the American Midshipmen will be enduring for our careers
and beyond. Lastly, the Australian Defence Force Academy achieved one of
the highest accolades at the conference; a prize for the Best Paper from an
International Delegate.
9