A few bad men: Report slams senior Holsworthy Diggers over sexual harassment

A horrifying report has found senior Diggers sexually harassed female cadets on a Sydney base by going through their underwear drawers and subjecting them to “sexualised comments”.

Sydney University Regiment celebrating its 122nd birthday in 2022. Picture: Facebook/Sydney University Regiment

Exclusive: A horrifying report has found senior officers at Holsworthy Barracks engaged in a culture of sexually harassing female cadets, including rifling through their underwear and making “sexualised inappropriate comments”.

The Australian Defence Force’s failures at the Sydney University Regiment were exposed in documents obtained by the Sunday Telegraph under freedom of information laws this week.

In them, federal government watchdog ComCare claims found that women bore the brunt of some of the worst treatment by senior officers at the base in Western Sydney.

“Allegations were made of inappropriate sexualised comments made by SUR instructional staff directed toward female cadets and unwarranted searches of their underwear drawer by male SUR instructional staff,” the report stated.

The unit had been plagued by issues for more than three years, with ComCare and Inspector General of the ADF investigations both launching investigations.

The Sydney University Regiment, based at Holsworthy. Picture: Facebook

The Sunday Telegraph first broke the news in 2020 that a female cadet at the unit who reported a colleague for rape was left on the same platoon as the accused; months later he was acquitted in court of sexual assault.

She was also then named as the victim in the case in front of her cohort.

The watchdog’s investigators found the junior officers, most straight out of high school, were subjected to “personal insults”, “verbal aggression” and “abuse of power … through discrimination”.

One incident previously reported by the Telegraph involved a young cadet being “spat at” by a senior officer.

Another saw cadets so exhausted there was almost a mass drowning on base during a pool exercise.

Documents obtained this week detail how one senior officer has now been referred to a mental health professional for “anger management” as a result of the investigation.

The watchdobg found junior officers, most straight out of high school, were subject to “personal insults”, “verbal aggression” and “abuse of power … through discrimination”. Picture: Facebook

The level of mental health support came under fire by the watchdog, who in their report said the only help available to the young soldiers in training was a part-time chaplain.

In a similar ADF program in Canberra cadets have access to a team of psychologists.

ComCare’s wide-ranging investigation included interviews with 39 people who made allegations about their treatment with the unit spanning years and two inspections in July and October.

When the watchdog’s inspectors visited the barracks and gave senior brass a “please explain” investigators found their response showed staff never considered the risks of sexual harassment, bullying and psychological hazards to junior officers.

“There is also no evidence of risk assessments being undertaken in relation to managing risks of bullying and harassment including sexual harassment since the allegations of such conduct were first made at the SUR,” it claimed.

The report found nothing had yet been done to manage risks of sexual harassment or bullying. Picture: The Sunday Telegraph

“I am not satisfied, based on my inquiries, that these risks are being managed … and I have no reason to believe that there have been any subsequent changes to the circumstances at SUR since the time of my visit to Holsworthy Army Barracks on 11 May 2023.

“I am further aware that the officer cadet training continues to take place periodically at the SUR and therefore the risk to health and safety is ongoing.”

When senior staff were interviewed they said the guidelines they used to teach the young men and women only covered adverse weather and risks of injuries in training.

The damning report, handed to Defence last month, found nothing had been done to manage risks of sexual harassment or bullying since allegations were first made.

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