Victoria Ambulance paramedics allege workplace rape, bullying and sexual assault

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The 520-page report, the first of two, noted: “We have often heard that poor mental health and stress are the result of illegal driving. For some, it meant feelings of dread coming to work and undermining confidence and self-esteem.

“Regarding, for a small group of participants, we heard that their distress was so severe that it led them to attempt suicide. A number of more expressed experiences of suicidal ideation. It cannot continue.

Commissioner Ro Allen said that “for many people the impact of these experiences has been profound”.

He revealed that 348 people said they were still experiencing illegal behavior during the investigation and “this raises serious concerns about the harm suffered by the organization’s employees and first responders.”

“It also raises serious concerns about the potential harm to others in the workplace, especially if the alleged perpetrators are not held to account and are able to continue to perpetrate without consequence. “

The commission learned that extreme distress had produced numerous cases of people diagnosed with mental health problems.

“Participants regularly told us that the discrimination, sexual harassment, victimization and / or bullying they experienced made them consider suicide and / or self-harm. For others, it was because of the way the organization responded.

Commissioner Ro Allen said the damage caused by illegal behavior to the Victoria Ambulance had been “profound”. Credit: Wayne Taylor

“The commission was concerned to learn that the Victoria Ambulance failed to address discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying and victimization as a significant organizational risk until a recent change in approach aligned with the start of this review, ”said the report, overseen by Ms. Allen.

He noted with “great concern” that 33 respondents indicated that they had been pressured or called for sexual or sexual acts and 12 “told us that they had been victims of rape or actual or attempted sexual assault at the time. that they were in Victoria Ambulance ”. Almost one in five (17.4 percent) said they had been the victim of sexual harassment.

A deep lack of confidence in the organization and its processes had obscured the scope of the problems “and undermined the effectiveness of monitoring and risk assessment efforts.”

Ambulance Victoria chief executive Tony Walker said the report was “deeply confronted” and that he would issue a full apology to staff for the damage they suffered on the job. Some may be eligible for financial compensation, others may benefit from a restorative justice process recommended by the commission.

Advanced Resuscitation Paramedic Rasa Piggott wrote to Victoria Ambulance President Ken Lay last year alerting him to widespread illegal behavior in the workplace. She says things haven’t gotten better for many paramedics.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

Mr Walker said the commission was not authorized to release the names of suspected offenders identified by the 2,163 staff members who responded to the commission’s investigation, the 255 who spoke to it or more than 140 who spoke to it. wrote, but he had previously reported two cases of sexual assault to police after learning of allegations.

Other cases of illegal behavior revealed by those who came forward after The Age reported allegations of widespread harassment and intimidation in late 2020 had been referred to the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) .

Victoria Ambulance President Ken Lay described the report as painful and trying. “It laid bare a significant part of the Victoria Ambulance that many might not believe, but it does,” he said in the front.

Mr. Lay told The Age that the report and other data showed it was “really clear that people in the organization, and the systems and processes in the organization have hurt people.” He said some of the pain caused lasted a lifetime.

“It may well mean that we are exposed to civil lawsuits, it will certainly mean that we are going to put in place work that allows people to be heard and to share their pain and that they can be compensated in some way or another for that, “he said.

He said a story told to the commission by a female paramedic who was afraid to sleep in her base dorm, so slept on a sofa in a public space to avoid potential harassment was “frightening”.

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“There are a lot of terrible things in this report, but for me it was the scariest: you have this vision of a paramedic fundamentally scared of falling asleep,” he said.

Not knowing the identity of offenders who may still be part of the organization made action difficult.

“When you talk about sexual assault and rape, these are criminal offenses for which people could go to jail. It annoys me, it worries me, it is awful that we can have people in our paramedics and… in companies committing offenses in this way, ”Mr.

The former Victoria Police Chief called for an investigation after scores of paramedics told The Age about a culture of fear and retaliation, and victimization of those who complained.

Advanced life support paramedic Rasa Piggott wrote an open letter to Mr. Lay detailing discrimination, active abuse and “horrific cases of sexual misconduct.”

Ambulance staff said they experienced or witnessed severe harassment or discrimination, including paramedics being told not to have children if they want their careers to progress, sexual harassment of paramedics by senior executives while ‘They were providing life-saving care and a young first responder was told by her manager as she was driving in a remote area “I could tie you to a tree and rape you”.

While many pointed out that most male paramedics supported gender equality, a ‘boy’s club’ culture entrenched in some pockets of long-standing management had allowed illegal behavior, which several people said had caused him to have thoughts of suicide or to plan how to kill himself. .

The Commission made 24 recommendations detailing changes that could be implemented immediately to “start rebuilding a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace”. At the start of the investigation, Walker said all of his recommendations would be accepted.

If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counseling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114 or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.

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