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The ABC’s Cranbrook investigation shows why Australia needs to turn its back on single-sex cultures built on exclusion

13 22
05.03.2024

What to say about Louise Milligan’s Four Corners investigation into yet more allegations of a boys’-club-toxic-culture scandal at yet another overcapitalised-toff-wellness-centre-private-school-and-holding-pen last night?

Four Corners’ report investigating allegations of harassment and discrimination at Sydney’s billionaire baby-educating, boys’ own Cranbrook school by former female staff members raised concerns about gender, power, hierarchy and the perpetuation of not merely unearned advantage but allegations of a dangerous enthusiasm to protect internal culture. It exposed not merely the role of school leadership accused of subordinating employee and student safety to a brand management strategy, but a number of old, ugly social habits around education and exclusivity it is more than time for Australia to give up.

According to Four Corners, Cranbrook said there had been no victimisation of women at the school and that it has an “inclusive and diverse culture”.

“In the context of the size of the school, [Four Corners’] apparently relatively small sample of alleged issues, while of course extremely disappointing, is not a representative, accurate or complete picture of our culture,” it said.

The report raised many important questions. The most obvious: why was the Cranbrook school receiving more than $6m from government coffers with less accountability than a public school would have to go through for a purchase order of paperclips? The show opens with complaints about alleged toxic, sexist behaviour at the school shown........

© The Guardian


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