On 23 May 2023, the Defence Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade will conduct its first public hearing in support of its inquiry into the Department of Defence Annual Report 2021–22.
The Subcommittee will hear evidence from the Department of Defence on the inquiry’s first focus item: workforce recruiting and retention.
Chair of the Subcommittee, Mr Julian Hill MP, explained “Defence personnel remains the greatest capability for the defence of Australia and its national interests. Defence’s approach to workforce planning, inclusive of specific recruiting and retention initiatives will be publicly examined.
“Frankly, in recent years, targets for annual net growth of the ADF have not been met. Workforce planning makes clear the scale of the challenge in key technical areas especially.
“Stemming the loss of key talent while also attracting new recruits is of critical importance given the recently released Defence Strategic Review and deteriorating strategic circumstances. A strong economy always provides a tough environment for Defence to keep and recruit people.
“Public hearings are an important method of parliamentary scrutiny and senior departmental representatives will appear.”
