Queensland police slammed for 'boys club' culture in independent report

The Queensland Human Rights Commission has found systemic discrimination and sexism in the state's police force.

Transcript

00:00Systemic discrimination, outdated recruitment standards and old-fashioned boys club attitudes.

00:09The Human Rights Commission says the Queensland Police Service needs major reform.

00:15Rather than just a problem of a few bad apples, it is the systems that shape QPS workplace

00:22culture and it is the systems that allow discrimination to thrive.

00:27The review, a recommendation of the 2022 Commission of Inquiry, spoke to more than 2,800 employees.

00:35Finding women, First Nations and culturally diverse staff face discrimination, including

00:41slurs about female officers sleeping their way to the top, racism being justified as

00:47banter and workers who complain branded dogs.

00:52One worker said they wouldn't let their daughter join the QPS because it's the men in the

00:57police, that's where the danger is, I would never recommend this job to anyone.

01:02I don't think it's anything new in terms of what we saw in the Commission of Inquiry,

01:06I think it's a continuation of that piece of work that gives us more understanding of

01:10the challenge we have in that space and paints a way forward.

01:13The Commission made 36 recommendations, including flexible work options for caregivers and a

01:19review of both recruitment standards and diversity targets.

01:23I'm just really concerned that the Queensland Police Service is obsessed with delivering

01:28on these thought bubble recommendations.

01:30The union argues diversity hire slurs will get worse if the service pursues targets and

01:36they won't help the front line.

01:39Right now we've got about six crews in Logan that are drowning in about 100 unresourced

01:43jobs and we're sitting here and talking about aspirational targets and quotas.

01:47Those issues and the culture around that needs to change if we're going to attract

01:54and retain a police service that reflects the community of Queensland.