The government’s 1.5% pay deal for defence personnel has been slammed by a lobbying organisation, which said the forces were being used as “a whipping boy” by the commonwealth for tough pay negotiations with other public servants.



The Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal agreed on Monday to give defence personnel a 1.5% pay rise each year for three years. Inflation is 2% at present.

David Jamison, the national director of the Defence Force Welfare Association (DFWA), said the offer was not acceptable. “It’s effectively a pay cut and devalues our work at a time when our forces are again being deployed overseas,” he said.

“The government is using defence personnel as a whipping boy to reduce its pay offer for other public servants,” he said.

“This is about fairness. It shows that the government’s spending priorities are askew,” Jamison said. “The feeling within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is as negative as I’ve ever seen it.”

Tony Abbott said on Tuesday he would like to pay the ADF more, but was constrained by the budget deficit.

He signalled tough pay negotiations ahead for other public servants. “We’re going to see restraint across the whole of the public sector and I would be very surprised if anyone in the commonwealth public sector receives more than is received by our defence forces,” the prime minister said.

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) is considering industrial action, after months of pay negotiations failed to reach an outcome accepted by both parties.

The Department of Human Services (DHS), which is the largest public service department and covers Centrelink, child support and Medicare staff, is voting on whether to take protected industrial action. The government had offered DHS workers a pay rise of less than 1% in exchange for the loss or reduction of 60% of their entitlements.

“[DVA] is one of more than 70 commonwealth agencies unable to make a deal because of this government’s inflexible and harsh bargaining policy,” Nadine Flood, the national secretary of the Community and Public sector Union (CPSU), said.

“Public service minister Eric Abetz is forcing agencies to strip conditions from workplace agreements and cut workplace rights in exchange for low-ball pay offers. Staff are prepared to take action to get the government to shift its position and allow DVA to strike an acceptable deal. Unfortunately not only is Senator Abetz refusing to acknowledge his policy is unworkable, he’s also refusing to meet with the CPSU. Consequently more public servants are edging ever closer towards industrial action.”

Abetz said the CPSU’s “unrealistic” expectation of a 12.5% pay rise was not an option in the current budgetary circumstances.

“The CPSU’s call for industrial action is an attempt by the union to threaten the government with absolutely no regard for the impact this may have on the most vulnerable in our community,” Abetz said.

“The CPSU’s unhelpful approach seems to be the product of it needing to justify its extravagant claims to save face. It would be highly unfortunate if industrial action disrupts the processing of pensions and other payments to vulnerable Australians in the lead up to Christmas.”



DFWA officials met the defence minister, David Johnston, earlier in the year, when pay negotiations were under way, but failed to influence the outcome.



“We came away with the feeling that they had made up their mind [on the pay offer] already. They didn’t have the capacity to be flexible,” Jamison said.

The CPSU said the government must negotiate with public servants in order to stop possible industrial action.

“We will fight hard to get a sensible outcome for our members. Part of that involves the government being prepared to sit down and talk,” Alistair Waters, the deputy national secretary of the CPSU, told the ABC.

“It is time that Abetz and Abbott come clean that this is not just about pay. It is also a smash and grab on their part attacking workers’ rights and conditions,” he said, adding the union was concerned about further cuts to the public sector.