The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service has apologised and committed to workplace reforms after an independent review found inadequate disciplinary responses to substantiated sexual harassment and bullying complaints.
The service covers northern NSW, including the Northern Rivers, operating from bases at Lismore, Belmont and Tamworth. The review examined the wider organisation, rather than the Lismore base alone.
Released on Tuesday, October 27, the review summary identifies shortcomings in complaint handling, employee confidence and leadership accountability.
However, it does not support a finding of a pervasive toxic workplace culture and concludes that the available material does not establish that workplace cultural issues affected patient safety.
Board chair John Fenwick acknowledged the failures.
‘This review has found serious instances in which we have let people down,’ Mr Fenwick said.
‘Those experiences are unacceptable and I am sorry.’
The board has accepted all 31 recommendations, covering training, complaint processes, recruitment, conflicts of interest, governance and employee support.
Conducted by employment specialist Cilla Robinson, of law firm Mallesons, the review drew on more than 220 documents, approximately 100 interviews, site visits and an anonymous employee survey.
The survey received 116 responses, representing a 68 per cent participation rate.
Photo courtesy Brunswick Valley & District Volunteer Rescue.
Twenty per cent of respondents reported experiencing or witnessing sexual harassment, with 11 indicating that such conduct had occurred within the previous 12 months.
The review found some substantiated complaints had attracted insufficient disciplinary action, undermining confidence in the service’s stated zero-tolerance approach.
It also identified a disconnect between senior leaders’ relatively positive perceptions and the experiences reported by other employees.
Alongside those concerns, reviewers praised the service’s operational safety standards and identified improvements under its current leadership.
The full, 207-page report was provided to the board on June 17. The publicly released summary is dated June 23 and excludes detailed material that could identify employees.
The service’s implementation dashboard lists 26 recommendations as commenced or partly complete, with none marked complete at the time of publication.
Seven were rated amber, requiring monitoring, and 24 green, meaning on track.
Actions scheduled for completion by the end of 2026 include targeted harassment training, resetting workplace expectations and reviewing conduct at fundraising events.
Other measures extend into mid-2027, including improving confidence in complaint handling and strengthening recruitment and conflict-of-interest processes.
The service says it will provide stakeholders with regular implementation updates. Its published dashboard sets a second-quarter 2027 target for improving perceptions of complaint handling and for further cross-team and cross-location collaboration.
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