Conscription, compulsory military service for young men, has been a contentious issue throughout Australia's history. The Defence Act 1903 was one of the first pieces of legislation passed by the new Commonwealth government, and it gave the government the power to conscript for the purposes of home defence.
The Size of the Defence Force and Army How Can Conscription be Introduced? Regular Army Capacity: the Training Load The need to deploy a substantial force to East Timor has placed unanticipated stresses on the Australian Regular Army.