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The Queensland Fire Department's (QFD) "command and control" structure has "shielded perpetrators and discouraged formal complaints", fostering a culture where people wondered why they should "bother" speaking up, a report has found.
A review into the QFD's complaint system released on Friday found "a concerning upward trend in customer and stakeholder complaints", with the monthly average almost doubling from 28 in 2021 to "a troubling" 50 in 2023, according to the final report authored by Prominence Consulting.
"The fear of retribution, coupled with a perceived lack of independence in investigations, has created a climate where individuals feel unsafe to speak up," the report found.
Those interviewed as part of the review said many people may have chosen to exit the organisation rather than report their complaints.
"There was also a belief expressed by many in focus groups that there was never any 'perpetrator accountability'," the report said.
"People get off 'scot-free' or similar comments [were] common."
'You get nowhere'
One interview participant told the review that when issues arose, "everyone closes ranks, and you get nowhere".
The ABC has spoken with more than a dozen people in the department who shared allegations of sexism, discrimination and a culture of fear.
An investigation revealed men involved in ringing a bell when "attractive" female recruits walked by so everyone "could have a look" were never formally disciplined by the QFD for their behaviour.
In response to the reporting, the QFD commissioner Stephen Smith produced an internal video telling members they were "not welcome" and should "leave" the organisation if they think bullying, racism, sexism or other poor conduct "is okay".
The report released on Friday found a "shop floor justice" mentality in the QFD, which "undermines the integrity of official grievance procedures and reinforces a culture of impunity".
It also identified a gap "in the understanding of issues related to First Nations people". It said the Public Service Commission noted that female firefighters had a higher turnover rate than male firefighters and the reasons for this had not been "properly considered by QFD".
The report noted while "similar [culture and performance] challenges exist in other organisations with command and control cultures, such as the Australian Defence Force, QFD has demonstrated a notable lag in addressing the underlying causes of these problems".
QFD accepts majority of recommendations
The report made 34 recommendations and 33 were accepted in principle by the department including implementing organisational initiatives to "restore trust in the complaint management system … [to] cultivate a speak up culture".
Other accepted recommendations were to make changes to policy and procedure to "[strengthen] warnings about victimisation and reprisals" and develop a three-year plan to re-prioritise prevention rather than managing complaints.
The only recommendation that was not accepted was a proposal to "stop the clock" on set time frames for addressing complaints to factor in issues outside the organisation's control.
The government has appointed former Victorian equal opportunity and human rights commissioner Kristen Hilton to monitor the implementation of the recommendations.
The review was launched after Justin Choveaux, general manager of the Rural Fire Brigades Association of Queensland, raised concerns about the department's culture in an open letter to the premier in January.
An ABC investigation has heard of a culture of fear and silence that has made people anxious to lodge complaints. (ABC News)
But Mr Choveaux said this review was not what he had been calling for – instead, he wanted an independent review into cultural issues within the QFD and a safe space for people to share their experiences.
"Today's review … was never intended to create a safe space … It was never a pathway for people to make complaints," he told the ABC.
"This is a way for the fire service and the government to try and manage internally a large problem that they don't want to acknowledge and don't understand how they can handle it."
The QFD Commissioner Stephen Smith said the "dawn of a new [fire department] is the right time for us to rebalance our priorities with a greater focus on prevention rather than management of complaints".
"It is an opportunity for us to not only enhance the system and achieve a best-practice model, but also to assure our people that they can have confidence in how complaints are managed," he said in a statement.
Queensland Fire and Disaster Recovery Minister Nikki Boyd said she and the commissioner "will not tolerate behaviour that doesn't uphold QFD's values".
"The vast majority of QFD staff and volunteers are good people who want to do good things for Queensland communities and keep them safe," she said.
"I am pleased to advise the department has immediately commenced development of an implementation plan, demonstrating the value it places on its people and continual improvement."