Ms Jo McCarthy:

The answer to Senator O'Reilly's question is "No". I do not think it would damage any volunteer dimension at all. None of us is in this organisation to make money, I can assure the Senator. With 20 years' service and the amount of mileage and the amount of equipment you buy, it does not equate, so absolutely not.

As for the reason people are in the Reserve, they get to experience something that many other people do not. They have a sense of camaraderie that you do not get in any other industry. They gain experience of the Defence Forces. As Mr. Gargan said, we operate under military law. We take part in some robust training. That is an incredible experience as well. Also, reservists see their time in the Reserve as an investment in their personal careers. They are trained up in presentation skills, leadership and communication. Take a young person coming in at 18 and going into college and, hopefully, getting a job after two or three years of college. They are already junior managers. They are already trained. They can already work with initiative. Those are my thoughts on that.