これはそもそも2005年12月23日に明らかにされたことで、ABCでは以下のように報じています。 http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2005/s1537413.htm -- "ADF considers new Defence Force recruitment standards" オーストラリア軍の採用基準見直し
As the US starts reducing its troop numbers in Iraq, the Federal Government is being accused of risking the integrity of Australia's defence forces. アメリカがイラクの兵員数を削減することに伴い、連邦政府はオーストラリア軍の安全に対するリスクを訴えている。
The Chiefs of the Australian Defence Forces have ordered a review of the military's stringent entry requirements, which could see the overweight and unfit, or those with poor eyesight or asthma, allowed to serve.
The proposition comes with revelations that Defence has fallen short of its recruitment targets by as much as 20 per cent, for the last six years.
この提案は過去6年間の採用が目標に対して20%未達だったという事実とともに明らかにされた。
The Australian Defence Association says the major reason for the decline is because pay in the military is too low.
オーストラリア国防協会は軍の給与が低すぎることをその理由に挙げている。
And its Executive Director Neil James says lowering the bar on recruitment will only fix part of the problem.
LEON DELANEY:(インタビュアー) I suppose to increase numbers there's going to be a choice of one of two things. Either you're going to have to lower your standards to get more people in or you have to make it more attractive to get more people of a high quality in. So how are you going to make it more attractive?
MINISTER BRUCE BILLSON: Well there won't be any lowering of standards. That's certainly not what we're looking at. There has been an examination and Minister Nelson's been very much driving this recruitment process knowing that our people are our greatest capability in the ADF.
There's some issues that are currently a little bit hard to follow. If someone's slightly overweight we believe that with proper training and exercise people can be brought within the physical parameters that we're looking for, for the demanding work in defence.
We actually ask recruits whether they may have taken cannabis or something in their earlier life and where they say yes, that makes recruitment difficult for them when actually they're being quite honest. It's probably to their credit and to their character that they've been able to say that they have, but have gone on a more drug free pathway to...