Editing Australian Defence Force (section)

===Women in the ADF===
{{Main|Women in the Australian military}}
Women first served in the Australian military during World War II when each service established a separate female branch. The RAAF was the first service to fully integrate women into operational units, doing so in 1977, with the Army and RAN following in 1979 and 1985 respectively.{{sfn|Horner|2001|pp=321–324}} The ADF initially struggled to integrate women, with integration being driven by changing Australian social values and Government legislation rather than a change in attitudes within the male-dominated military.{{sfn|Beaumont|2001|p=357}}
[[File:Able Seaman Maritime Logistics-Support Operations Codie-Lee Reid on HMAS Canberra at RIMPAC 2016.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A woman wearing a camouflaged military uniform on the deck of a ship|A female sailor assigned to HMAS ''Canberra'' in 2016]]

The number of positions available to women in the ADF has increased over time. Although servicewomen were initially barred from combat positions, these restrictions began to be lifted in 1990.{{sfn|Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Group|2000}} In September 2011 Minister for Defence Stephen Smith announced that the Cabinet had decided to remove all restrictions on women serving in combat positions, and that this change would come into effect within five years. This decision was supported by the CDF and the chiefs of the services.<ref>{{cite news|last=Thompson|first=Jeremy|title=Women cleared to serve in combat|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-27/women-on-the-frontline/2946258|date=27 September 2011|access-date=27 September 2011|newspaper=ABC News|archive-date=27 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927222526/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-27/women-on-the-frontline/2946258|url-status=live}}</ref> Serving women became able to apply for all positions on 1 January 2013 except special forces roles in the Army which became open to women in January 2014.<ref name="Lifting of gender restrictions">{{cite press release|title=Lifting of gender restrictions in the Australian Defence Force|url=http://news.defence.gov.au/2013/02/01/lifting-of-gender-restrictions-in-the-australian-defence-force/|publisher=Department of Defence|date=1 February 2013|access-date=3 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130324001506/http://news.defence.gov.au/2013/02/01/lifting-of-gender-restrictions-in-the-australian-defence-force/|archive-date=24 March 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Johnston2014">{{cite speech |author1=Minister for Defence, Senator David Johnston |title=Minister for Defence – Opening address - Defence Women in Peace and Security Conference |url=https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/minister/david-johnston/speeches/minister-defence-opening-address-defence-women-peace-and-security |event=2014 Defence Women in Peace and Security Conference |access-date=15 March 2021 |date=16 June 2014 |archive-date=24 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424214941/https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/minister/david-johnston/speeches/minister-defence-opening-address-defence-women-peace-and-security |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 2016, civilian women became able to be directly recruited to all positions.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Landmark moment for women in the ADF |url=https://www.pmc.gov.au/news-centre/office-women/landmark-moment-women-adf |website=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=15 March 2021 |date=24 October 2018 |archive-date=14 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210314153441/https://pmc.gov.au/news-centre/office-women/landmark-moment-women-adf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Despite the expansion in the number of positions available to women and other changes which aim to encourage increased female recruitment and retention, the growth in the proportion of female permanent defence personnel has been slow.{{sfn|Thomson|2017|p=80}} In the 1989–1990 financial year women made up 11.4% of the ADF personnel. In the 2008–2009 financial year women occupied 13.5% of ADF positions. During the same period the proportion of civilian positions filled by women in the Australian Defence Organisation increased from 30.8% to 42.8%.{{sfn|Khosa|2010|p=79}} In 2017–2018, women made up 17.9% of the ADF's permanent force. The proportion of women in the permanent force differs by service: 14.3% of members of the Army are female, compared to 21.5% of the RAN and 22.1% for the RAAF.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.defence.gov.au/annualreports/17-18/Downloads/WomenInTheADFReport2017-18.pdf|title=Women in the ADF Report 2017–18|publisher=Australian Government Department of Defence|access-date=12 July 2019|archive-date=12 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712043225/http://www.defence.gov.au/annualreports/17-18/Downloads/WomenInTheADFReport2017-18.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015 the ADF adopted targets to increase the proportion of service personnel who are female by 2023: by this time it is planned that women will make up 25% of the RAN, 15% of the Army and 25% of the RAAF.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Davidson|first1=Helen|title=Australian Defence Force creates targets to increase number of female recruits|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/mar/24/australian-defence-force-creates-targets-to-increase-number-of-female-recruits|access-date=24 March 2015|work=The Guardian |date=24 March 2015|archive-date=24 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324092310/http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/mar/24/australian-defence-force-creates-targets-to-increase-number-of-female-recruits|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Department of Defence|2016|pp=5–8}}

There continue to be concerns over the incidence of sexual abuse and gender-based discrimination in the ADF. In 2014 the [[Defence Abuse Response Taskforce]] estimated that around 1,100 currently-serving ADF personnel had abused other members of the military, and recommended that a [[royal commission]] be conducted to investigate long-running allegations of sexual abuse and assault of servicewomen at the Australian Defence Force Academy.<ref name="Government to seriously consider call for royal commission">{{cite news|last1=Wroe|first1=David|title=Defence abuse: Government to 'seriously' consider call for royal commission into abuse at the Australian Defence Force Academy|url=http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/defence-abuse-government-to-seriously-consider-call-for-royal-commission-into-abuse-at-the-australian-defence-force-academy-20141126-11u1jq.html|access-date=5 December 2014|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=26 November 2014|archive-date=28 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128184620/http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/defence-abuse-government-to-seriously-consider-call-for-royal-commission-into-abuse-at-the-australian-defence-force-academy-20141126-11u1jq.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2013 Chief of Army General David Morrison publicly released a video in which he warned against gender-based discrimination, and stated that he would dismiss members of the Army who engaged in such conduct.<ref name="Morrison tells troops to respect women or get out">{{cite news|title=Chief of Army David Morrison tells troops to respect women or 'get out'|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-14/chief-of-army-fires-broadside-at-army-over-email-allegations/4753208|access-date=5 December 2014|work=ABC News|date=14 June 2014|archive-date=4 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150104021115/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-14/chief-of-army-fires-broadside-at-army-over-email-allegations/4753208|url-status=live}}</ref>