THE ROYAL Australian Navy says a fleet-wide behavioural program aimed at preventing inappropriate behaviour, and encourgaing psychological safety is already showing real results, as the maritime industry continues its push to turn diversity and inclusion policy into operational practice.
Speaking at the annual Women in Maritime event in Port Kembla, hosted by WISTA Australia, AMPI, AMSA and The Nautical Institute, Navy representatives Brad Lahey Natasha McRoe outlined how the “Keep it in the Green” initiative is helping crews identify and address inappropriate behaviour before it escalates.
Rather than relying solely on formal complaints being made - the program uses a simple green, yellow and red framework to give personnel a common language for calling out inappropriate behaviour in real time.
Mr Lahey said the approach was designed to move beyond traditional compliance training and create practical tools crews could actually use onboard, particularly in high-pressure and close-quarters operational environments where unresolved behaviour issues can quickly affect morale, wellbeing and team performance.
The new messaging has also been heavily embedded across the fleet through visible reminders and campaign material, including large “Keep it in the Green” stickers displayed onboard vessels, posters and other supporting communications designed to keep it front of mind.
The framework was descibed as providing a kind of “safe word” for intervention, allowing colleagues to flag concerns early and redirect behaviour before situations deteriorate into formal misconduct matters.
The initiative is reinforced through regular workshops, scenario-based discussions and ongoing behavioural reinforcement across the fleet, with presenters saying uptake had been “overwhelmingly positive”.
According to the Navy, substantiated cases of unacceptable behaviour have declined since the program was introduced, which they said demonstrated that behavioural change was achievable even within traditionally hierarchical and operationally intense environments.
The discussion tied in perfectly with the event’s focus on the International Maritime Organization’s 2026 International Day for Women in Maritime theme, “From Policy to Practice”, which emphasises embedding inclusion and psychological safety into everyday maritime operations rather than treating them as standalone HR initiatives.
The Navy said the program now forms part of wider Defence efforts around retention, leadership, psychological safety and workforce culture across operational settings.