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News extra
Defence Force recruiting comes up Opals (15 August)
As we reported on 9 August, the Australian Opals have signed on with Australian Defence Force Recruiting in a new one-year sponsorship deal worth $300,000. The deal, which extends to the WNBL, includes naming rights and will see fans cheering for the Defence Jobs Opals in the World Championships in Brazil next month.
This new relationship comes at an interesting time for the force. It has had a rough relationship with its female officers and has been publicly bought to task by several female members in the past 12 months. Lieutenant Commander Robyn Fahy’s claim of unfair dismissal in the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission was settled only late last month. In settling, it agreed to compensate Fahy for their failure to comply with appropriate medical protocols.
Fahy's alleged years of physical and mental abuse during her time in the navy and her experience sparked a civil investigation by the Medical Board of Western Australia into army doctor Douglas McKenzie in which he was found guilty of 22 counts of infamous or improper conduct including carelessness and incompetency in his diagnosis of Robin Fahy. The Defence Force continued to support Dr McKenzie and, with this case pending, he was sent to the front in Timor.
In light of this damaging and very recent history, it is not surprising that the force is looking form links with prominent women. On aligning the force with Australia’s most successful basketball team, Mr Billson, Assistant to the Minister for Defence, says, “We consider the WNBL and the Opals and the audiences they attract through the vibrant and exciting basketball, a perfect fit as far as tapping into a source of healthy young women who may want to consider a career in the Australian Defence Force.”
Basketball Australia Chief Executive Scott Derwin says, “Our female basketballers will provide role models for Defence Jobs and help spread the message about careers within the Australian Defence Force.” It could be argued the view that the Opals will be role models to the Defence Force is positive. Confident, fit, determined women could no doubt educate the force about a few things. Of the 51,000 defence personnel, 6800 are women.
By Amber Hammill
Further reading: ABC story; Women’s Sport; The Age; Defence media release on Fahy
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