Skip to main content

Women’s Leadership

Sex Discrimination

Women’s Leadership

Pioneer and New Frontiers: 2012 New South Wales Police Force Spokeswomen’s Conference

Elizabeth Broderick


Sex Discrimination Commissioner

Dockside Conference Centre, Sydney



19 October 2012


Thank you for inviting me to address the 2012 NSW Police Force Spokeswomen’s Conference, and thank you for that very warm and generous welcome.

Tom’s joke. My term as SDC was due to finish next month.  But when I reflected on whether I would extend I asked myself the question – what other job takes you from 200 metres under the sea in a submarine, to the UN in NY, to beyond the wire in a forward operating base in Oruzgan Province in Afghanistan, to the White House, the World Bank and the Pentagon ALL in the same month?

That is the tremendous privilege of this role – whether you are working to progress the rights of refugee and migrant women, sex workers, women of faith, defence force personnel or police personnel, board directors, women in paid work, women with disability or aboriginal women – you meet so many inspiring individuals – individuals committed to using whatever influence they have to create a more equal world.

Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered here today on the traditional lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. We honour their elders, past and present.

I am honoured to be here to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the NSW Police Force and to celebrate the role of female police officers and those pioneering talented women who have come before us.   

The theme of today’s conference, “Pioneer and New Frontiers” allows us to reflect just how far women have come in a profession that what was, until 1915, exclusively a male-only domain.  But this changed in 1915 when the NSW Police Department advertised two female police officer positions for the very first time.  Maude Rhodes and Lillian Armfield were the successful applicants and, in July 1915, were employed as NSW’s first female police officers.  

Both Maude Rhodes and Lillian Armfield became Probationary Special Constables who acted as ‘social and moral guardians’ to women and children, and had primary functions related to traffic direction and the control of juvenile girls.  Neither woman was given the full powers and entitlements of male constables. They weren’t allowed to wear a uniform and had to sign an indemnity absolving the NSW Police Department from any liability if they were injured or killed on duty. They also had to take out a life insurance policy and were not entitled to superannuation contributions.

Despite these obstacles, Special Constables Rhodes and Armfield were eventually promoted and transferred into other areas of police work. In due course, Special Constable Rhodes would be the first woman in the British Empire to be awarded the King’s Police and Fire Service Medal for distinguished service.

These two women were undoubtedly pioneers who braved the new frontiers for women of their generation.  They overcame structural and cultural barriers within the NSW Police Force to build their careers as professional police officers.  What also struck me about this story was not only the determination and success of these two women, but the enthusiasm of the nearly 500 other women who also saw the advertisement and inundated NSW Police with job applications.

Today, I am told that female police officers constitute almost 35% of the NSW Police Force, with the number of sworn policewomen making up nearly 27% of the total number of police officers.

While female recruitment rates in NSW Police have grown, there is still a relatively low representation of sworn policewomen at senior levels.  This is a trend mirrored in our community more generally where women remain underrepresented in leadership positions in most sectors of the workforce and in key decision-making positions around the country. 

If we consider federal politics, for example, women represent just under one third of elected positions in the Australian Commonwealth Parliament.

In the public sector, at a federal level, women outnumber men, but only account for 37% of those in Senior Executive Service positions. In NSW, women comprise of 60.9% of public sector employees; however, women are similarly underrepresented in the senior echelons.

In the private sector, the percentage of women on ASX 200 boards is currently at 14.6%. The figures are the highest they have been in Australia; nevertheless, we still have a long way to go, given a total of 55 boards in the ASX 200 still do not have any women on them.

Today I thought I would illustrate some of the challenges organisations such as the NSW Police Force face by reflecting on the work I have conducted over the last 18mths in the ADF.

As you may be aware, in April last year I was asked by the Minister of Defence to conduct an independent review into the treatment of women in both the Australian Defence Force Academy, or ADFA, and the broader Australian Defence Force on behalf of the Australian Human Rights Commission. My report was tabled in Parliament in late August.

We visited over 40 military bases, across Australia, including naval, air force and army bases, training colleges and recruit schools.  We observed exercises and demonstrations. We spent time under water in submarines and above in skimmers. We have been in helicopters and C130s, in tanks and armoured vehicles. We visited 6 bases in deployed environments (including Afghanistan) and spoke directly with almost 2,000 ADF personnel.

