# "Defence moral hits new lows" / "Pay rise" (2x articles)



## SpitfireV (Jun 28, 2012)

> The Defence Force has revealed it's losing staff to the lucrative Australian mining industry as a new survey shows morale has hit a fresh low.
> Defence Force chief Lieutenant General Rhys Jones said Australian mining companies were ''actively recruiting'' in the Devonport area near the Auckland naval base.
> ''The mining industry is one the military find very hard to compete with. The salary package is often twice, if not more. The Australian military is being stripped as well.''
> The Navy was particularly affected because it handled large equipment.
> ...


 


> Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman is considering giving the Defence Force its first pay rise in four years after a new survey showed record numbers of troops plan to leave.
> The latest attitude survey, released yesterday, shows morale has plummeted to its lowest level – and more than 40 per cent of personnel surveyed said they intended to leave the force.
> Morale has been falling since the Government embarked on making 600 positions civilian roles as part of a drive to save $400 million.
> Chief of the Defence Force Lieutenant General Rhys Jones yesterday revealed the armed services, particularly the navy, was losing staff to the lucrative Australian mining industry, with some companies "actively recruiting" in the Devonport area near the Auckland naval base.
> ...


 
It's interested that the last two governments have fucked Defence but in totally different ways. The costs cutting at all costs but this particular government all across the government sector is backfiring on them in a major way now. This is the third "department" they've had issues with while trying to cost cut, after foreign affairs, police and now defence.

I have a mate in the air force who is leaving because morale is horrible. The stories I've heard make it sound like in a year's time there will only be the guys close to retirement left, heh.

Mac_NZ, thoughts?


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## Mac_NZ (Jun 28, 2012)

Honestly it's a shit fight.  The guys they are losing are the senior Corporals and junior Sergeants.  And by losing I mean bleeding out.  These are the guys who have had enough of the BS and not bring able to do the jobs they are paid to do.  What this result with in the future is a massive experience loss and junior ranks promoted fast to fill the short gap.  Skills hard learned will be lost.  

The answer to most of the problems is to sack the senior staff, they have feathered their nest and built little empires for to the detriment of the force for too long.

2 years ago I sat and listened to a spiel about how the focus would be on small combined arms combat teams as that was where we could achieve the most with our small size. Great said I.  The next thing you know we are all away playing Bde FTX.  That would be great if we had a Brigade!  We can offer our allies more by having small highly trained units that can perform the basics well yet we pay lip service to that training and focus on pulling off Gucci moves like we're the 1st Armd or something.  Pay is shit and the smoke and mirrors they pulled with the allowances and super was probably criminal.

For example if you lived in married service housing you were not entitled to the accommodation component, however if you partner was in the service they were entitled to it so he/she scored an extra 5600 a year. Great if your wife was in the service but for the 2/3 of the guys who married civvies it was a kick in the teeth.  Guys living in barracks were given the 5600 but the rates on food and messing were put up to cover that.  Guys just ended up moving into flats and the close knit community you had in barracks fell apart.  A lot of Cpls etc found that the 5600 extra pushed them up into a higher tax bracket or caused massive increases in their child support payments due to the pay increase the army said they were getting of which they received none in the hand.

Sorry for the spelling and punctuation errors, I'm on my iPhone and the keypad on its as much good as a cock flavoured lollipop.


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## goon175 (Jun 28, 2012)

So that is why the aussie's are trying to recruit american vets.....hmm...



> as much good as a cock flavoured lollipop.


 
yeah, I hear the soup is better than the lollipops....

http://www.amazon.com/Grace-Cock-Fl...&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=cock+flavored+lollipop


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## SpitfireV (Jun 29, 2012)

I think it has some pretty important implications for the way we influence the Pacific too. Thanks for the post, Mac, the thing about losing the Cpls and Sgts rings true as my mate, an LAC, was on an ex  and had to do his role + a Sgt's as the WO with him didn't know how to do anything except use the internet on the equipment. All this because there actually weren't any Sgts in his unit, let alone Cpls to make up.


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## pardus (Jun 29, 2012)

I heard the same kind of thing when I left the NZ Army in '96, middle management, SGTs, CPTs etc... where being headhunted as the Defence Force didn't treat them decently and compensate them enough to keep them in the force. That along with BS from the top will always gut a Military force. 

I heard a quote years ago, "The best Generals left the Military when they were still Captains..."


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## SpitfireV (Jun 29, 2012)

I suppose at least promotions would be easier. Not that it should be but yeah.


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