Publication:Sea Talk Autumn 2005/Defence Families of Australia

Maureen Greet

National Convenor

New Delegate for Sth Qld for DFA Kylie Harrop has now joined DFA and has been appointed by the Minister to represent Defence Families in the South Qld region. Kylie is a very passionate and motivated person who has been involved in the Pine Rivers Group, in particular with the playgroup. Kylie was appointed to the role as she genuinely believes life is difficult enough for ADF families particularly in regard to moving to new localities and then coping with lengthy deployments on top of being a 'normal family'.

SWAPP & FBT DCO are currently doing a review of the SWAPP program which DFA has been involved in. There has been an under spend on this program and feedback strongly indicates the main reason for this appears to be the FBT implications on the member's group certificate. It seems unreasonable to penalise families for receiving this assistance. This is impacting the very families who need this assistance. The FBT amount is listed on the group certificate and can affect the Centrelink benefits received by the family. DFA will be approaching the Minister with regard to seeking an exemption of FBT on this program.

DFA's Top 5 Issues for 2005 At a recent DFA workshop it was agreed our top five issues for 2005 are as follows:

• Housing & Relocations - Monitoring feedback from families with regard to DHA & Toll Transitions.
• Communications & Profile - Continuing to raise DFA's profile and in turn the voice of ADF families.
• Deployment & Relocation Support -Ensuring the needs of families are met, especially given the high operational tempo
• Dependants Over 18 - Reviewing the current policy to ensure it fits today's ADF family
• SWAPP Review (in particular FBT implications)

Childcare Childcare has been quite a hot topic in the last few weeks in particular with regard to the tender process taking place.

We have received several phone calls from families very concerned about the possible change of supplier and the quality of care that will be provided if a change occurs. DCO recently sent a letter via KU to reassure families that this tender process is a normal government process and that there will be no lessening in services provided. DFA has been heavily involved and consulted through this process and the aim is to provide quality childcare with a view to possibly gaining additional placements for ADF families.

DFA is confident that there will be a good outcome and will continue to monitor this