Maree, our National Convenor and Michelle, our Communications Officer attended the inaugural Prime Minister’s Veterans’ Employment Awards last night at Parliament House on behalf of Defence Families of Australia.

Maree and Michelle with Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans’ Affairs, The Hon Darren Chester MP.

The awards are a part of the Prime Minister’s Veterans’ Employment Program, which focuses on raising awareness with employers of the value and unique experience of Australia’s veteran community.

Additionally, there was an award for Excellence in Supporting Spouse Employment, which was won by the Westpac Group.

Partner Employment remains a key advocacy issue for DFA. The ADF Families Survey in 2017 indicated that the ADF partner unemployment rate is twice the national average. Underemployment is also a big issue for Defence partners.

The night was hosted by Virginia Haussegger AM and Ben Roberts-Smith VC MG. We were grateful to speak with Virginia about our advocacy work for partner employment.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull spoke during the evening.

From the DVA website ‘The Australian Defence Force provides unparalleled experience and training, and our veterans make remarkable employees,’ he said.

‘[The awards] showcase a wonderful partnership between the private and public sector to highlight the value of our veterans to Australian businesses.’

At DFA we know that ADF partners also make remarkable employees and would like to encourage employers to think about how they can provide flexible employment solutions to suit our unique lifestyle. We know that ADF partner employment is a complex issue and we remain committed to improving this for our families.

Keep an eye on our website for more partner employment advocacy news in the coming months.

You can find all the award winners here

Read more about the awards night here