ADA Discussion papers

ADA discussion papers tackle major or recurring subjects in Australian debate on strategic security, defence and wider national security issues. Each paper is a stand-alone contribution to informed public debate.

Recent discussion papers:



Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) are rarely debated objectively. Most discussion particularly ignores that the principles underlying TPVs are sound and fully compliant with both the intention and processes of the 1951 Refugee Convention (and with the work of the UN High Commission for Refugees). While some aspects of TPV administration did fail during a previous use in the early 2000s these problems have now been fixed.

Women in combat

Much public argument on the issue of broadening the employment of female personnel in combat roles is misinformed and based on assumptions and outright myths supposedly supporting or disproving the validity of such employment. Informed debate, on the other hand, cannot occur unless it addresses the many complexities involved. These include tackling what combat actually entails (rather than what many wrongly assume it entails); what gender-based restrictions set by government actually apply currently, how they apply and the reasons for them; how they might be further refined; what and how various operational contexts are relevant; what physiological, bio-mechanical, physicality, equipment procurement and training implications need consideration before further changes are introduced; what strategic, operational, professional or technical matters and nuances need discussion; what are the potential moral dilemmas that need considering; and what risks of equity-intent versus inequity-result paradoxes need to be avoided or risk-managed when further refining combat employment policies.

National service

In 1909-11, under the Fisher Labor Government, Australia was the first real democracy in the world to introduce universal military conscription in peacetime. Australia has adopted military national service schemes five times in our history: 1905-09 (selective cadet scheme), 1911-1929 (universal), 1939-45 (universal), 1951-59 (mostly universal) and 1965-72 (selective). Several factors need to be addressed when seriously considering the current and future strategic utility, and citizenship equity, of reintroducing compulsory national service.

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