If the ADF wants to increase recruitment and retainment standard six year contracts with the option of re-upping for 1,2, 4 or 6 years contracts.
Allow long hair.
Facial hair.
Less stringent standards on tattoo’s.
50 days holiday periods apart from weekend leave.
Less stringent requirement on criminal matters.
Less stringent requirements on recreational drug matters.
Free education for their off-spring.
Allowing women to be involved in direct combat.
A trial of women in Spec-Ops.
Lifting the age for recruitment into Spec-Ops
A direct recruitment of Women and men of non-Anglo Saxon backgrounds as they are vital for gathering HUMINT in the AO.
The acquirement of Citizenship liked directly to ADF service with in a certain age group 18 to 45 including reserve service. ( this allows ASIO operatives in the ADF to ?)
And perhaps making it so personnel don’t have to by their own equipment.
Most of what is listed here, as GF and AD have pointed out, are matters of discipline. If you aren't getting enough folks to join, the simple solution isn't to lower standards.
It also appears you have been misled on a few points, such as...
-Facial hair: As pointed out, the Navy allows full beards, some other areas of the military allow a mustache, etc.
-Tattoos: There is no standard as far as I am aware. Nor do you really need permission. The main reason they ask for ALL identifying marks is that they give an insight into the person, but mainly simply for identification purposes.
-Criminal matters: There is no absolute exclusion policy. In effect, the issue is that you comply with FULL disclosure - non-disclosure will cause your application to be denied, but they will investigate what you do supply to them. If they are satisfied that it is only minor, and doesn't contribute to habitual offences, nor pose a security risk, then you may still be considered.
-I didn't have to purchase my own kit. I don't know what branch of the ADF you'd have to fork out money for when you join, but I've never heard of it. The taxpayer foots the bill for most items you are issued with. There is the issue of you having to provide some sundries, you may have to replace some items, and there are certain items that you do have to pay for if lost of damaged. However, for some of us lucky folk, a Uniform Allowance is paid to me, which is directly used for (and accounted for) upkeep, replacement and repair of my kit.
As for most other things, there are reasons behind why there are specific restrictions. For instance, long hair has a few things going against it - hygiene consideration, the risk of having hand-to-hand combat result in your hair as a handhold for your opponent and the ever-present OH&S risk of moving machinery catching and chewing your hair (and potentially your face).
National Service (which some fully support) is a completely different thing. Acceptance is based on you being able to conduct physical activity, speak, and read. Not much else goes into it - you are issued a kit, put through the meat grinder, taught what you need to know, and that is pretty much it. This is where recruiting standards are at the absolute lowest. Any serious career soldier wouldn't just attend National Service; he'd have been at the recruiter trying to get somewhere in the military (not just doing the bare minimum).
