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

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Chapter 6: Equity and Diversity – Recommendations 6-10• Demonstrate, through their behaviour, a commitment to ensuring that everyone who worksand lives in the ADFA precinct is treated fairly, with respect and dignity, and their contributionsare recognised and valued.According to information provided to the Audit, the statement has been widely disseminated via:• Posters placed in the work and residential areas at ADFA• A statement on the undergraduate intranet• COMDT address to staff in 2012• COMDT address to all undergraduate squadrons in 2012• Inclusion in the 2013 YOFT and staff induction programs• Incorporation in equity and diversity training packages. 2Audit findingsThe Equity and Diversity Policy Statement developed by ADFA is a thoughtful document that addressesdiversity and its benefits to ADFA. It does not focus on gender equality, but includes gender as one ofthe areas of diversity that are fundamental to success. This is understandable insofar as the statement ispart of ADFA’s equity and diversity package, which covers more than gender. This does, however, meanthat there is not a stand-alone statement about gender inclusion.The statement makes reference to areas a), b) and c) as per Recommendation 6 within its broadfocus on diversity. It notes that people of ‘different backgrounds, ages, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, lifeexperiences, family responsibilities and religious beliefs’ work at ADFA and are central to successfuloperations and sustainability; it outlines expectations of those working at ADFA, and; it specifically notesthat sexual harassment, abuse and discrimination will not be condoned at ADFA.The statement has been circulated widely at ADFA and incorporated into equity and diversity trainingprograms. Undergraduates confirm an awareness of the new statement. 3Recommendation 7: ADFA teach equity and diversity separately fromcomplaints procedures.Intent of RecommendationFollowing on from the above Recommendation, the aim of this Recommendation was to ‘de-couple’equity and diversity from punitive complaints processes, and develop the idea that equity and diversityis a positive concept in itself.Implementation actionsADFA has taken steps to amend equity and diversity training and has developed an equity and diversitytraining continuum through which undergraduates move during their time at ADFA. 436
All undergraduates receive standard mandatory training sessions. 5 The sessions provide a gradualapproach to equity and diversity training, addressing different parts of the program after undergraduatesmove to second and third years. 6 These sessions are provided under the Course Learning Outcome(CLO) ‘Apply ADF E&D Principles.’ First year undergraduates receive the following training sessions:• Understand Types of Unacceptable Behaviour (as part of YOFT)• Understand Sexual Offences & Sexual Offence Support Network (as part of YOFT)• Dispute Resolution Options – Self Resolution• Understand the Equity Adviser Network.Second year undergraduates receive one presentation in session one, and another in session two.These include:• Understand the Complaint Management Process• Equity and Its Strategic Focus in Defence.Third year undergraduates receive one session, the Equity Workshop for Commanders, Managers andSupervisors. 7The Audit has been advised that complaints management is taught separately as part of the MilitaryLaw package however no documents have been provided in this regard. 8 Lastly, compulsory equity anddiversity training has undergone a name change and is now known as Workplace Behaviours. 9Audit findingsThe amendments to the ADFA equity and diversity training involve partial separation of equity anddiversity training and complaints procedures. In some instances the training has been separated,however, in many cases the training is still intertwined and at a broader structural level the concepts arestill connected. The Audit has been advised that:equity and diversity training does include information on where and how to make a complaintwhen equity and diversity principles have been breached. 10Further, complaints training remains part of the Course Learning Outcome ‘Apply E&D Principles.’ 11The training for first year undergraduates is comprised of the mandatory training and four additionalsessions. Each of the four sessions substantially combines unacceptable behaviour and complaints withequity and diversity principles. 12 This makes it difficult to separate the concepts.The two lessons in the second year program provide a better example of the separation of the training.The first deals with complaints and the second focuses on the importance of equity and diversity. Theaim of the latter presentation is ‘to understand that E&D has a strategic, operational and tactic[al] focusand to realise the impact of unacceptable behaviour.’ 13 This session frames equity and diversity as apositive contributor to defence culture, and undergraduates are encouraged to consider the purpose ofthe equity and diversity policy.However, even in this session the focus is on unacceptable behaviour, which maintains the nexusbetween equity and diversity and complaints. An examination of the harmful effects of breaches ofequity and diversity is important and warranted, however this should be taught separately to ensure thepositive notions of equity and diversity are not diluted.Audit Report: Review into the Treatment of Women at the Australian Defence Force Academy • 2013 • 37
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