In short, the Review’s access to the ADF was extensive, the many views we heard – many of them positive, some ambivalent, some highly distressing - shaped our thinking and our eventual recommendations.

While there are, of course, many differences between a Police Force and the ADF, there are some key similarities which make the comparison useful – and this means that one organisation is able to learn from the experiences of the other. 

Both are amongst the most important organisations in Australia. Both demand personal sacrifice and often personal risk from its members well beyond that ever asked of most citizens. And both to differing degrees utilise a chain of command environment which impacts on the culture of the organisation.

While both the NSW Police Force and the ADF have historically been male dominated, unlike the NSW Police Force the representation of women in the ADF has not meaningfully improved.

Today, female representation in the ADF languishes at approximately 13.8% - up less than 1% in the last 10 years and only 2% in the last 20 years. The ADF has attempted to increase this representation – but has not been as successful as the NSW Police Force. The NSW Police Force can justifiably be proud of the progress it has made on this front – although, as I mentioned, there is still work to be done.

Increasing the representation of women, both in the NSW Police Force and the ADF, is only one piece of the puzzle. It is one step towards meaningful change, but there are many more steps to take. The struggle for organisational equality does not end when women enter the organisation, it begins.

While conducting the ADF Review I met women who are amongst the most impressive I have ever encountered. Many of these women told me positive stories of their experiences, and spoke of a deep passion for their career and their organisation. We heard that story from many ADF members – and that is the story that will strengthen the ADF’s capability. However - this was not the case for everyone.  

As one ADF member told us:

“… [Women] still face a range of gender-based barriers that limit their progress, impact their inclination to remain in the ADF and in the worst case, destroy souls.

With female representation stalling and failing to keep pace with the rest of Australia - it isn’t much of a surprise that the senior leadership is dominated by males. Here are the figures:

  • In  Navy, of the 52 generalist star ranked officers – there is only 1 woman.
  • In Army, of the 71 generalist star ranked officers, there are only 4 women.
  • In Air force, of the 53 generalist star rank officers, there is only 1 woman.
  • On the whole – women make up less than 5% of all star, or senior officer, ranks and less than 8% of all senior non-commissioned officers.

These numbers speak for themselves. Despite a number of efforts, plans and initiatives on the part of the ADF – the ADF has been unable to effect real change in this area.

So, why should the ADF or indeed the NSW Police Force care about women’s representation and progression?

While increasing the representation of women and their pathways to leadership is, without doubt, a human rights issue – and therefore a priority in its own right - it is a matter of sustainability and future capability. This is not about political correctness

In a competitive labour market all high performing organisations like the ADF and Police Force included want and need to attract the best talent. This is no secret. The ADF, and the NSW Police Force, are comprised of men and women who are committed to a common cause of justice and security, who are highly skilled and are highly motivated – who sacrifice so much for all of us. But the needs of contemporary security forces have changed - in the ADF particularly the nature of modern warfare has changed. New skills and perspectives are required for new technologies and approaches –in this new context, there is a much bigger role for women.

Attracting new entrants and particularly women will require more than just turning up the volume on the standard modus operandi. The pool from which Defence has drawn over 80% of its members, for example, is too narrow to satisfy workforce requirements, particularly given the competition for young talent of any kind. This means that the ADF must get better at recruiting from a wider demographic – one reflected more accurately across many civilian industries.

This will require innovation.  We recommended a “try before you buy” option based on principles similar to the successful gap year program.

We also recommend a “recruit to area” model, where some women and men are recruited directly from the area where they will be posted for a set period, at least initially.  This will give greater stability for families.

But it’s not just about attracting women and a more diverse range of people – it’s also about retaining talent and that requires a focus on:

  • Occupational segregation of male and female personnel;
  • Open up Rigid career structures;
  • Difficulties combining work and family; and
  • Sexual harassment and sexualised workplaces in the ADF.

A few words about occupational segregation. The overall figures of female representation in the ADF 14% hide another reality. They mask the uneven distribution of women across the different occupations in the ADF – with women concentrated in support roles, particularly administrative, clerical, logistical or health service roles. Such occupational segregation perpetuates gender stereotypes and undervalues those areas considered ‘women’s work’ – which in turns slows the progress of gender equality.  

