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Joint Transition Authority
Transition Stakeholder Forum
Joint Transition Authority Summary of Consultation
Frequently Asked Questions
Further Information
NEW: Download the Joint Transition Authority Annual Progress Report 2021 (PDF 365KB)
The Australian Government has announced the establishment of the Joint Transition Authority (JTA) to better prepare and support ADF members and their families as they transition from military to civilian life.
The JTA is located within the Department of Defence and is partnering with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC). The authority will also work closely with organisations including ex-service organisations and other government agencies that deliver transition support services to veterans.
The JTA will take a ‘whole of system’ approach to transition. The JTA will look across the entire transitions system to identify opportunities for improvement, address gaps, remove unnecessary duplication, integrate existing services and influence new ones as they are developed. This approach will result in a more connected system where changes to programs or services are not made in isolation and the possible impact/s on transitioning members and their families is known and understood.
Over the coming months, the JTA will be engaging with stakeholders to enhance its understanding of the system, as well as to develop options for its functions and capabilities going forward. Information regarding this consultation process will be made available on this webpage.
Since 2016, there has been significant investment across Defence, DVA and CSC to improve the transition experience of ADF members and their families and the establishment of the JTA will build on this.
The establishment of the JTA addresses recommendation 7.1 from the Productivity Commission Report, A Better Way to Support Veterans.
The purpose of the JTA Transition Stakeholder Forum is to educate Commands, Senior ADF Officers, Garrison Health agencies, ex-service organisations and other regional transition stakeholders about contemporary transition supports and services for ADF members and their families, and to inform them about the work JTA and their partner agencies are doing to improve the transition experience of members and their families.
The Transition Stakeholder Forum will include presentations from the JTA, DMFS, DVA and CSC. Each forum will conclude with a Q&A panel inclusive of all presenters and representatives from the ADF Financial Services Consumer Council and the National Skill Framework.
| Date | Location | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, 05 April 2022 | Newcastle | Newcastle City Hall |
| Tuesday, 19 April 2022 | Brisbane #1 | Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre |
| Wednesday, 27 April 2022 | Sydney #1 | Hilton |
| Tuesday, 03 May 2022 | Albury | Albury Entertainment Centre |
| Monday, 09 May 202 | Adelaide | Adelaide Convention Centre |
| Tuesday, 17 May 2022 | Perth | Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre |
| Wednesday, 25 May 2022 | Canberra | Hyatt Hotel Canberra |
| Tuesday, 07 June, 2022 | Townsville | Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre |
| Tuesday, 21 June 2022 | Hobart | Hotel Grand Chancellor |
| Wednesday, 13 July 2022 | Sale | Sale Baptist Church |
| Tuesday, 19 July 2022 | Darwin | Darwin Convention Centre |
| Tuesday, 02 August 2022 | Cairns | Shangri-La Hotel |
| Tuesday, 23 August 2022 | Melbourne | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre |
| Tuesday, 06 September 2022 | Wagga Wagga | International Hotel Wagga |
| Tuesday, 13 September 2022 | Shoalhaven | Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre |
If you are interested in attending the Forum in your area please indicate your intention to participate by emailing the Joint Transition Authority with your contact details (full name, email and phone number): jta.stakeholderforum@defence.gov.au.
Be aware that a decision to proceed with the forum is dependent on the JTA attracting sufficient registrations and we will confirm with you two weeks before the forum.
Please do not hesitate to contact LCDR Noel Kirk at jta.stakeholderforum@defence.gov.au if you have any questions or queries.
Transition from service in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to civilian life can be a significant event for members and their families. It is acknowledged that while this can be a relatively smooth experience, it can also be uncertain and difficult.
The Joint Transition Authority (JTA) was established by the Australian Government in October 2020, in response to the 2020 Productivity Commission (PC) report, A Better Way to Support Veterans. The purpose of the JTA is to ensure serving ADF members and their families are better prepared and supported through transition from military to civilian life. It sits within Defence and is working in partnership with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC). The JTA is also working with other stakeholders providing transition support, including veterans and ex-service organisations.
