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| Down Under | |
| Women should be allowed to serve in combat: Aussie MP | |
| 2006-10-02 | |
| SYDNEY - Women in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) should be allowed to fight on the front line alongside men, a member of parliament said on Monday. ‘Suitability for ADF roles should be entirely competency-based,’ the ruling Liberal Party’s Mitch Fifield said. ‘Merit should be the only criteria.’ Fifield urged Prime Minister John Howard to drop rules that allow women to kill people from a jet-fighter but not from a tank, to patrol a civilian airport but not a military one. Under changes brought in this year, 87 per cent of ADF posts were opened to women. They can to serve in support roles on the front line, driving trucks for instance, but are still excluded from actual combat and serving in the elite Special Air Services regiment. There are 52,000 people in the ADF, but only 7,000 of them are women. To try and boost numbers to 55,000, women have been urged to join, recruitment standards have been lowered and provisions for same-sex couples introduced.
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #7 The problem today is the old suits have dragged the issue out for too long by not establishing high standards of physical fitness for the job. I think deep down they're scared that if they do return to a draft a lot of males won't qualify. For those who qualify, they can do the job. It's already been done. |
| Posted by: Gling Whamp5942 2006-10-02 16:17 |
| #6 ‘Suitability for ADF roles should be entirely competency-based,’ the ruling Liberal Party’s Mitch Fifield said. ‘Merit should be the only criteria.’ One of the criteria for combat troops is if they can carry the fricing machine gun during the whole night and on steep terrain. If the sun rises before you are in position you are dead abd a lot of other peolle too. Another criteria is how fast can you run with the fricking machine gun in oder to put it into that enfilading position. If you are too slow, then you and a lot of other people will be dead. Women should be allowed to serve in combat so long as this guy goes loan with them and shares their fate. War is a too serious thing for politicians. |
| Posted by: JFM 2006-10-02 09:59 |
| #5 Quite right lorrie-woman Alice, both right rear tires have gone flat indeed! Find a couple of off-duty lads and get them changed out and ready for movement in 20 minutes will you? Right SGM, I'm on it! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-10-02 08:11 |
| #4 Rest easy, a5089, you aren't Australian, either. And both situations can be rectified. Even the asthma may ease soon if you are serious about giving up cannabis smoking for good, not just because you used up your last stash on Friday. ;-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-10-02 07:59 |
| #3 ‘Soon, overweight, asthmatic, tattooed, former-cannabis-smoking men may be eligible for ADF service Hey, I really resent that! I mean, I'm not tattoed. |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-10-02 07:46 |
| #2 If they look like Janet Reno, perhaps |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-10-02 00:52 |
| #1 Make sure you keep those tatooed guys on the sidelines. Can't have that. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2006-10-02 00:10 |