Document: DFA Submission on the Draft Veterans’ Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024 To the Minister for Defence Personnel and Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, the Hon Matt Keogh MP, Defence Families of Australia (DFA) write in support of the suggestions outlined in the draft Veterans’ Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024 under the Veterans’ Legislation Reform. Since 1986, DFA has been the Ministerially-appointed group representing the equities of the families of current serving ADF members. As the offici ..read more

Partners, parents, and loved ones of current serving ADF members are invited to propose practical, achievable, and sustainable actions to improve their family wellbeing as part of a new national strategy. The Defence and Veteran Family Wellbeing Strategy 2024-2029, to be released in the coming months, has been developed by Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs together with the Veteran Family Advocate Commissioner and Defence Families of Australia. The Defence Member and Family Support branch, along with Defence Families of Australia, are seeking expressions of interest from familie ..read more

Are you planning to add a pet to your family? Congratulations – we are so excited for you! Australia has one of the highest pet ownership rates in the world, with around 69 per cent of households having a pet1. Dogs are the most common household pet at 48 per cent, followed by cats at 33 per cent1. When you think about some of the challenges of Defence family life – the postings, your serving member being away on deployments or exercises, and the loneliness you can feel – it’s understandable to want to come home to, or curl up with, a furry, scaly, or feathered friend. The benefits of having a ..read more

Moving away from established networks can be one of the most challenging aspects of Defence life for everyone in the family.   Some Defence families seem like naturals when it comes to building connections in a new location. For others, the thought of having to start over again can be such an overwhelming prospect, that it may be the reason we consider an unaccompanied posting despite the many challenges it presents. Starting again in a new location can leave many of us feeling lonely and isolated. These feelings can be even more profound if this is your first Defence move, or if you ..read more

19 December 2023 Document: DFA submission on the Proposed New Entity to Promote the Wellbeing of Defence Members and Veterans To the Royal Commissioners Nick Kaldas APM, Hon. James Douglas KC and Dr. Peggy Brown AO, Defence Families of Australia (DFA) write in response to the request for submissions for a proposed new entity to support the wellbeing of Defence members and veterans. DFA is supportive of this proposal, with additional feedback: The proposed inclusion of ‘families’ in its purpose As the official advisors to the Minister for Defence Personnel and Chief of the Defence Force (CDF ..read more

Documents: Letter to Minister Keogh re: strengthening ADF education programs for Defence Children Letter to Minister Clare re: strengthening ADF education programs for Defence Children Dear Minister, As the Ministerially appointed group representing the interests of the families of current serving Australian Defence Force (ADF) members since 1986, Defence Families of Australia (DFA) are the official advisors to Government and the Department of Defence and the voice of over 84,000 families posted across Australia and internationally. We advocate for ongoing improvement in policy and practical s ..read more

As the national advisory body for current serving ADF members and their families, our purpose is to support a thriving Defence family community through policy advocacy. Our key areas of focus include communication to and from Defence families, flexible housing, family employment, breakdown of relationship including family and domestic violence, and education. We highlight these themes and trends during our meetings with Defence and other stakeholders, write submissions and letters to leaders, and provide feedback, when appropriate, on potential solutions to benefit families based on the experi ..read more

With more than 10,000 different service providers, companies and community groups across Australia supporting the Defence and veteran community, it is not surprising to hear people feel lost navigating the Defence family support system. Regardless of where you are in your Defence family journey – whether you have just enlisted or completed training, are moving to a new phase in life with a family, or thinking about transitioning back into the civilian world – this graphic will give you an idea of the ‘Core Four’ of advocacy bodies and support service providers. If you are a current serving me ..read more

*Note: information is current as of August 2023, but as DFA is not the service provider, things like eligibility may change from time to time and families should contact the scheme providers directly. As highlighted in our blog on the DFA Top 5 Advocacy Themes, education is a key area of advocacy for DFA. We know from our interactions with Defence families that finding, sustaining and supporting the educational needs of the family is important. Kids’ education is one of the key stressors in the posting cycle. For many families, this can continue to be problematic long after they post to their ..read more

As the official Defence families advisory body to the government, Defence Families of Australia (DFA) have advocacy goals that we work towards. You can view them all in our latest Advocacy Map, which is grouped by themes that reflect the things that affect Defence families most – our Top Five Advocacy Themes. In August 2022, the DFA team met with the Minister for Defence Personnel and outlined the priority goals that sit within these themes.  Theme 1: Communication   From our interactions with Defence families, we know there are gaps in the consistency and quality of information ..read more