The JTA is currently in its implementation phase, identifying how transition services can be better connected and improved. The JTA is also seeking to better understand transition risk factors that would allow early identification of those members requiring additional support.
Engaging with serving and former ADF members, families, ex-service organisations, state and territory government agencies, academia, industry, and organisations with related experience is key to the JTA better understanding these issues. The JTA undertook a series of consultation sessions with representatives from each of these stakeholder groups earlier this year.
Consultation participants acknowledged the positive efforts made by Defence, DVA and CSC as well as many other stakeholders to improve transition support and services in recent years. These efforts have been in response to previous inquiries including the PC report and the 2017 Transition Taskforce report, Improving the Transition Experience. Participants also welcomed the introduction of the JTA to better integrate, synchronise and assure those services. Yet, more work is needed to reduce the complexity of the transition system for members and their families, to enhance the leadership and culture towards transition better engage families, encourage early uptake of services, and more comprehensively support those transitioning medically and administratively.
In September, Head People Capability at Defence, MAJGEN Natasha Fox AM, CSC, convened a Roundtable Forum with selected consultation participants and key stakeholders from Defence, DVA and CSC to consolidate and confirm the findings of the consultations.
Participants in the Forum agreed that to better support and enable ADF members and their families to transition well, the JTA and the broader transition system should consider ways to:
Concurrent to the consultation process, the JTA has been mapping the transition system to identify opportunities for improvement. Consequently, an updated ADF Transition Manual has been developed to simplify the approach, and assist unit commanders and others involved in supporting transition.
Another key improvement made to date is enhanced sharing of transition data across Defence, DVA and CSC, further enabling earlier engagement and coordination of services across these agencies to support better outcomes for ADF members and their families.
The JTA, in partnership with key stakeholders across the transition system, is continuing to work towards delivering a better experience for transitioning ADF members and their families.
The Productivity Commission (PC) Report, A Better Way to Support Veterans, found that, ‘while most Australian Defence Force (ADF) members make a relatively smooth and successful transition to civilian life, some find transition a difficult and stressful time.’
The Joint Transition Authority (JTA) has been established so that ADF members and their families are better prepared and supported as they transition.
The JTA will take a whole system approach to transitions and will view the system from the perspective of the member and their family. It will oversee a needs-based approach and will work to ensure that the transition system and all the services and support mechanisms are working together for the benefit of ADF members and their families.
The Joint Transition Authority (JTA) has been established so that ADF members and their families are better prepared and supported as they transition.
It sits within Defence and works in partnership with DVA and CSC.
The JTA will also work closely with ADF members, their families, ex-service organisations and other organisations providing transition services or support.
Over the coming months the JTA will consider the transition system as a whole.
It will identify opportunities, look to remove duplication, address gaps, connect existing services and influence new ones as they are developed.
The potential impacts of any changes to transition services, not just in Defence and DVA, but across the transition system as a whole, need to be considered.
The JTA will be engaging with stakeholders from across the system to develop options for its functions and capabilities. This will put the JTA in the best position to support ADF members and their families across their entire transition journey.
Preliminary work has been undertaken to understand the Productivity Comission recommendation.
Now that Government has agreed with the Productivity Commission’s recommendation to establish the JTA, we can begin wider engagement with the ADF and veteran community to help inform and develop this work further.
At this time, all current transition services and support will continue to be provided with no change.
We will provide updates of any changes, and the associated impacts as appropriate. The establishment of the JTA provides opportunity to enhance the linkages between the relevant agencies and should result in smoother transitions for serving members to civilian life.
All current services for members, veterans and their families will continue to be provided with no change.
We will consult with stakeholders on any proposed changes and provide regular updates as appropriate.
All current services for members, veterans and their families will continue to be provided with no change.
All ADF members, Command and families are encouraged to make contact with their local ADF Transition Centre to discuss the current transition process and support available.
