“By releasing Reservists for service, employers are enabling Reservists to deliver specialist and emergency help to people in need,” said Major General Melick.

"We ask you, the employers, to recognise the commitment involved in this extremely challenging and critical role, just as we hope you appreciate the extra skills, experience and maturity that service in the Reserve provides any Reservists you employ.

“Like all Australians I am deeply moved by the recent events in Victoria. I am grateful we have the measures in place to assist people affected.”

Courageous, dedicated, resourceful – just some of the words Brigadier Michael Arnold has used to describe the 400 Reservists who are supporting the Victorian Bushfire Crisis response.

Brigadier Arnold, who is leading the 470 Defence Joint Task Force members assisting government agencies during the crisis, said the enthusiasm of Reservists to help those affected ‘has been overwhelming’.

“It is clear the Reservists are performing outstanding work,” said the Brigadier, who studies and works at Deakin University.

“It has made me feel so proud to be part of this organisation. It is quite overwhelming to see the wonderful response from all our people who are giving so selflessly.

“The Prime Minister, the Minister for Defence, Senior Officers and many others have been more than impressed with the work that the Reservists are performing.”

Brigadier Arnold, who joined the Australian Army in 1978 and has spent the past 20 years in the Army Reserve, said the support of civilian employers had been critical and he sincerely thanked all those who had readily released their employees.

“We’ve had to build our ability to sustain the operation,” he said.

“We initially requested that personnel serve for three days and then we quickly reassessed this to five working days – and then we rotate people.

“We’ve had to allocate people here to ring employers, to request their on-going support. Employer relations are at the forefront of our minds.

“So far this has been going very well and we really appreciate their commitment to help. We are going to ask the Defence Reserves Support Council in Victoria to also assist us in this task.”

Brigadier Arnold said although he had served in Iraq, he had not personally witnessed a tragedy like this before.

“While in Iraq I saw rocket attacks and explosions from a distance and had to imagine the devastation that was being inflicted on the people. I did not see anything immediate like this – nothing has compared.

“What I have been telling my people is that ‘your work is highly valued, just the fact that you are there, in location, is a massive help to the local population’.

“You can see the reaction of the people, the look on their faces. They are so happy to see our soldiers. In some cases, the soldiers have been the first people they have seen since the fires came through their area.

“The message is that the Government, the country, is taking this incredibly seriously.

“We are going to get through this together.”

Dennis Styles is an excellent example of the dual benefit of being a Reservist.

A manager with Coles in his civilian life, Dennis is now also using his people management skills as an Administration Officer in the Royal Australian Air Force Active Reserve.

“I’ve been with Coles for about seven years, starting out as a checkout and customer service operator,” Dennis said.

“I’ve worked my way up to the point of now being a Store Support Manager, basically being second-in-charge. I work with and supervise a large number of team members across a wide range of roles in the retailing industry.”

When Dennis moved to Queensland from New South Wales a couple of years ago, he realised the more relaxed way of life left him with more time on his hands. He was looking for a new challenge and interest.

“I saw the Australian Defence Force commercials on television and thought ‘that’s what I want to do’. I have a mate in the Air Force and he was really positive about the Reserves, so I decided to give it a go,” said Dennis.

The move to join the Air Force Reserve was the realisation of an ambition Dennis had harboured since his school days.
“I considered joining the ADF straight out of school, but decided to continue my studies instead. I then moved into retailing and now the circle is complete – I’m finally in the Defence Force,” he grinned.

Holding the rank of Pilot Officer, Dennis is posted to No. 23 Squadron at RAAF Base Amberley, south west of Brisbane.
“As a service, the Air Force is great and I love my involvement at weekends and for longer periods when I can. I’m still training and find the learning environment Defence provides both challenging and stimulating.

“I’m really enjoying the formal as well as the informal learning I’m doing in the Air Force. Coles gets the benefit of the discipline, focus and training I’m picking up from Defence.

You have taken the time and effort to correctly fill out the appropriate form/s for an ESP claim. Have you ever wondered what happens to your claim once it has been approved or rejected? The following information provides guidance on how your claim is dealt with and what avenues are open to you should you be dissatisfied with the delegate’s decision.

What Happens To My Claim?

When your claim is approved:

How the payment will proceed
Once an ESP delegate has approved your ESP Claim Form, the payment is entered on the Defence payment system.

For claims made after the end of the period of Defence service being claimed, payment of the full amount of ESP should be made as soon as practicable after the claim is approved.

For ongoing periods of extended Defence service, payments are made on a fortnightly basis, in arrears, until the completion of the period of Defence service.

What notification will I get?
Once an approved claim has been entered on the Defence payment system, the unit (or ESP delegate) should complete section F of the ESP Claim Form (or provide a letter or minute containing the same information) and dispatch this advice to you.
 
If your claim is forwarded to the Director ESP Scheme for consideration, the Director, Deputy Director or Assistant Director will advise you, in writing, of the outcome of their consideration.

The Defence payment system will also send a remittance advice to you following each ESP payment.

When your claim is rejected:

What notification will I get?
Within seven days of the decision, you should be informed by the ESP delegate, in writing, that your claim has been refused. The delegate should provide a statement of reasons for the refusal and advise you of your appeal options.

What are my appeal options?
If you are not satisfied with the decision of the ESP delegate, Deputy Director or Assistant Director of the ESP Scheme, you may request the Director of the ESP Scheme reconsider the claim.

This request must be in writing and must be lodged within 30 days of receiving advice from the ESP delegate, Deputy Director or Assistant Director of the ESP Scheme that your claim had been refused. If you are able to do so, you may include further justification or evidence with your request (but you are not required to do so).

Your request should be submitted to the Director of the ESP Scheme, together with the claim form and all supporting documentation. The Director will consider the application afresh and advise you and the ESP delegate, Deputy Director or Assistant Director of the ESP Scheme in writing, of the outcome of the reconsideration of the claim.

If you wish, you may apply to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for review of the Director's decision. If the claim is approved, ESP staff will process the payment immediately upon advice of the decision.

Next month

Next month we will cover the Legitimate Business Test which is another possible means of meeting the ESP requirements in circumstances where Principal Source of Income (PSI) can not be satisfied.

Should you require additional information or clarification on the outcome of your claim or any other aspect of the Employer Support Payment scheme that is not already covered by our website, you may email an enquiry to esp@defence.gov.au.