Reserve call outs

At the request of Government, the Governor-General of Australia may issue a call out order to some or all of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Reserves for defence service.

A call out order is made under section 28 of the Defence Act 1903, and all identified reserve members are required to report to their ADF Unit and render defence service.

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

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

Operation Civil Assist 2026 will run from 18 to 20 September.

Up to 2,500 reserve members are anticipated to be involved.

Reserve members will be notified by their unit if they are required for Operation Civil Assist 2026 and members are required to serve unless an exemption applies. 

Exemptions: Reserve members employed in the following worker group categories and/or organisations are not required to render service on Operation Civil Assist 2026. These include members engaged in emergency services including:

• volunteer fire fighters
• state fire and rescue services
• police forces
• ambulance services
• emergency repair employees of power and communications companies, and
• ancillary services, such as the Red Cross.

Reserve members employed by an exempt worker group category and/or organisation should notify their unit as soon as possible.

Nature of defence service: Defence service is protected service under the Defence Reserve Service (Protection) Act 2001 (the DRS(P) Act), and employers are required to release reserve members from their civilian employment to render defence service. For more information about the protections that apply, click here.

Defence service on Operation Civil Assist 2026 is rendered on reserve service days (RSD) and subject to standard RSD remuneration.   

Further information for reserve members is available here:

• FAQs – Call out of the ADF Reserves (reserve members)
• Fact Sheet – Call out exercise – Employed reserve members and employers information
• Fact Sheet – Call out exercise – Self-employed reserve member information
• Fact Sheet – Call out exercise – Student reserve members and educational institution information
• Reserve service protection

Reserve members will be notified by their unit if they are required for Operation Civil Assist 2026 and receive a letter, which they are encouraged to provide to their employer. The letter will:

• Confirm the reserve member is required for Operation Civil Assist 2026,
• Provide information about employer obligations under the Defence Reserve Service (Protection) Act 2001 (the DRS(P) Act), and
• Provide information about the Employer Support Payment Scheme.

All identified reserve members are required to serve unless an exemption applies.

Exemptions: Reserve members employed in the following worker group categories and/or organisations are not required to render service on Operation Civil Assist 2026. These include members engaged in emergency services including:

• volunteer fire fighters
• state fire and rescue services
• police forces
• ambulance services
• emergency repair employees of power and communications companies, and
• ancillary services, such as the Red Cross.

Reserve members employed by an exempt worker group category and/or organisation should notify their unit as soon as possible.

Nature of defence service: Defence service is a protected activity under the DRS(P) Act, and employers are required to release reserve members from their civilian employment to render defence service.

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

To support participation in Operation Civil Assist 2026, the Chief of the Defence Force has modified some of the standard ESPS eligibility requirements by:

For all applicants:

• reducing the minimum period of continuous defence service from five-days to two-days

For employer applicants:

• setting aside the three-month employment requirement, and
• waiving the requirement to provide evidence of your employee’s actual working hours and salary
  

For self-employed member applicants:

• setting aside the requirement to nominate a 12-month assessment period
• accepting the Principal Source of Income provisions have been met, and
• waiving some of the evidentiary requirements.
  

After the call out exercise, eligibility requirements for the ESPS will revert to those specified in Defence (Employer Support Payment Scheme) Determination 2023.  

For eligible applicants that employ reserve members in full-time work, ESPS support payments are paid at the average weekly wage. In FY 2026/27, this is $2,051.10 per week. Additionally:

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

Further information for employers of reserve members is available here:

• FAQs – Call out of the ADF Reserves (employers and educational institutions)
• Fact Sheet – Call out exercise – Employed reserve members and employers information
• Fact Sheet – Call out exercise – Self-employed reserve member information
• Fact Sheet – Call out exercise – Applying for the Employer Support Payment Scheme (ESPS)
• Employer Support Payment Scheme
• Reserve Service Protection