Pubdate: Wed, 15 Mar 2006
Source: Gulf Times (Qatar)
Copyright: Gulf Times Newspaper, 2006
Contact:  http://www.gulf-times.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3835

AUSTRALIA MAY RELAX DRUGS POLICY ON RECRUITS

CANBERRA: Australia's military is considering scrapping  its tough 
anti-drugs policy in order to attract more  recruits to the armed forces.

Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said he was considering  scrapping 
the rule, saying a person's character and  ability should be the main 
tests for new defence  recruits.

Under current rules, a person is automatically rejected  as a recruit 
if they admit to having taken illegal  drugs. Nelson said that meant 
someone who lied about  drug use could be accepted, while an honest 
person  would be rejected.

"I can say no to that (question) myself, but the  reality is about 
40-45% of the adult population have  (tried drugs)," Nelson told a 
defence conference  yesterday.

In his first major speech since he became defence  minister in 
January, Nelson said he had taken  responsibility for recruitment as 
Australia's defence  forces struggle to meet recruiting targets in 
Australia's tight labour market.

In December, the government announced plans to expand  the size of 
the army by about 1,500 over 10 years, from  its current 42,000 
soldiers, including 16,800  reservists.

But with Australia's unemployment rate at near 30-year  lows, the 
defence forces regularly fail to meet  recruiting targets, 
particularly in some specialist  areas.

Nelson, who was education minister before taking on  defence, blamed 
schoolteachers for a culture where  school leavers did not see the 
value of a defence  career.

"Unfortunately there is a minority of those in the  classroom 
teaching children that bring pejorative views  to the task, not just 
in relation to defence but in  relation to non-university based 
careers," he said.

- - Reuters
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom