Appendix F – Diversity of the Cadet Body at ADFA
The ADFA Attitude Surveys consist of two questionnaires administered at the beginning and end of Year One Familiarisation Training (YOFT) to first year cadets each year from 2004-2009. Some demographic data about the makeup of first year cadets was collected for the purposes of the Surveys, though this was not collected in a consistent way each year. For example, in 2004 biographic data was not matched for the responses collected for the two questionnaires, and in 2009 only some pre-YOFT data was collected.
Data extracted from ADFA Attitude Survey Reports 2005-2009[494]
| YOFT Year | Parents from a non-English speaking background | Language other than English as a first language | Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander identification |
| 2005 |
89.3% of cadets did not have a parent from a non-English speaking background.
10.7% had a father and/or mother from a non-English speaking background.
|
Only 4.2% of respondents had a first language other than English. | None |
| 2006 |
Almost 90% of cadets did not have a parent from a non-English speaking background.
11% had either father and/or mother from a non-English speaking background.
|
3% of Cadets had a first language other than English. | Less than 1% (1 of 288) identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. |
| 2007 |
90.4% of Cadets did not have a parent from a non- English speaking background.
9.6% had either their father and/or mother from a non-English speaking background.
|
3.3% of Cadets had a first language other than English. | None |
| 2008 | Approximately 10% of cadets had a parent from a non-English speaking background. | 3.7% of cadets had a first language other than English. | Less than 1% (2 cadets or 0.6%) identified as Aboriginal. |
| 2009 | Approximately 10% of cadets had a father and/or mother from a non-English speaking background. | 5% of cadets had a first language other than English. | 1% (3 cadets) identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. |
In years for which data was available, cadets from overseas militaries had the largest proportion (between 45%-75%) of those with parents from a non-English speaking background, or whose first language was not English, out of all the Services.
ADFA was unable to provide directly comparable data for 2010-11.
[494] DSPPR, Australian Defence Force Academy Attitude Survey 2004 – Summation of Key Findings, DSPPR Brief 4/2004, Department of Defence (2004); DSPPR, Australian Defence Force Academy Attitude Survey 2005 – Main Report, DSPPR Research Report 30/2005, Department of Defence (2005); DSPPR, Australian Defence Force Academy Attitude Survey 2006 – Main Report, DSPPR Research Report 26/2006 Department of Defence (2006); DSPPR, Australian Defence Force Academy Attitude Survey 2007 – Main Report, DSPPR Report 20/2007, Department of Defence (2007); DSPPR, Australian Defence Force Academy Attitude Survey 2008 – Main Report, DSPPR Research Report 43/2008, Department of Defence (2008); DSPPR, Australian Defence Force Academy Attitude Survey 2009 – Main Report, DSPPR Research Report 37/2009 Department of Defence (2009).