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

Chapter 9: Accommodation and Supervision – Recommendations 19-21the whole idea. So most people, they’re not intrusive, you don’t know they’re there. Most peoplejust ignore them. But it is good that they are there.’ 39In the Audit’s focus groups and interviews, ambivalent responses to the RSO scheme were more likelyto come from male undergraduates, however positive feedback about RSOs came from both womenand men.Some undergraduates spoke positively of the scheme in general, while stating that getting volunteerswould continue to be difficult on account of an ‘ADFA fatigue’. One undergraduate suggested that afterspending three years in divisional accommodation, most undergraduates would be ready to move on:‘Why would you be an RSO when you could have your own house and kitchen and drinks whileyou study?’ 40Another common belief was that further work was needed in order to achieve what the schemeintended. One staff member said that ‘I don’t think it’s fully there yet. Some of the problems they hadare because it’s a volunteer system, so you may not always be getting the best individuals to do it.’ 41A current undergraduate said that ‘for it to work as a system it needs to be a lot more clearly laid out, onwhat their roles are, and to prove they are within the Academy.’ 42 Another undergraduate spoke of theneed for greater understanding of the role the RSOs occupied, noting that ‘it took a long while for thefirst years to be comfortable to talk to her, just because of the rank.’ 43Staff confirmed that there have been challenges organising payments and meeting expectations, andthe 2012 RSOs admitted shock about duty statements, and issues with pay, entitlements, and theirrelationships with some staff. 44 However, the RSOs also believed that ADFA’s leadership dealt with theirconcerns in good faith, and unanimously reported that they would recommend the scheme to others.The Audit is also aware of a number of incidents where RSOs provided important front line advice andsupport to undergraduates.Recommendation 21: The ADFA Redevelopment Project Committee:a) investigate options for suitable residential accommodation forDivisional staff within the ADFA precinctb) investigate options for spaces within the residential settingwhich allow for better interaction between cadets andacademic, medical, support and Divisional staffc) develop a set of principles addressing women’s security andsafety and promoting the better engagement between staffand cadets in the residential setting. These principles shouldunderpin the future master plan.86