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

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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.
• More live-in accommodation for staff on the ADFA/RMC Duntroon grounds is not possible atthis time.• A set of principles ‘addressing women’s security and safety and promoting the betterengagement between staff and cadets in the residential setting’ (as per Recommendation21 c)) has not been developed. Not engaging in this area is particularly concerning giventhat the 2012 Unacceptable Behaviour Survey shows that more unacceptable behaviourwas experienced in the residential domain than any other, and that 45.3% of women and19.8% of men had experienced unacceptable behaviour in the residential domain in the last12 months. 2The Audit’s findings in respect of each recommendation follow.Recommendation 19: As a priority, ADFA instruct an OccupationalHealth and Safety specialist to conduct a risk assessment of theresidential accommodation, including bathrooms, to identify theexistence and level of risk to cadets arising from mixed gender livingarrangements. ADFA should implement the recommended riskminimisation strategies arising from this assessment.Intent of RecommendationThere is a need for further and better assessment of the risks which arise within ADFA’s residentialsetting, particularly for young women. There is also a need to develop and implement appropriate riskmanagement strategies. 3Implementation actionsADFA organised for the AFP to conduct a risk and crime assessment of the ADFA grounds. The tool thatthe AFP used was called the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) strategy. 4The CPTED is described as:a situational crime prevention strategy that focuses on the design, planning and structure ofcities and neighbourhoods. It aims to reduce opportunities for crime by employing design andplace management principles that minimise the likelihood of essential crime ingredients fromintersecting in time and space. 5This strategy employs a pro-forma checklist that examines 100 areas within seven groupings(surveillance, lighting/technical supervision, territorial reinforcement, environmental maintenance, activityand space management, access control, and design, definition and designation of space) and assesseseach as good or bad, then interprets the results through a risk matrix to arrive at a rating. 6The report rated ADFA as a low-moderate crime risk, and its recommendations included the installationof additional lighting and CCTV, and more engagement with police, security and maintenance workers. 7Similar recommendations were made by the Base Security Improvement Project, and work is beingdone on implementing these. 8Audit Report: Review into the Treatment of Women at the Australian Defence Force Academy • 2013 • 81
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ContentsA Message from the Commissi
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A Message from the CommissionerADFA
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Chapter 1:Audit ApproachThe Report
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Chapter 1: Audit ApproachThe Audit
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Chapter 2: Summary of Audit Finding
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Chapter 3: MethodologyQuantitative
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