Australia to Open Army to Non-Citizens

Australia's Military Recruitment

• Australia is facing difficulties in recruiting people to join its army, with a current shortage of around 4,400 workers.
• To address this issue, the government is opening up the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to non-Australians from certain countries.

Eligible Countries

• From July, New Zealanders who are permanent residents in Australia can apply to join the ADF.
• In 2024, people from the UK, US, and Canada will also be eligible to apply.

Reason for Policy Change

• The government is changing its recruitment policy for security reasons, aiming to meet the nation's security challenges through the next decade and beyond.

Government's Perspective

• Defence Minister Richard Marles stated that the government may consider opening up the ADF to people from more countries in the future.
• The Defence Ministry believes that recruiting from a wider pool of people will help ensure the ADF reflects the full diversity of Australia and draws on the talents of Australian society.

Opposition's View

• Opposition Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham disagrees with the policy, seeing it as a sign of government failure.
• Birmingham believes that the government should focus on building the confidence of Australians to sign up for the military instead of recruiting from other countries.

Australia is facing a recruitment problem in its army and is now opening up to non-Australians, including those from the UK, Canada, and New Zealand, to join the Australian Defence Force.