Award for hiring reservists a bonus for employer

Being recognised as a leading employer of Defence reservists in Queensland was never front of mind for Paul Boag, Chief Executive Officer of Inloc.

CAPTION: Major Jeff Martin, from No. 51 Far North Queensland Regiment, Paul Boag, Inloc CEO, Sergeant Kym Walker, of No. 51 FNQR and an Inloc employee, and Major Ben Lanskey, of Defence Reserve Support, at the award ceremony. Photo by Lieutenant Nic Hawkins.

“We usually fly under the radar and focus on doing great work in the regions in which we operate, executing mentoring and ranger programs in remote communities in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Papua New Guinea,” Mr Boag said.

The award is perhaps hardly surprising, as Mr Boag was an Australian commando and later served with the 51st Battalion, Far North Queensland Regiment.

Queensland Engagement Manager Defence Reserves Support (DRS) Major Ben Lanskey said Inloc unanimously won the DRS Employer Support Award for the Medium Private Category.

“They appreciate the tangible benefits to business through employing reservists and the advantages of having them bring highly valued skills, discipline and resilience to their workplace,” Major Lanskey said.

The awards recognise civilian employers committed to supporting reservists in their workplace, who go above and beyond for their reservist employees, either over a sustained period or for a special effort to enable the member to complete their Reserve commitments.

The awards are made at the state and territory level before the national level. The categories are small, medium and large private sector, public sector, and not-for-profit.

Inloc works in many remote Indigenous communities, alongside Indigenous ranger groups in the Top End and overseas. They have a number of partners, including the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Mr Boag said his company operated over large expanses of coastline.

“We currently have about 70 rangers in Australia and about 180 in Papua New Guinea – we are growing rapidly and need more,” he said.

“Without Defence reservists, who have been trained to live and operate in these diverse and austere environments, this business and our programs just wouldn’t work. We actively seek Defence people and have a number of opportunities, especially in PNG, and also in Queensland and the Northern Territory.”

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