113.Top Priorities when Supporting and Acknowledging Defence Partners & Families

<p>This week on the Podcast, I speak with Minister for Veterans’ Affairs & Minister for Defence Personnel Andrew Gee about his top priorities when it comes to supporting and acknowledging Defence Partners and Families.</p> <p> </p> <p>Minister Gee and I also have an open and real conversation about:</p> <ul> <li>His thoughts on partners and families being key contributors to defence capability</li> <li>The impact partners and families have on the well-being of the defence member</li> <li>The value he sees defence partners and families providing the community & defence</li> <li>How current policy and programs fit with the value partners and families provide</li> <li>His take on the key issues and challenges defence partners and families currently face</li> <li>The opportunities the Minister sees when it comes to solving those issues & challenges</li> <li>The invaluable insight he got from the recent National Defence Partner Roundtable</li> <li>Why we need a more comprehensive understanding of the partner and family experience</li> <li>The steps the Minister is taking to introduce a possible Ministerial Advisory Council to help inform policy</li> <li>How to gather the right data on defence partners and families to shape effective policy</li> <li>Partnering with the Australian Institute of Family Studies to redesign the ADF Family Survey</li> <li>Why it’s time for more innovation in the way that programs are designed & delivered</li> <li>Looking at trialling Coworking hubs on defence bases to support and connect defence partners</li> <li>The role the Veteran Wellbeing Centres will play for current defence partners and families</li> <li>How partner employment contributes to ADF workforce development & why supporting career portability is key</li> <li>How the Minister thinks defence partners and families have fared during COVID</li> <li>A commitment to seriously push for the introduction of a National Defence Families day</li> <li>Whether it might be time to review defence partner and family policy in a major way</li>