Review into the treatment of women at the Australian Defence Force ...

Chapter 10: Minimising Risk, Managing Incidents and Ensuring the Safety of the Workplace – Recommendations 22-31Implementation actionsADFA suggested to the Audit that it could meet the intent of this Recommendation by utilising andpromoting current ADF hotlines offering 24 hour support and advice. 1ADFA has compiled lists of contact numbers, and produced posters and business cards containingthis information. 2 Contacts listed on these resources include the ADF All-Hours Support Line (a mentalhealth triage service), emergency services numbers (i.e. Police, Fire and Ambulance), and contacts foralcohol and drug services, domestic violence support, gambling help, men’s health, women’s health,mental health, the Defence Whistleblower Scheme, and relationship support.The posters were placed in ADFA training and accommodation areas, and the cards were distributed toall undergraduates. 3 An electronic copy of the poster will also be displayed on the ADFA intranet. 4Audit findingsThe emergency contact numbers list is a welcome development and a resource that the Auditimagines will be very useful to many undergraduates. Although it does not meet the full intent ofRecommendation 24, the landscape in this area has changed with the creation of SeMPRO, and theintent could be met by ADFA’s utilisation of SeMPRO’s resources.Recommendation 24 sought to create a triage-style service that could advise undergraduates, staff,families and sponsor families about the best way to deal with their particular complaint.Undergraduates demonstrated good awareness of the new resources:‘[The card has] got all the numbers on it that I could possibly want and then on the other side I’vejust written my DOs number and my POs number.’ 5‘There’s a big poster in our Division with the whole list of numbers.’ 6Reactions to the contacts poster and card were generally positive, however some undergraduates notedthat there was no central contact or triage-style service. One undergraduate told the Audit that:there’s a massive poster on our wall, but it’s mainly stuff like a sexual harassment hotline or asuicide hotline. But there’s no ‘if you’re having problems at ADFA call this number’. You’d get alot of very good phone calls [to such a line] because it’s hard to go to your chain of commandwith everything. 7ADFA should consider improving or expanding complaints training to draw upon the relationships thatADFA is developing with each of the organisations listed on its contact resources. 8 ADFA should alsoreview and evaluate the contacts to gauge their usefulness and appropriateness to undergraduates, andupdate the list as required.When SeMPRO is operational in mid-2013, it should be added to the list and undergraduates should bebriefed about its role. It is critical that ADFA facilitate strong linkages between its SOSP Network andSeMPRO, and widely advertise SeMPRO and its functions, including its support line. This will go a longway to meeting the intent of Recommendation 24.102