The State Fire Commission (SFC) has announced the commencement of an independent Culture Review of the Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) and the State Emergency Service (SES).

The TFS and SES have a proud history of keeping Tasmanians safe.  We also need to ensure we provide a safe workplace culture for our staff and volunteers, where everyone feels respected and included.

The TFS-SES Culture Review will provide the SFC and the Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Jeremy Smith with a framework to build a workplace of choice with strong values and a positive and supportive culture.

The Review aims to be inclusive, and it’s important that we hear the voices of all our staff and volunteers so they have the opportunity to inform the culture of our emergency service organisation into the future.

We acknowledge that the SES has worked hard to develop an inclusive culture, and the learnings from this process will be invaluable to the Review.

Independent consultants, EB&Co, led by the former Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, has been appointed to undertake the Review. EB&Co is highly experienced in workplace culture reviews, supporting leaders and their employees across a host of sectors, including the military, police, private corporations, academia, government, the arts and sport.

In recent years there has been a number of grievances and complaints about inappropriate workplace behaviours within TFS such as discrimination, bullying or sexual harassment. This behaviour is unacceptable and has no place in the TFS.  Volunteers, career firefighters and state service staff should be safe, and feel safe in our workplaces.

The TFS-SES Culture Review will identify the issues we need to address, where our culture works well, and make recommendations to build a framework for change.

By sharing your experiences and ideas you can help shape the future.

The Review will seek the feedback and experiences of staff and volunteers through interviews, group sessions, written submissions and a survey. EB&Co and Social Research Centre will reach out to you directly during the Review to keep you informed on how to participate, via your work email or the email address you have provided as a volunteer.

The TFS-SES Culture Review will take about 7 months, and the final report will be provided to the State Fire Commission in 2025. The Report will be publicly released with a Framework for Action to guide us in making the changes required to improve our workplace culture.

Participation is voluntary and all feedback provided to the independent reviewer will be confidential.

It will not investigate individual complaints or grievances, examine past investigation outcomes, or make determinations about individual complaints.

We recognise that for some people this process may be confronting. We have a comprehensive confidential support program in place through our Wellbeing Support Program. This service is available 24/7 and we encourage members to reach out for support when required.

The EB&Co website is where you can find more information about the Review.

View Frequently asked questions.