Oz to allow women to fight on frontline
April 12th, 2011 - 2:46 pm ICT by ANICanberra, Apr 12 (ANI): The Australian Government has said it would lift the ban on female soldiers by allowing them to fight on the frontline.
Former soldiers and defence groups have welcomed the planned change, but warned that some special forces jobs might remain out of reach, news.com.au reports.
Women can currently work in 93 percent of defence jobs, but are banned from joining units like special forces, rifle companies, armour, artillery, navy clearance divers, and airfield defence guards.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith said he had instructed Air Chief Marshal, Angus Houston, to bring forward plans to allow women on to the front line.
“When it comes to women in the ADF, including in combat roles, an opportunity for women should be determined on the basis of physical and intellectual capacity, not on gender.
So the chief of the defence force will bring forward that matter as a matter of priority,” Smith said.
Currently, only 13 per cent of Australian Defence Force personnel are women. (ANI)
- Australia lifts ban on women in military combat - Sep 28, 2011
- MoD bans women soldiers from fighting on frontline - Nov 30, 2010
- 'Women not suited for combat roles because of rape risk': Australia Defense Association - Apr 13, 2011
- Sex scandals harming Australia's national security: Defense Minister - Apr 06, 2011
- Oz Air force chief terms filming of two cadets having sex as "absolutely abhorrent" - Apr 07, 2011
- Female sailor faces charge of groping male colleagues - Apr 30, 2010
- Australia committed to Afghan war, says Gillard - Feb 20, 2011
- Queensland army barracks raided over drug trafficking claims - Mar 28, 2011
- Australian Army says sex scandal 'isolated' incident - Apr 09, 2011
- Female sailor aboard HMAS Success faces sex grope charge - Apr 30, 2010
- Aussie women could soon fight alongside men on deadly front line - Aug 22, 2009
- Army chief on four-day trip to Australia - Aug 20, 2010
- Outrage over horrific racist taunts against locals by Oz soldiers in Afghanistan - Mar 24, 2011
- Australia could start bringing some troops home from Afghanistan by 2012 - Jun 23, 2010
- Sydney, June 8 (ANI): Despite two Aussie soldiers being among the ten NATO troops who were killed in - Jun 08, 2010
Tags: adf, air chief marshal, airfield defence guards, armour, artillery, australian defence force, australian government, combat roles, defence groups, defence jobs, defence minister, female soldiers, former soldiers, intellectual capacity, news com au, planned change, reach news, rifle companies, special forces, stephen smith