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2009/17: Should women be allowed in front-line direct combat positions in the Australian armed forces?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right: A New York Times video on the role of women soldiers in the Iraq war, where, sometimes inadvertantly, females find themselves in firefights. One of the comments in this video is that women need more specific combat training if they are to serve in a war zone.
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What they said...
' A priority of the government is to improve the recruitment and retention of women in the ADF.
My own view is that all categories should be open to women'
Defence Personnel Minister, Greg Combet
'My concern is that really only Israel and a handful of countries whose very existence is threatened have gone down this path - the rest of the Western world hasn't'
Liberal backbencher and former infantry officer, Stuart Robert
The issue at a glance
On September 9, 2009, Defence Personnel Minister, Greg Combet, stated that all sections of the Australia's small but advanced military should be open to women, including special forces units currently fighting Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.
The proposal has meet with the broad support of the Defence forces, subject to the development of testing protocols which would ensure that only suitable men and women were selected.
Some members of the Opposition were hostile to this proposal, though the Opposition as a whole adopted a more neutral stance, arguing that the matter should ultimately be determined within the Defence forces and with regard to the quality and reliability of the screening tests that were developed.
The Opposition leader, Malcolm Turnbull, stated the issue was a matter for defence force leaders.
'The primary objective has to be the safety and the effectiveness of our armed forces. I'm sure we will have an informed discussion, but it should be led by those with real knowledge, real front line experience in the field.'
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