Why is it that Australia doesn't have compulsory national service?

Question

What is the view on conscription in the Australian public? What are the arguments for and against? What is the difference between the beliefs of other countries to the beliefs of Australia as to why they have conscription but not us? Just about all of South East Asia has conscription, Australia is not really in S/E Asia but we are neighbours.

Sure Australia is technologically advanced compared to most in the region to make up for the lack of manpower, but would it really hurt to reintroduce conscription to help defend this gigantic island?

Answer 1

There comes a time when a country may decide they need to compel men to become soldiers whether they want to or not. In the case of Australia, the time hasn't come yet.

The most recent form of national service in Australia was created as a response to the increasing threat from Indonesia - at that time, Indonesia voiced its opposition to the new federation of Malaysia by attacking it. That threat no longer exists, and a fully professional army is sufficient to deal with the current threats to Australia (terrorism mostly from Asia and the Middle-East, typically).

National service in Singapore was created because the British forces in the area left, leaving Singapore's one thousand strong military to fend for itself. Being a rich yet tiny, lowly populated nation surrounded by bigger, potentially hostile neighbors, they thought conscription would be a good deterrent.

Some countries practice conscription as a means of empowering the military-controlled government. *cough* Burma *cough*

Malaysia has a national service system too, which was designed mainly to encourage racial integration - youths picked for national service are treated and trained more like cub scouts than soldiers, and the whole system is generally regarded as a joke.

I'd rather serve with people who are soldiers because they volunteered. A conscript may decide he likes the military, but it's a stressful life and many end up feeling 'stuck' in something they never wanted to be in.

Besides, lets keep in mind Australian soldiers are among the best payed in the world - much better paid than our American counterparts. I don't think we can really afford national service without either cutting pay (at the cost of morale) or jacking up the defence budget (already comparatively high).

Answer 2

Defend it from whom?

Besides, a volunteer army typically does better because its soldiers decided on their own to be there. I would suggest that Australia's volunteer army could wipe the floor with its regional counterparts with conscripted armies.

Conscription in most cases means the opposite of effectiveness. Israel might be the exception simply because they have constantly been under the threat of war. If there was a serious and consistent threat to Australia, maybe conscription wouldn't be a bad idea, but there isn't any, so you would end up having soldiers who only halfway consider their missions as important... Basically just waiting until their time expires... Training and morale would suffer.

Answer 3

No offence, but it sounds like you're getting a bit paranoid. Raising and equiping a million man army would be very expensive and place too great a strain on our economy. Forging strong trade and diplomatic relations with nations like China and the US is enough of a deterrent for boisterous neighbours like Indonesia who is our only potential (albeit remote) threat at this time. The ADF chanels its funding and resources into superior training and equipment that does make it superior to virtually any potential enemy. In any event Australia's geography makes a successful invasion by any neighbour, especially Indonesia, virtually impossible. For one our landscape and terrain are utterly alien to anything they could train in and thus carry out a successful campaign in and there is no way they could maintain their supply lines. By the way... India is not muslim. It is predominantly Hindu which is a very peaceful and harmonious religion... def moreso than christianity or islam.

Answer 4

Thank God we don't have compulsory conscription in Australia. My hubby said he would rather go to jail than be conscripted mainly because we are pacifists and don't believe that wars resolve anything.

I don't admire nor reject those who choose to be in the armed forces but it should not be compulsory otherwise where is our freedom of choice?

Answer 5

we had conscription in the 1970's (Vietnam basically as the public as a whole saw no need to be involved) and it was not really a success --- in general when there has been a need the population has rallied without the need to have conscription --- i think its a perception that we dont want to be forced to defend our country --- when it needs us we will be there

Answer 6

Is there any need for it? Australia isn't under any threat at present, and the volunteer military seems to be doing a good job and has more manpower than needed.

Answer 7

What's conscription ?

Oh, compulsory somethin'...humm....

Sounds like guy's with guns from your oun country get to shoot you...compulsory...sounds like a bunch of commie crap to me....

Move to America, at liest you get IPOD's and TV's and big cars and fast food and all kinds of stupid crap and can sit on your but collecting welfare before they bust down the door and cap your *** for not showing up for service...