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Restrictions on females in combat roles will be lifted, according to an announcement by the Department of Defence, which vowed to eliminate the "last" of the sex discrimination for frontline roles in the Australian military.
The change in direction was decided by cabinet on Monday (September 26th) and confirmed on Tuesday by Australian minister for defence Stephen Smith.
He said: "We have an Australian Army that's been going for 110 years, an Australian Navy that's been going formally for 100 years, and an Australian Air Force that's been going for 90 years – and last night we resolved to remove the final restrictions on the capacity of women to serve in frontline combat roles."
Smith added that women are currently excluded from seven per cent of employment opportunities in defence on the basis of sex – including roles such as mine disposal, Air Force defence guards, infantry and artillery combat, divers and other frontline positions.
Over the next five years, a "staged implementation program" will see these restrictions slowly lifted.
According to Warren Snowdon, minister for defence science and personnel, the changes mean that women will now be evaluated on their psychological and physical capacity to do work, rather than their gender.
Calling the change "very, very important", he added that research is now carried out by the Defence, Science and Technology Organisation and the University of Wollongong to establish the new physical employment standards to assess suitability for combat trades.
Snowdon said: "That will make a significant difference in opening up these trades to women and it will mean that in future we may well see women leading, for example, infantry companies."
Smith added that the implementation of the new changes will take time.
"It's important that implementation of this matter be done carefully, methodically and is done to ensure that the appropriate training and other opportunities are available to enable women to take up these positions if they so choose," he said.
Smith pointed out that when the remaining seven per cent of defence roles are opened to women, the Department of Defence's exemption under section 43 of the Sex Discrimination Act will be removed.
The changes will also allow Australia to remove its reservation from the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, he explained.
Women at work across the country may still face sex discrimination when it comes to how much they get paid, according to one leader.
Sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick commented earlier this month that on average, an Australian women makes $0.83 for every dollar a man earns.