Ambulance Victoria review – Update 13 (30 November 2021)

30 November 2021

The Commission has this morning released Volume I of the final report of the Independent review into workplace equality at Ambulance Victoria. The report can now be accessed online, together with a video from Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner Ro Allen.

The Commission engaged widely and deeply during Phase 1 of the review. This included with current and former employees and first responders of Ambulance Victoria, as well as experts and critical partners, like the unions and professional associations and the Department of Health. The experiences and views shared with us have shaped the findings and recommendations in Volume I and we are grateful to each individual who took the time to engage with us. This is your report.

What are the key findings?

Preventing unlawful and harmful workplace conduct

The Commission’s report finds that AV has implemented a range of measures that aim to provide the organisation’s workforce with a safe working environment; many of these measures support the organisation’s progress towards compliance with the Equal Opportunity Act. However, AV’s approach to preventing discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying and victimisation is still maturing and it is not complying fully with the positive duty in the Act.

As a result, the organisation’s preventative measures are not having their intended or maximum effect, evidenced by the reported extent of the conduct, among other things. For example, 47.2% of survey respondents reported experiencing discrimination, 17.4% reported experiencing sexual harassment, 52.4% reported experiencing bullying and 34.5% reporting experiencing victimisation. Reports of incivility and other everyday forms of disrespect and everyday sexism were also common.

For some, the impacts of this conduct have been profound. We commonly heard that mental ill-health and stress followed unlawful conduct. For some participants, the impact of their experiences was compounded by poor organisational responses. As one participant shared in their written submission:

Who would’ve guessed the most traumatic thing I’ve experienced and witnessed as a [P]aramedic was workplace behaviour?

The Commission has identified steps that AV can take to reckon with these past failings and prevent unlawful conduct from occurring going forward. The path forward is an improved, holistic approach to prevention that begins by restoring trust with the workforce and addresses both the compliance gaps and identified drivers of the unlawful conduct.

Responding to reports and complaints of unlawful and harmful workplace conduct

In recent years, AV has taken important steps to improve the organisation’s report and complaint system. These changes have modernised the system and provided greater consistency and there has been an increasing focus on wellbeing and support. These are all important steps that have provided a greater alignment towards victim-centred approaches to handling reports and complaints of unlawful conduct.

Notwithstanding these important steps, the Commission finds that few have made formal complaints of discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying and victimisation within AV, despite the large number of people who reported experiencing or being a bystander to this conduct. In addition, we find that individuals who have made complaints overwhelmingly report low levels of satisfaction with the process.

The low rate of formal reporting of unlawful conduct, among other things, is limiting AV’s ability to identify and hold alleged perpetrators to account. It is also obscuring from view the scale of unlawful conduct across the organisation and affecting the organisation’s understanding of the measures needed to prevent this conduct from occurring.

Going forward, Ambulance Victoria needs to prioritise measures that will create a safer environment to encourage staff to come forward with reports or complaints.

What recommendations do we make?

Our report sets out 24 recommendations to address priority safety issues and lay the foundations for longer-term reform. Some of the key recommendations include:

• establishing an independent restorative engagement scheme
• adopting a new set of organisational values
• developing a comprehensive prevention plan
• establishing a new organisational model for responding to reports and complaints
• introducing anonymous reporting pathways
• undertaking a security audit of isolated work environments
• embedding a more structured approach to encouraging bystander action.

The recommendations in Volume II, to be released in March 2022, will focus on a new approach to developing organisational leaders and to developing capability related to people management and dealing with unlawful and harmful workplace conduct. It will consider how to ensure greater diversity among the organisation’s leadership, particularly in operational roles, and a new service delivery model that better supports managers/supervisors to foster a safe, equal and inclusive workplace culture and workplace flexibility. It will also equip the Board with tools to strengthen its oversight of these issues.

Ambulance Victoria has accepted all recommendations.

What happens next?

AV will now begin work to implement the recommendations in Volume I. This task will expand to include the additional recommendations in Volume II from March 2022.

The Commission will remain engaged with AV to provide ongoing guidance, support and external scrutiny as it implements our recommendations. We will then conduct a formal audit of Ambulance Victoria’s implementation and report publicly on our findings and any further recommendations in late 2023.

Where can I go if I need help?

The Commission acknowledges that the material in this report can make for difficult reading and may cause distress. Appendix A of the report identifies a range of support services that are available for those who need it.

If you wish to make enquire about, or make a formal complaint of, sex discrimination or sexual harassment, you can also contact the Commission.

Call 1300 292 153 or (03) 9032 3583

For hearing impaired (TTY) call 1300 289 621

Visit humanrights.vic.gov.au/

 

Thank you

Finally, we wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge your contribution to the review. As the Commissioner notes in the report, everyone who has participated in the review, particularly those of you who have recounted experiencing or witnessing workplace harm, have shown real bravery.

Your courage, insights and reflections have helped chart a course for AV to acknowledge, learn from and redress past harms and take meaningful action to create a safer future for everyone who works at Ambulance Victoria.