Occupational segregation can give rise to a burden and risk for women who break out of these roles – who are seen as ‘trailblazers’ – like Maude Rhodes and Lillian Armfield.  When you are one of only a small number of women in an area, there is a great deal of pressure to succeed and to conform to the male norm. We need to ensure that women take on these roles are well supported - so that they can succeed, and so that other women can follow in their steps.

Turning to the second point – the ADF’s rigid career structure. The ADF has a linear, regimented and ‘one size fits all’ approach which is based on the assumption of full time continuous service – which as we know does not always characterise a woman’s career path.

When we looked at the workforce pipeline, we found some serious blockages. In the ADF, senior leadership positions are traditionally selected from certain ‘streams’ which act as gateways to leadership – in the ADF those streams involve war fighting. These are the streams from which women have either been historically precluded or are otherwise underrepresented. For example, when we looked at the career pathways of each CDF over the last 10 years – the findings were revealing. During this period, the CDF has either been from Infantry – a category from which women have been precluded, or the CDF has been a pilot - 2.5% of which are women. I am not a betting person, but even I know you don’t bet on those odds.

We do not believe that a ‘trickle up’ strategy, by which women over time will naturally filter up, will address the stark imbalances. We recommended that the ADF review and redesign the way it develops and appoints its senior leadership – and that it seeks to create pathways through non-war fighting categories where possible.

Turning now to the third point - combining a career with a family. Throughout the Review it became apparent that many women in the ADF had to make a choice – ADF or family – not both. Let me explain. 

While almost 90% of men in the star ranks have children, only just over 20% of women do. These numbers speak to the difficulty that women with caring responsibility encounter in building their military careers. While ADF members willingly sacrifice so much – this is one sacrifice that shouldn’t have to be made. Not in 2012.

This is a major contributing factor to the lack of women in senior roles. Flexible work arrangements are available but when somebody accesses these arrangements – the position is not backfilled, no replacement is found. This means that your colleagues are expected to cover the additional workload. There is negative stigma – and people regularly told us they felt guilty. We also heard that taking leave or working part-time negatively affects career progression.  While there are many good policies in place, it often depends on who your supervisor is, and understandably, some personnel are reluctant to ask.

Flexible work arrangements need to be seen as a legitimate and valued element of the way the ADF conducts business – they are about strengthening the Force. One of our recommendations to increase accessibility to flexible work arrangements – is to challenge the ‘default’ presumption that jobs are incapable of flexible work arrangements. We recommended that the ADF re-examine every role and identify those positions where full time work is the only sensible option – all the other roles will be identified as potentially available to flexible work arrangements.

This will not lead to a part-time Defence Force – but rather, it will lead to a Defence Force that retains its best personnel and consequently its capability - and one that can justifiably call itself a first class Defence Force and a first class employer.  

The last barrier I would like to discuss today - is the problem of sexual harassment and sexualised work environments. This is an issue in every organisation in Australia.

By its nature, the ADF and indeed the NSW Police Force is a workplace involving inherent risks.

Experiencing sexual misconduct, harassment, bullying, victimisation and sexual abuse should never be one of them.

Importantly, we spoke to ADF members individually and confidentially and as I said we heard many stories – some deeply distressing.

It was important that the Chiefs of each Service also heard these stories - not from me but from individuals who loved the ADF as much as they did but for whom service had come at an unacceptable personal cost. 

I had to make the case for change personal.  

But how to do it?

Aided by magnificent women with compelling stories, I arranged for each of the Chiefs to spend time “standing in the shoes” of the most vulnerable. I flew women in from all over Australia, many with their mothers - so that the Chiefs could hear - not from me but from these individuals - to hear what extreme exclusion feels like, what it’s like to be on exercise for 2 months when no-one speaks to you, what it feels like to be sexually assaulted by your instructor, how you react when the next in your chain of command – the very person you go to for advice violates you.  

And they heard the pain of mothers – mothers who had encouraged their daughters into the Service.  These sessions were the defining moments of the Review.

When I look back on the last year - this is some of the work I am most proud of; the work that reinforced for me that when you engage the head and the heart transformational change happens.

In the last 5 years, 25.9% of women and 10.5% of men in the ADF have experienced sexual harassment. While the figures for women are only slightly higher than the general population – they are far too high for any organisation. Our review also discovered that over 80% of victims of sexual harassment in the ADF do not report the behaviour. And when they do – they often suffer bullying, victimisation and isolation. As for their careers, we heard from one ADF member in a focus group:

“it was always said…you put complaints forward, you kiss your career goodbye.”

