Review of 2021 Census Topics

This topic seeks to obtain data on in relation to the number of men and women that have served or are currently serving in the Australian Defence Force, providing statitical information relevant to the provison of service and support by both the Department of Veteran Affairs and all Ex Service Organisations (ESOs) across Autralia

Data collected by inclusion of this topic will enable the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA), the Returned & Service League of Australia and other ESOs the information needed in identifying where this demographic is located within Australia and how best to deploy important assets required to provide welfare and support services to cater to the needs of both serving and ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and their families.
Anecdotal evidence currently indicates that there are many ex-ADF members in remote locations and areas of Australia and the data gathered will provide information on where specialist profesional support is required to support the needs of this cohort.
In recognition of their service the Austlian Government in 2001 granted veterans "special needs status"under the Aged Care Act 1997. The definition of a veteran under this act is all inclusive of persons that werved in the ADF, their partners,widos/ers and dependents based on the sacrifices and hardships endured by their service and the service of their partners.
The "special needs"status relates to planning and allocation of aged care facilities, specialist medical and mental health support, the data collected will be an invaluable tool to government, non government groups and medical providers.

The data collected will enable the creation of a demographic profile by region and state areas enabling the specifice targeting of relevant support services specicfic to the needs of the growing veteran community.
Whislt some data is available from within DVA, this information is relevant only to those currently supported by the Department and does not provide information on those ex-serving members that do not at present need or require specific support. Having the information at a regional through to state level will enable decions to be made by Government Departments and Agencies, such as DVA, Department of Health and Aging and State Health Departments to plan and develop necessary support based on indicative data

There are no sufficient alternative data sources available for this topic. While the Department of Defence would be able to provide the number of persons who have served in the Australian Defence Force, names, if given by the Department, would then need to be manually cross referenced with the Department of Births, Deaths and Marriages to determine if the individuals were still alive.
Likewise, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs have detailed statistics in relation to persons receiving DVA entitlement; however we know that not all veterans have such entitlements and are thus outside the DVA catchment population. This would particularly be the case where the veteran has no disability entitlement and has either chosen to use Centrelink rather than DVA for payment of an aged (or service) pension or the veteran is not eligible for income support due to own private financial means.
The only other method of collecting this data would be to cross reference information from the Department of Defence with other government sources, such as taxation or Centrelink records, electoral rolls, or death records. Such detailed cross checking is not within the resources of the ex-service organisations and it may not be within the capability of government computing resources.

The question proposed is suitable for inclusion in the census.

Have you served as a member of Australia’s defence force?

This question is unequivocally a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ response. It is not subjective, does not seek an opinion on the topic, does not test memory, and is not likely to cause a perception of invading privacy.

The second or supplementary component to the question is again straight forward, if the answer to the first question is YES, then the second question:

Did you serve overseas, if yes where (or when)?

Again, it is not a complex question and will not require long explanation or instruction to ensure an accurate answer. For those who served in the Australian Defence Force, this question is easily recalled and responded to. For those suffering dementia, this information would also known by their families thus eliminating as much bias as possible.

As previously stated the topic can be answered with two Yes or No answers and should not significantly add to the overall cost of the Census.
Since 1999 there has been a significant increase in the number of people serving in the ADF, many with Overseas Operational and Peace Keeping Service and as such, having accurate data to demonstrate the need for veteran services or assistance, at both local and state level, would be extremely beneficial to the government, care providers and ex-service organisations.
With the ageing of the population, including the ex-service community, it would be beneficial to update the data in a future Census.
The uniqueness of the veteran population is that it is ageing faster than the general population, with a high percentage of men over 80 years of age en not titled to benefits through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA); however, as previously stated, we know the figures are much higher than just those with DVA entitlement.

As previously stated since 1999 there has been a significant increase in the number of people serving in the ADF, many with Overseas Operational and Peace Keeping Service and as such, having accurate data to demonstrate the need for veteran services or assistance, at both local and state level, would be extremely beneficial to the government, care providers and ex-service organisations.

The veteran population is continuing to grow and the gathering, update and colation this data will be benifical in all future Census

As previously stated there is no specific or sufficent alternate gathering method of this data.