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

Chapter 9:Accommodation andSupervisionRecommendations 19-2180Key findings of Review• High profile incidents that occurred in the residential accommodation made accommodationand supervision an area of particular concern to the Review.• Well supervised residential settings can significantly minimise the risk of unacceptablebehaviour.• The residential setting at ADFA is a complex place, encompassing home, place of study andplace of work for undergraduates.• Inadequate supervision of cadets had given rise to situations where policies and processesaimed at fostering gender equality and respectful relationships were disregarded.• The 2011 Unacceptable Behaviour (UB) survey found that a high percentage ofundergraduates (74% of women, 30% of men) had experienced behaviour they foundunacceptable in the previous year. 1 The 2011 survey did not ask about where the behaviouroccurred, however anecdotal evidence and incident reports suggest that much occurred atADFA.• The Review made three recommendations about accommodation and supervision, includingconducting an OH&S risk assessment of the live-in accommodation, establishing a residentialadvisors scheme, and investigating options for greater interaction and safety precautions inthe accommodation.In summary, the findings of the Audit indicate that:• The broad crime assessment of the ADFA grounds conducted in response to the Review,while not without merit, does not in isolation address the intent of Recommendation 19.• The establishment of a Residential Support Officers (RSO) scheme has been a success,however issues of attraction and resources have threatened the scheme’s continuedexistence.