Recommendation 40: Updating and strengthening governance documents

In Safe Fair Inclusive: Your AV Roadmap 2022-2027 – AV’s official response to the Independent review into workplace equality in Ambulance Victoria – individual members of the Executive Committee shared commitments to a safe, fair and inclusive workplace where AV’s workforce feels respected and valued. In addition, the Board committed to:

1. Oversee the necessary transformation to ensure our people can share their views and experiences safely, and to rebuild trust and confidence in the organisation to create and maintain a safe, fair and inclusive place to work and volunteer.
2. Lead and champion a culture of diversity, equality and inclusion built on foundations of safety and respect.
3. Bring the Ambulance Victoria values developed by our people to life in Board decision making and model the behaviours we expect of others, including checking our own conscious and unconscious bias.
4. Hold the CEO and Executive Committee to account in:
   • identifying and addressing behaviour that is inconsistent with a safe, fair and inclusive workplace
   • working with our people to develop and drive the transformation needed to create a safe, fair and inclusive workplace.
5. Seek and welcome feedback to understand and continuously enhance the impact of the Board’s leadership.

These commitments underpin AV’s Strategic Plan 2023-2028 and Annual Plan 2023-24.

In addition, AV has systemically reviewed and updated core corporate governance frameworks and policies to include explicit, consistent, and strong statements of commitment to workplace equality and safety, in line with Recommendation 40.

This includes the Board governance policy, bylaws and financial delegation instrument. It also includes the terms of reference for each of the Board’s sub-committees and AV’s Executive Committee.

AV continues to reiterate its commitment to a safe, fair and inclusive organisation through our publications, including our annual reports from FY22. Our progress in delivering on this commitment is detailed in our public recommendation tracker, in line with our commitment to radical transparency.

• AV’s Board is committed to overseeing the implementation of the recommendations made by the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission in its Independent review into workplace equality in Ambulance Victoria. The review provides the pathway to transform AV’s culture.
• The Board established an Equality & Workplace Reform Committee to support its governance by providing regular and detailed oversight of the implementation of the recommendations of the review. The Committee’s role is to ensure that AV is taking appropriate and timely action to implement the recommendations and to ensure a safe, fair and inclusive organisation. As this work is fundamental to the best interests of AV’s workforce and patients, the Committee works collaboratively and in alignment with all other committees of the Board, particularly the People & Culture and Quality & Safety committees. There is also a clear understanding that the creation and work of the Committee does not absolve the Board of its responsibility to oversee the review, to understand its impact across the organisation, and to ensure its full implementation.
• Other committees of the Board have reviewed their Terms of Reference in light of the establishment of the Committee and considered how they might integrate and reflect their role and responsibilities in relation to the creation a safe, fair and inclusive AV.
• The Your AV roadmap, released on 28 July 2022, includes statements of commitment to the creation of a safe, fair and inclusive organisation from the Board, the Chief Executive and each member of the Executive Committee. The Board continues to explore this commitment as part of engaging in regular reflective practice workshops, in line with the recommendations of the Commission.

• On 28 July 2022, AV will release Safe Fair Inclusive: Your AV Roadmap 2022-27 – our official response to the final report of the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission and our roadmap for the future. The roadmap includes statements of commitment to the creation of a safe, fair and inclusive organisation from the Board, the CEO and each member of the Executive Committee.
• AV has begun initial work to identify key governance documents that should be amended to ensure strong statements of commitment to creating a safe, fair and inclusive organisation, aligned with each of these statements.