Over the 18 months from 2021, DFA completed a number of advocacy items. Many additional goals are ongoing, and remain in the broader map.

Housing

• Obtain commitment from DHA to develop a rental reference letter for ADF members and their recognised dependents to use in a future housing search.
• Progress the national expansion of the Flexible Housing Trial.
• Obtain Defence commitment to review current housing and relocations policy for any areas which may support or hinder family and domestic violence interventions, including those that may be used for coercive control. Review to be undertaken in 2022.
• Advocate for Defence to reduce relocations where possible during the pandemic.
• Request Defence promote flexible working arrangements during the pandemic and beyond.
• Obtain DHA commitment to deliver a review and communications update to all contractors to ensure appropriate contact and engagement with Defence families where inspections or works are required on a Service Residence.

Communication

• Inform DMFS and Defence communications campaigns to increase awareness of available support service options.
• Raise with Defence leadership the need for an opt out rather than opt in system of communication with partners, where direct communication of general information is permitted.

Education

• Provide feedback to DMFS for improvements in the Moving Schools Checklist. Updates published in 2022.
• Confirm and increase awareness of the Defence commitment to maintain Defence School Mentor services to Defence children of transitioned ADF members for as long as they are in a school with a mentor.
• Support the review and expansion/growth of the DSM program.

Employment

• Advise key stakeholders to use the term ‘Defence Family Employment’ in place of ‘Partner Employment’ to broaden the support available for working-aged children and other members of Defence families.
• Advise corporates and other organisations on Defence Family Employment initiatives, and potential collaborative projects with other stakeholders in the sector.
• Obtain commitment from Defence and the University of New South Wales Australian Graduate School of Management (UNSW AGSM) to deliver a pilot Defence Family Career Comeback Course to support Defence and veteran family members to overcome setbacks or challenges to their preferred career path. Program delivered in November 2022.
• Advise CDF to request Defence Command support families of frontline workers to enable them to do this critical work during the pandemic.

Family Engagement

• Support Defence review into the nature and effectiveness of engagement with Defence families.
• Advise the development of a Government Strategy for the support of Defence and veteran families – a MINDP commitment.
• Support the review of PEAP.
• Secure the expansion of PEAP, allowing partners to access it at any point during a posting.
• Secure expansion of PEAP to support partners whose employment was impacted by the pandemic.
• Obtain commitment from DMFS to provide additional tutoring support on a case-by-case basis for Defence children whose educational outcomes have been impacted by the pandemic and/or relocations.
• Support the recruitment and onboarding of DMFS Family Liaison Officer for Canberra and Nowra.
• Support the launch of the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force (IGADF) Family Information Sessions to increase the awareness and understanding of the IGADF’s independent oversight role.

Transition out of Defence Service

• Request DMFS review and reform transition resources to factor in the whole family’s transition not just the member.
• Advocate for DMFS to offer childminding support and a child-friendly environment to increase family participation in Transition Seminars.
• Advise DMFS on direct feedback processes to drive ongoing improvement of transition services relating to families.

Afghanistan Evacuation

• Publish a concise summary of current government services and tangible ways the community can support Afghan evacuees.
• Connect service delivery stakeholders to establish programs and clear pathways for Defence families to support Afghan evacuees.

General Advocacy

• Raise awareness of medical care delays with Surgeon General.
• Review and inform the Australian Military Veterans and Families Research Programme, a joint venture between Australian Institute of Family Studies, Defence and Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
• Obtain Defence commitment to reinstate reunion travel for overseas deployments, in line with Allied Nations, during the pandemic.
• Advocate for a review of the Remote Leave Locality Travel (RLLT) to increase the number of trips allocated.
• Request Defence leadership to encourage Command to support reunion travel requests for all families currently MWDU or separated parents away from their children.
• Advocate for Defence to expand eligibility and reduce red tape around processes for families to access support services on return to Australia following an overseas posting.
• Approach State and Local Governments to raise awareness of the unique nature of military service and the impacts of pandemic border restrictions policies on Defence families.
• Advocate for Defence families to be supported to relocate where needed during the pandemic, keeping the family together and supporting the Defence member to deliver Defence capability.
• Approach Defence and State and Territory Governments for additional resources to help reduce delays in processing travel exemptions for some states, which impacts relocations and MWDU during the pandemic.
• Inform Defence communication campaigns around State and Territory pandemic restrictions to support families to plan and decide upon their posting.
• Obtain commitment from the WA and VIC Governments to overturn pandemic border policies which restrict Defence families relocating to these regions with their ADF member on posting.
• Request CDF and MINDP write to State and Territory leaders to highlight the issues facing Defence families posting during the pandemic, and those in MWDU arrangements.
• Support Defence to establish Defence run hotel quarantine facilities to streamline state access.
• Advise MINDP and Defence leadership of issues facing families during the pandemic.
• Advocate for a review the ADF Family Health Benefit to increase the payment and expand the benefit.