SYDNEY, Australia  Australian sailors have received an early Christmas gift with the announcement that all non-essential naval staff will be placed on two months’ paid leave over the holidays.

Instead of swabbing the decks and polishing the brass, most of Australia’s roughly 13,000 naval personnel will be allowed to enjoy the lazy days of their southern hemisphere summer break, which begins Dec. 3.

The initiative, announced Tuesday by Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon, is part of reforms designed to make Australia’s navy a more family-friendly employer.

Australia’s defense forces, like many industries, have suffered from a shortage of skilled workers over the past 15 years as the local economy boomed. Competition from the mining sector and a shift in workers’ attitudes away from lifetime careers have made recruiters’ jobs more difficult.