Commission releases Volume II Report of the Independent Review into Workplace Equality in Ambulance Victoria

Today’s release marks the end of Phase I of the Independent Review into Workplace Equality in Ambulance Victoria. Detailing the Commission’s findings and recommendations with respect to equality, fairness and inclusion, Volume II of the Final Report builds on the earlier findings and recommendations of Volume I, which was published on 30 November 2021 and focused on safety, respect and trust.

The culmination of many months of work, including reviewing 145 written submissions, conducting in-depth interviews with 255 people and hearing from thousands more through surveys, focus groups and observational shifts – the findings and recommendations put forward in both volumes would not have been possible without the contributions of all those who participated.  The Commission remains deeply thankful for the time and energy given by the current and former employees and first responders who courageously came forward, and for the trust that was placed in us.

The volume released today focuses on examining the experience of workers across the employment life-cycle and proposes strategies designed to embed equality into the culture, systems, policies and practices of the organisation so that Ambulance Victoria can become a safer, more equal, fair and inclusive workplace for all.

Our review found that whilst Ambulance Victoria has adopted a range of measures intended to ensure fair and inclusive attraction and recruitment efforts, there are ongoing barriers to progression inside the organisation for women and workers from diverse backgrounds. There is a particular need to increase the representation of women in senior operational and specialist clinical roles and to increase broader diversity across the workforce as a whole.

Similarly, our review found that whilst Ambulance Victoria has trialled new ways of working flexibly, and made some progress in this area, systemic barriers to flexible work remain, particularly for operational staff, and with a disproportionate impact on women and workers with parenting and caring responsibilities. As well, Ambulance Victoria does not have dedicated policies and processes regarding reasonable adjustments for workers with disability, or transition to retirement strategies to ensure respectful and non-discriminatory treatment for older workers.

Our review also found that there are significant opportunities for Ambulance Victoria to strengthen its organisational capability – particularly in terms of management and leadership capabilities – to advance workplace equality; as well as to strengthen systems and processes that will enable ongoing monitoring, oversight and improvement of workplace equality and safety.

The further 19 recommendations contained in this volume outline actions that will break down systemic barriers, address gaps in policies and procedures, and improve individual and organisational capability to deliver, measure and monitor workplace safety and equality outcomes. The recommendations complement those made in Volume I – it is not possible to create an organisation that is safe, respectful and trustworthy, without having a culture of fairness, equality and inclusion.

With this Phase of the Review complete, and all recommendations having been accepted, Ambulance Victoria will now begin work to implement the recommendations in Volume II and continue the implementation it has begun on priority recommendations from Volume I. Over the next 18 months the Commission will remain engaged with Ambulance Victoria, providing expert guidance, support and external scrutiny, before conducting a final public audit in 2023 to assess the organisation’s progress.

Aram Hosie
Head of Strategic Communications
Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission
T: 0447 526 642 | E: aram.hosie@veohrc.vic.gov.au