The high levels of sexual harassment and the problems with the existing complaints mechanisms mean that some talented women, who would otherwise have had a long career in the ADF, have their careers destroyed and in some cases are, in effect, forced to leave.

As a result, we recommended a new approach to dealing with issues of sexual harassment, sex discrimination and sexual assault.

First, we recommended a dedicated unit dealing with sexual misconduct matters - headed by a senior member of the ADF or Defence Department reporting directly to the Chief of the Defence Force - to be established as a priority. We called it the Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Office or SEMPRO. Its key role is to make the system more responsive and to be a central point of data collection and analysis. We recommended that it be staffed by experts in the area who have experience in handling complaints of a sexual nature and dealing with sensitive personal issues.

Crucial to the new approach is to give complainants the option of reporting harassment or sexual assault in a confidential manner by way of a restricted report – an option which is not available at present.

Under-reporting of sexual misconduct is a significant issue in the ADF. Complainants fear they will be victimised, they will not be believed or that they will be subjected to an unresponsive chain of command.  Having an option to confidentially report an incident will give complainants access to relevant support and advocacy without having to go through the more public avenue of reporting through their chain of command.  Having said that, the Review continued to support chain of command investigations should the complainant wish to exercise this option.  It’s about choice.

It has been acknowledged that a ‘restricted’ report does not hold perpetrators to account and is inconsistent with the maintenance and enforcement of Service discipline, potentially allowing sexual predators to continue to serve undetected.  The reality is that while there is significant under-reporting of sexual misconduct as is the case now, perpetrators already remain undetected and continue to serve. 

There are many positive stories in the ADF – but there needs to be more. We need more women in senior positions – women who can act as role models and inspire other women to reach for those positions.

So I want to finish now by telling you a story about one such inspiring woman. 

I’m not sure how many of you are aware but up until last month the commander of all our troops in Afghanistan was a wonderful woman called Brigadier Simone Wilkie. 

Whilst I was in Kabul, I spent time with Simone and she told me not only about her Defence work but the work she was doing engaging with Afghan women - to establish forums so that they might come together to discuss their future - what they wanted for themselves and their children.  She ensured that Australian female troops could participate as part of the FET teams – female engagement teams made up of Australian and coalition troops to provide security.

She also arranged for me to meet with the woman who has my job in Afghanistan – Commissioner Soraya Sobhrang - the woman who has responsibility for speaking out for women’s rights. 

On the day I was to meet with Soraya it was Mujahadeen Day – the most dangerous day of the year in Afghanistan.  Our Commander Brigadier Simone Wilkie had arranged for me to travel in an armour plated vehicle to meet with Soraya but the military received intelligence that it may not be safe.  Many others would have just told me “Sorry Liz - you cannot go”.  But not Simone – she was determined that I would meet the women’s rights commissioner so she arranged for me to travel in a Black Hawk helicopter.  They picked me up and took me four streets in that direction and dropped me down in the front yard of the Australian embassy where she had arranged for Soraya to be.  How impressive was that! 

She knew that if Soraya and I got together I would be able to find out more about what Afghan women wanted and needed, what I could do to support the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and that I could work with our government, AusAid, our military and concerned women and men across Australia to ensure that the voices of Afghan women are not forgotten.   

It is one thing for me to stand up in Australia and speak out for women – to demand that women have equality.  It is another thing to do that in Afghanistan. 

This was brought home to me last year when Soraya’s predecessor Hamida Bamarki was killed in a suicide bombing.  It was the birthday of her second daughter (who was turning 14) and the whole family (Hamida, her husband and four children) went out to lunch to celebrate. None of them came home. 

As a Human Rights Commissioner Hamida, like Soraya, spoke out about the injustices perpetrated upon women and children across her own country.  As a Professor at Kabul University she taught many young people about the importance of the rule of law, about democracy and the international human rights system.  She worked tirelessly to create a world where all women and men would be treated equally and with dignity.

One of the women she taught wrote movingly about Hamida’s death recalling a saying by Albert Pine: “What we do for ourselves dies with us.  What we do for others, and the world, remains and is immortal.” 

As Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner, I want to thank you for the work you do for others - each and every day  - to create a safer and more equal Australia.  You are an inspiration to so many women and men across our country.  Thank you.