The term 'Defence Force' is used extensively in the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988, but is not defined in that Act or in the Acts Interpretation Act 1901. The meaning of the term can, however, be discerned by reference to Part III of the Defence Act 1903, which constitutes the Defence Force:
The Defence Force consists of three arms, namely, the Australian Navy, the Australian Army and the Australian Air Force.
The Defence Force (ADF) comprises:
Members of the Reserves who are in their period of full-time service generally are treated, for compensation purposes, on the same basis as full-time members of the Permanent Forces.
Part V of the Defence Act constitutes the Australian Cadet Corps and specifically provides that a cadet is not a member of the Army (S62(4)) and that an officer or instructor in the Cadet Corps does not become a member of the Army by virtue of that appointment (S62(3)) (although they may be such by virtue of other service). Similar provisions apply to the Naval Reserve Cadets and the Air Training Corps. See the discussion of the Cadet Corps at 71.3 [3].
Links
[1] https://clik.dva.gov.au/user/login?destination=node/19481%23comment-form
[2] https://clik.dva.gov.au/user/login?destination=node/19527%23comment-form
[3] https://clik.dva.gov.au/military-compensation-srca-manuals-and-resources-library/general-handbook/ch-71-reserves/713-cadet-corps