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 22-314 ‘Physical and Recreation Training (P&RT)’, provided to the Audit, 8 February 2013. The Audit is advised that the philosophy ofphysical conditioning at ADFA changed in 2011. This involved a move from the objective of reaching high levels of physicalcondition in the first year at ADFA to a graduated approach in which undergraduates are conditioned over the time spent atADFA so that in their final year they are able to meet the physical requirements after ADFA. This is accompanied by the use ofability based training in which undergraduates work at the same intensity with less regard paid to external measurements. RIT,‘Cultural Change Management at Australian Defence Force Academy’, provided to the Audit by N Miller, 28 September 2012.5 Department of Defence, HLTHMAN, volume 23, ‘Research Protocol Submission for Scientific and Ethical Approval’, provided tothe Audit on 8 February 2013.6 RIT, ‘Brief for Broderick Review Audit – Recommendation 30 and 31: Injury, Health and Wellbeing at ADFA – RFIs 77-87’,provided to the Audit by Dr N Miller, 17 January 2013]. This involves CDRE BJ Kafer emphasising the importance of fitnesslevels in the annual Roadshow.7 Defence Jobs, ‘ADF Active iPhone App’, http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/women/iphone.aspx (viewed 13 May 2013).8 RIT, ‘Brief for Broderick Review Audit – Recommendation 30 and 31: Injury, Health and Wellbeing at ADFA – RFIs 77-87’,provided to the Audit by Dr N Miller, 17 January 2013.9 RIT, ‘Brief for Broderick Review Audit – Recommendation 30 and 31: Injury, Health and Wellbeing at ADFA – RFIs 77-87’,provided to the Audit by Dr N Miller, 17 January 2013.10 RIT, ‘Brief for Broderick Review Audit – Recommendation 30 and 31: Injury, Health and Wellbeing at ADFA – RFIs 77-87’,provided to the Audit by Dr N Miller, 17 January 2013.11 RIT, ‘Brief for Broderick Review Audit – Recommendation 30 and 31: Injury, Health and Wellbeing at ADFA – RFIs 77-87’,provided to the Audit by Dr N Miller, 17 January 2013.12 ADFA, ‘Master 2012 Rehab Stats – as at 18 Apr 12’, provided to the Audit by Dr N Miller, 28 September 2012; ADFA, ‘Master2012 Rehab stats – As at 31 July 2012’, provided to the Audit by Dr N Miller, 28 September 2012.13 ADFA, ‘Master 2012 Rehab Stats – as at 18 Apr 12’, provided to the Audit by Dr N Miller, 28 September 2012; ADFA, ‘Master2012 Rehab stats – As at 31 July 2012’, provided to the Audit by Dr N Miller, 28 September 2012.14 RIT, ‘Broderick Audit Summary Final 280912’, provided to the Audit by Dr N Miller, 28 September 2012.15 SGT Magill, ‘Minute, Rehabilitation of Mech Downgraded Cadets & Midn’, ADFA/OUT/2012/304, provided to the Audit byDr N Miller, 28 September 2012.16 RIT, ‘Brief for Broderick Review Audit – Recommendation 30 and 31: Injury, Health and Wellbeing at ADFA – RFIs 77-87’,provided to the Audit by Dr N Miller, 17 January 2013.17 Focus group U1, Mixed Service 2nd year undergraduate male and female, 17 October 2012.18 Focus group U7, Mixed Service undergraduate female, 17 October 2012.19 Interview 32, Army staff male, 16 October 2012.20 This is done through the ADFA ‘Roadshow’. A video to demonstrate the requirements had been planned however was cancelleddue to low priority. The basis for this strategy is ADFA’s finding that individuals with fitness levels below that required to passthe ADFA basic fitness test are at a high risk of sustaining a gradual onset injury. In combination with the finding that gradualonset injuries make up a high proportion of injuries at ADFA, this strategy is intended to address one of the causes of suchinjuries. This approach is summarised in an internal ADFA email as ‘in short, arrive fit and healthy.’ Email correspondencebetween LCDR B Butler and Dr N Miller, 19 July 2012, provided to the Audit 28 September 2012; Dr N Miller, email to the Audit,12 February 2012.21 Defence Jobs, ‘ADF Active IPhone App’, http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/women/iphone.aspx (viewed 13 May 2013).22 Another example of a targeted response was provided to the Audit, a Report on Defective or Unsatisfactory Material (RODUM).This aims to address the dangers of undergraduates with shorter back lengths carrying the standard Field Pack. As notedin the RODUM, ‘100% of these members are female.’ While a solution has not been found yet, ‘in the meantime, a speciallypurchased smaller pack (not service issue) is currently being trialled.’ Department of Defence, submitted by W Frazer, ‘Reporton Defective or Unsatisfactory Material- Land (RODUM), provided to the Audit by Dr N Miller, 28 September 2012.23 RIT, ‘Brief for Broderick Review Audit – Recommendation 30 and 31: Injury, Health and Wellbeing at ADFA – RFIs 77-87’,provided to the Audit by Dr N Miller, 17 January 2013; RIT, ‘Broderick Ph1 Review Implementation Progress Spreadsheet’,provided to the Audit by Dr N Miller, 28 September 2012.24 In addition to the rehabilitation and remedial programs, the injury brief comments that a key intervention resulting from thisanalysis is to screen undergraduates to determine whether they can demonstrate the required levels of fitness and ability toparticipate in sporting activities. The basis for this strategy is that ‘the majority of injuries incurred by female midshipmen andofficer cadets are gradual onset and sporting injuries.’ Further, in 2013 the competitive rugby for females is to be restricted suchthat they will not compete against teams in the wider community. While these mechanisms do address a major cause of injuryfor female undergraduates, the Audit has concerns about the overall impact of this on females at ADFA, particularly given theimportance of these activities to ADFA life and the mentoring opportunities that the sporting teams offer. RIT, ‘Brief for BroderickReview Audit – Recommendation 30 and 31: Injury, Health and Wellbeing at ADFA – RFIs 77-87’, provided to the Audit byDr N Miller, 17 January 2013.25 The injury brief states that ‘there are few, if any, comparable residential settings” and then addressed RMC as the applicablesetting.’ RIT, ‘Brief for Broderick Review Audit – Recommendation 30 and 31: Injury, Health and Wellbeing at ADFA – RFIs77‐87’, provided to the Audit by Dr N Miller, 17 January 2013.26 For example, the following is listed as a key action in another document ‘check best practice in comparable residential settings(e.g. RMC, Cerberus, Creswell).’ This document contains both Cerberus and Creswell however the Audit has not been providedwith any evidence of reference to best practice in these other settings.126