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Recommendation 4: Communicating regularly and proactively about prevention

The recommendation

Ambulance Victoria should develop a schedule of opportunities to regularly and proactively:

  1. reiterate its commitment to building and maintaining a safe working environment, free from discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying and victimisation
  2. reiterate that discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying and victimisation are unlawful under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) and related laws and contrary to the organisation’s values and expected standards of conduct
  3. improve awareness and understanding of its comprehensive prevention plan, as well as the available reporting, complaint and support pathways for employees and first responders.

What we are doing

  • Develop, share and implement schedule of opportunities to reiterate commitment to create a safe, fair and inclusive Ambulance Victoria, reiterate appropriate behaviours and improve awareness and understanding of the prevention plan, the report and complaint system and support pathways

Where we are up to

15/09/2022

  • On 28 July 2022, AV reinforced our commitment to a safe, fair and inclusive organisation through Safe Fair Inclusive: Your AV Roadmap 2022-27 – our official response to the Commission’s final report and AV’s roadmap to create a safe, fair and inclusive organisation. Importantly, the roadmap includes a statement of commitment from AV’s Board of Directors to a safe, fair and inclusive workplace where all our people feel respected and valued. It also includes statements of commitment from individual members of the Executive Committee and the Equality & Workplace Reform Staff Reference Group.
  • Following the examples in the roadmap, various managers and teams across AV have shown leadership in creating their own statements of commitment to a safe, fair and inclusive organisation.
  • AV is regularly using opportunities to reiterate its commitment to a safe, fair and inclusive organisation, including through regular updates from the CEO and the Executive Director, Equality & Workplace Reform, monthly communiques arising from meetings of the Equality & Workplace Reform Steering Committee and the Staff Reference Group, communication activities on recognised days of significance, all staff and volunteer forums, and internal platforms like Workplace where employees and first responders can contribute their views and experiences.
  • AV is in the process of developing and consulting on a new schedule of significant events to ensure greater utilisation of opportunities to reiterate our commitment to a safe, fair and inclusive workplace. AV is also finalising an Acknowledgement of Country, to include on our public website, that recognises the Traditional Owners of the lands within Victoria.
  • AV is currently finalising the content for its Upstander training, which aims to encourage people to speak up against discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying and victimisation. Initially, to be rolled out in late 2022 through to mid-2023, the training supports employees and leaders to develop a common understanding of a safe, fair and inclusive workplace and provides tools to support them to create and maintain such workplaces.
  • In September 2022, AV commenced initial planning and scoping of its prevention plan. Once finalised, AV will take steps to promote the prevention plan widely.
  • AV has commenced work to reform its report and complaint system. Once finalised, AV will take steps to promote the available reporting, complaint and support pathways for employees and first responders.

29/07/2022

  • AV is regularly using opportunities to reiterate its commitment to a safe, fair and inclusive organisation, including through regular updates from the CEO and the Executive Director, Equality & Workplace Reform, monthly communiques arising from meetings of the Equality & Workplace Reform Steering Committee and the Staff Reference Group, communication activities on recognised days of significance, all staff and volunteer forums, and forums like ‘Workplace’ where employees and first responders can contribute their views and experiences.
  • On 28 July 2022, AV reinforced our commitment to a safe, fair and inclusive organisation through Safe Fair Inclusive: Your AV Roadmap 2022-27 – our official response to the Commission’s final report and AV’s roadmap to create a safe, fair and inclusive organisation. Among other things, the roadmap describes our vision for a safe, fair and inclusive organisation, the case for change, our priorities for action and the sequencing of work to achieve this vision, and the governance framework to ensure effective delivery of the reforms.
  • AV will update its existing schedule of significant events to ensure greater utilisation of opportunities to reiterate our commitment to a safe, fair and inclusive workplace and promote the prevention plan (to be developed) once new staff are recruited.

Timeframe

FY24 Q2

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