News and Media
21 December 2009
Release of the 2009 ADF families survey results
The first survey of Australian Defence Force (ADF) families was recently released by Head Personnel Capability, MAJGEN Craig Orme and the Director General Defence Community Organisation, Mr Michael Callan.
The ADF Families Survey represents the first time Defence has asked ADF members and their spouses and partners about their experiences and opinions via a survey. This has provided ADF members, spouses and partners, an unprecedented opportunity to influence Defence policy, and enables Defence to consider their views in its policy evaluation and development processes.
The survey was administered by the Directorate of Strategic Personnel Policy Research. It was mailed out to the home addresses of all permanent ADF members classified as having dependants in early November 2008. Respondents were also offered the option of completing the survey online. Overall, a response rate of 20.6% was achieved, with 5749 valid responses. The responses were from spouses and partners of ADF members, dual ADF couples and single parent ADF members.
The responses have provided valuable insight into how ADF families adjust to the demands of service, how they feel about deployment lengths and tempo, their relocation experiences, communication with Defence (both at the strategic and regional levels), and how the ADF work and family domains interact. Importantly, respondents have provided very constructive feedback on what families’ value and need most to help them adapt to the ADF way of life.
The feedback provided by members and their spouses and partners is already being used to develop and improve Defence Community Organisation services, such as Absence from Home Support and a Self-Reliance Strategy. The results are also shaping the 20-year ADF Housing and Accommodation Strategy so that more flexible housing options are available to ADF families. As a further outcome of the findings, commanders are being advised on ways that they can improve the quality of communication with families.
The feedback and views expressed by members and their spouses and partners will be used to support our continued efforts to enhance the quality of life for ADF members and their families.
- The 2009 ADF Families Survey General Report and Summary of Results can be downloaded from the Defence Community Organisation website.