Citizenship lure cast by Australian recruiters
THE Australian Defence Force is offering former Kiwi soldiers, sailors and aircrew a fast track to citizenship as it prepares for the arrival of new ships and aircraft.
Under the lateral recruitment scheme, new recruits are given a residency visa and can apply for citizenship after just three months of service.
The Australian Defence Force is facing pressure from the private sector for skilled staff in all three branches of the services, including dentists, chaplains, pilots, engineers, submarine crew and special forces soldiers.
The drive comes as several Commonwealth countries, including New Zealand, face cutbacks to their armed forces.
The New Zealand Defence Force made 212 people redundant last year in attempts to reach cost saving targets set by the Government’s White Paper. Another 685 people left the service voluntarily between August and January.
The NZDF and the ADF have an unwritten agreement not to actively poach currently serving personnel, but the Australian recruitment drive could affect the uptake of new civilian roles created to replace those made redundant in New Zealand.
A NZDF spokesman said there was no doubt highly paid opportunities overseas were an attraction, especially in the mining sector.
In a recent survey about 60 per cent of defence staff agreed there were good opportunities to gain employment outside the NZDF, up 7 per cent on the previous quarter.
However, defence personnel were beginning to benefit from new capabilities such as the recently delivered NH90 helicopters and the NZDF remained an organisation that offered an exciting career and excellent training, the spokesman said.
‘‘Whilst we may not be able to match salary for salary with some opportunities in Australia, we do offer what many see as a much better lifestyle and we are starting to see evidence that some that have left the NZ Defence Force are now looking at returning.’’
In the past five years, one New Zealand citizen had been recruited by the Australian navy through the overseas recruitment programme, 13 by the army and four by the air force.