Call out exercise: Operation Civil Assist 2025

In accordance with the Defence Act 1903, a call out of the Reserves can be made in circumstances such as war or warlike operations, a time of defence emergency, peacekeeping or peace enforcement, assistance to government authorities and agencies, support to community activities, civil aid, humanitarian assistance, medical or civil emergency or disaster relief.

When a call out order is in effect, ALL identified ADF Reserve members are required to report to their ADF Unit and render defence service. 

Operation Civil Assist is conducted annually to exercise Defence preparedness through rehearsal of a call out of the Reserves. 

This means it’s not an official call out, but it is exercised like one!

Operation Civil Assist 2025 will be conducted between 17 and 22 October 2025.

Approximately 125 Reserve members posted to, or serving with, 4^th Brigade’s Domestic Incident Security Force are required to render defence service on this exercise.

Operation Civil Assist 2025 will be conducted between 17 and 22 October 2025.

Reserve members will be notified by their ADF Unit if they are required for Operation Civil Assist 2025 and all identified Reserve members are required to render defence unless an exemption applies.

Exemptions: Reserve members employed in the following Worker Group businesses and organisations are not required to render service on Operation Civil Assist 2025. These include:

• Emergency Services and Law Enforcement Agencies
• Health Professionals
• Australian Border Force officers directly engaged in border protection tasks
• Federal, State and Territory volunteer emergency response organisations (including Disaster Relief Australia volunteers, volunteer fire services, state fire and rescue services, police forces, ambulance services) 
• Civilian emergency repair employees of power, communications and utility companies and
• Humanitarian Assistance organisations.

The nature of Operation Civil Assist, that being a call out exercise, means that Reserve members from these identified Worker Groups may still receive a call to parade however, if this occurs, Reserve members should discuss this immediately with their chain of command and confirm their Worker Group exemption from Operation Civil Assist 2025. 

Additionally, Reserve members who have a need to be excused from Operation Civil Assist 2025 due to irreconcilable circumstances are to submit an Individual exemption request, with a written statement of reasons, to their Commanding Officer. Commanding Officers are to asses each request on a case-by-case basis and submit their recommendation, through the chain of command, to the relevant delegate for consideration.

Nature of defence service: Defence service on Operation Civil Assist 2025 is protected service under the Defence Reserve Service (Protection) Act 2001, and employers are required to release a Reserve member from their civilian employment to render defence service. For more information about the protections that apply, click here.

Defence service on Operation Civil Assist 2025 will be rendered on Reserve Service Days (RSD) and therefore, be subject to normal RSD remuneration.   

Further information for Reserve members is available by downloading our fact sheets:

• Fact Sheet - Q&A's - Employed Reserve members and call out exercises
• Fact Sheet - Q&A's - Self-employed Reserve members and call out exercises
• Fact Sheet - Q&A's - Student Reserve members and call out exercises

Operation Civil Assist 2025 will be conducted between 17 and 22 October 2025.

Reserve members will be notified by their ADF Unit if they are required to render defence service for Operation Civil Assist 2025 and receive a letter, which Reserve members are encouraged to provide to their employer.

The letter will:

• Confirm the employee is a Reserve member required for Operation Civil Assist 2025,
• Provide information about an employers obligations under the Defence Reserve Service (Protection) Act 2001, and
• Provide information about what financial support may be available to employers (i.e. the Employer Support Payment Scheme).

All identified Reserve members are required to render defence unless an exemption applies.

Exemptions: Reserve members employed in the following Worker Group businesses and organisations are not required to render service on Operation Civil Assist 2025. These include:

• Emergency Services and Law Enforcement Agencies
• Health Professionals
• Australian Border Force officers directly engaged in border protection tasks
• Federal, State and Territory volunteer emergency response organisations (including Disaster Relief Australia volunteers, volunteer fire services, state fire and rescue services, police forces, ambulance services) 
• Civilian emergency repair employees of power, communications and utility companies and
• Humanitarian Assistance organisations.

The nature of Operation Civil Assist, that being a call out exercise, means that Reserve members from these identified Worker Groups may still receive a call to parade however, if this occurs, your employee Reserve member should discuss this immediately with their chain of command and confirm their Worker Group exemption from Operation Civil Assist 2025.

Additionally, employers of Reserve members may apply to Defence to have their business or organisation, or a specific employee Reserve member, exempt from the call out exercise.

Employer-initiated exemption requests should be made through the ADF Reserves and Employer Support Directorate, by contacting 1800 DEFENCE.

Nature of defence service: Defence service on Operation Civil Assist 2025 is protected service under the Defence Reserve Service (Protection) Act 2001, and employers are required to release a Reserve member from their civilian employment to render defence service. For more information about the protections that apply, click here.

Financial support: The Employer Support Payment Scheme (ESPS) provides financial assistance to employers of Reserve members and self-employed Reserve members, when the Reserve member is away from their civilian workplace on eligible periods of continuous defence service.

In order to assist with the costs associated with the absence of the employee Reserve member during Operation Civil Assist 2025, the following changes have been made to the ESPS eligibility requirements to increase access to these payments for the call out exercise:

• The minimum period of defence service has been reduced from at least five consecutive days to two consecutive days,
• The minimum three-month employment requirement has been waived, and
• The requirement to provide evidence of your employee’s actual working hours, and salary, has been waived.

For eligible applicants that employ Reserve members in full-time work
(38 hours/week), ESPS support payments are paid the average weekly wage. In FY 2025-26, this is $1,975.80 for full-time employees. Additionally:

• A pro-rata rate may be available to applicants that employ Reserve members in part-time work, including regular casual work, and
• Higher rates may be available for employers of health and scientific practitioners.

For more information about the ESPS, click here.

Further information for employers of Reserve members is available by downloading our fact sheets:

• Fact Sheet - Q&A's - Employers of Reserve members and call out exercises
• Guidance - How to apply for the Employer Support Payment Scheme (ESPS) during call out exercises