TRANSCRIPT

INTERVIEW

SKY NEWS

THURSDAY, 8 APRIL 2010

Subject: Defence Reservists participation on ANZAC Day 

LEIGH HATCHER:

Defence Force Reservists won’t be paid to march with their units on ANZAC Day this year, as part of budget cutbacks. Those hardest hit by the cuts are members of the 17,000 strong Army Reserve, which provides the bulk of peacekeepers for the current missions in East Timor and the Solomon Islands.

Joining us now on the line to discuss is Shadow Defence Personnel Minister Bob Baldwin.

Mr Baldwin what do you make of this?

BOB BALDWIN:

Well I think this is an absolute disgrace. It’s a disgrace because what is happening here, is the people serving in our Reserves, people who have served in Timor, in the Solomon’s, indeed people have gone to Afghanistan and Iraq, who would normally be put together to parade as a Unit on ANZAC Day will now not be paid to parade on ANZAC Day.

So we have a differential now between those who are full time that will be paid, and deservedly so on ANZAC Day, and those who are Reserves who will not be paid to march on ANZAC Day.

LEIGH HATCHER:

If you are a Reservist what kind of message would you be getting from this do you think?

BOB BALDWIN:

Well what they are getting is a message from this government, through its $20 billion worth of budget cuts, is that they care very little about them. They have had a massive cut in the number of training days, the number of full time opportunities for Reservists to go on to secondment have been reduced. I am constantly inundated by Reservists and officers in the Reserves who are concerned about the long term viability of being a Reservist. They are having a lot of their privileges cut back and I think that what this does is destroy the moral of the men and women that we ask to don the uniform, all be it at this point in a part time capacity as a Reservist. It takes away the true essence of esprit-de-corp of being seen as and acting as an important part of our military forces.

Now yesterday, Mike Kelly came out and said that we were wrong on this that there were no budget cuts, well I have to say he should get out and talk to his Reserve Units to the command structure there and have it identified to him, because now their budget is a global budget with all of the costs coming out of it, there is little or no money left over for things such as ANZAC Day and other ceremonial parades.

LEIGH HATCHER:

So this kind of budget is being wound back. There is also the danger of putting more and more pressure on the ADF as a result of these kind of cuts that they will have to make up for the slack.

BOB BALDWIN:

We are at one of the greatest operational tempos since World War Two. We need and rely on our Reserves, in fact the Solomon’s operation is totally Reserve driven, we use them as they best serve our nation. They are integral part of our Defence Force and we need to make sure we respect them.

ANZAC Day is the one day when we respect those who have given so much and paid the ultimate sacrifice and also recognise the contributions of those who are currently serving. I think that having a position where some are payed and others are not for turning out on parade is discriminatory, it’s disgraceful and it should be changed. I'm calling on the Minister to personally intervene today to make sure that we treat the men and women who wear the uniform of Australian, are treated equally.

LEIGH HATCHER:

But here is the argument on the opposite point of view. If the government is going to achieve over the next ten years, as it has foreshadowed, something like $20 billion of cuts in the Defence Force, where do they start if not with days like this?

BOB BALDWIN:

Well let me tell you, if you start cutting a day like  ANZAC Day you cut at the very core of the ANZAC spirit, which is what drives the men and women of Australia to put on that uniform, grow taller than ever before and represent our nation. If that’s the way the government sees that you build a Defence Force, then I have got to say to you we have the wrong government in power.

LEIGH HATCHER:

Bob Baldwin, we appreciate your time, thanks for joining us this morning.

BOB BALDWIN:

Thank you very much Leigh.