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Politics · Asia Pacific

Review finds harassment and racism at Westpac Rescue but gives service a pass mark

A Westpac Rescue-commissioned review found no toxic culture, although 20 per cent of employees experienced or witnessed sexual harassment and hostile conduct affected patient care. The NSW parliamentary inquiry and NSW Ambulance requested the full report as scrutiny of the service grows.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 2 independent reports from 3 outlets · Article text read from 1 of 2 reportsHow it's made

View timeline · 6 entries
3 outletsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: Center OnlyL 0 · C 3 · R 0
Updat3 graphic: Asia Pacific
Updat3 graphic · Map data: Natural Earth Natural Earth (public domain)

What happened

Key facts

  • The review concluded that Westpac Rescue did not have a toxic culture (per The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age).
  • King & Wood Mallesons partner Cilla Robinson said the review gave Westpac Rescue an overall “pass mark.” (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
  • The review found that 20 per cent of employees had experienced or witnessed sexual harassment (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
  • The review found that hostile behaviour by colleagues affected patient care (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
  • The review identified systemic issues that could allow unlawful conduct to persist (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
  • Westpac Rescue’s board received the full report in June, and the service released a 33-page summary on Tuesday (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
  • The review found that Westpac Rescue maintained high standards and was a “positive and respectful workplace.” (per The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age).

The brief

A review commissioned by Westpac Rescue found sexual harassment, racist material at fundraising events and colleague behaviour that affected patient care, yet concluded the service did not have a toxic culture. King & Wood Mallesons partner Cilla Robinson described the overall result as a “pass mark,” according to The Sydney Morning Herald. The review found that 20 per cent of employees had experienced or witnessed sexual harassment. It also identified systemic issues that could allow unlawful conduct to persist. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the review nevertheless characterized Westpac Rescue as maintaining high standards and being a “positive and respectful workplace.”

King & Wood Mallesons conducted interviews with 100 current and former employees. The firm did not interview staff who had signed non-disclosure agreements, the newspaper reported. That qualification is relevant to the scope of the review’s interviews; the article does not state how many employees were excluded on that basis. The board of Westpac Rescue received the full report in June. The service released a 33-page summary on Tuesday, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. The summary was redacted, the newspaper said, and its account describes the review as internal. The review followed allegations by a dozen whistleblowers reported by The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes. Those whistleblowers accused the service of creating a culture of fear and endangering staff health and safety. They also alleged that Westpac Rescue ignored sexual harassment, backdated training certificates, put patients at risk and used non-disclosure agreements to silence dissent. These are allegations attributed to the whistleblowers, not findings listed as established by the review in the article. The Age’s headline likewise says the review cleared Westpac Rescue of a toxic culture despite findings on sexual harassment and racism. ABC Australia’s headline emphasizes the “pass mark” alongside workplace concerns. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the NSW parliamentary inquiry and NSW Ambulance requested the full report as scrutiny of the service grew. The account does not specify whether either received it.

Why it matters

  • Westpac Rescue employees are directly implicated by the finding that 20 per cent had experienced or witnessed sexual harassment.
  • The review found that hostile behaviour by colleagues affected patient care, linking workplace conduct to care provided by the service.
  • The review both concluded there was no toxic culture and identified systemic issues that could allow unlawful conduct to persist.
  • Interviews covered 100 current and former employees, while staff who had signed non-disclosure agreements were not interviewed.

What to watch next

  • Whether the NSW parliamentary inquiry receives the full report it requested.
  • Whether NSW Ambulance receives the full report it requested.
  • Whether Westpac Rescue or King & Wood Mallesons provides further details about the systemic issues identified in the review.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
3 source articles · 3 unique outlets · 2 distinct reports
Outlet political mix: Center Only· 3 Center
Where the outlets are based: Asia 100%
Outlet political mix
Center Only
Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
3 outlets
0 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
3 unique outletsDominant coverage: Asia
Coverage imbalance
  • Coverage is currently concentrated among Center-rated outlets (3 of 3 rated sources); comparatively few Left or Right-rated outlets have published on the event.
  • Coverage is currently concentrated among outlets based in Asia (3 of 3 geographically-identified sources).
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

Updat3 does not yet have enough full reports to compare how outlets framed this story.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service began in 1975 as the Tamworth Helicopter Rescue Service, founded by local businessman and helicopter pilot John Robinson.
    Background · from our historical context
  2. Australia enacted the Racial Discrimination Act, making racial discrimination unlawful under federal law.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. New South Wales enacted the Anti-Discrimination Act, prohibiting discrimination on grounds including race and sex.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. Australia enacted the Sex Discrimination Act, prohibiting sex discrimination and sexual harassment in specified areas, including employment.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  5. The Australian Human Rights Commission published its Respect@Work report on sexual harassment in Australian workplaces.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. The federal government enacted the Sex Discrimination and Fair Work (Respect at Work) Amendment Act.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3

How we got here

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service began in 1975 as the Tamworth Helicopter Rescue Service, founded by local businessman and helicopter pilot John Robinson. The Racial Discrimination Act 1975 made racial discrimination unlawful under federal law. New South Wales passed the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977, which prohibited discrimination on grounds including race and sex.

The Commonwealth Sex Discrimination Act 1984 prohibited sex discrimination and sexual harassment in specified areas, including employment. The Fair Work Act 2009 established federal workplace protections, including provisions against adverse action based on protected attributes.

Original sources

3 articles from 3 outlets

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