Combat roles for Australia’s front-line women

AUSTRALIA is to open up all military roles to women, including front-line combat over the next five years.

It follows Canada and New Zealand in allowing women who meet the physical and psychological criteria to fulfil any role they choose, defence minister Stephen Smith said.

He added: “This is a major change. That is why we’d rather err on the side of caution in expressing a five-year period [to implement the change]”.

Women can currently serve in 93 per cent of employment categories in the Australian Defence Force. But some roles have been reserved for men, including the infantry and artillery. Mr Smith could not say whether the elite Special Air Service and Commando Regiments fighting in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province could include women troopers before Australia withdraws in 2014. But he said he knew of an Australian army platoon in which the best shot was a woman who should be considered for a combat role as a sniper.

He said: “Currently she would be prohibited from being a sniper in Afghanistan. Why would we take away the chance of the best shot in a platoon playing that role?”

The military is working with a university to determine what physical capabilities are required for specific male-only jobs. The first of these jobs to be opened to women will be announced next March.

Only 8,000 of Australia’s almost 60,000 troops are female.