Royal Australian Navy VR Training Series - Unacceptable Bias & Behaviour
Brennan Hatton
Published
This immersive virtual reality training was developed with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) as part of their New Generation Navy program to address cultural change, reduce bias, and prevent unacceptable behaviour among personnel. Participants step into lifelike scenarios where they experience bias and harassment from the perspective of someone on the receiving end — a design intended to grow empathy, deepen understanding of inappropriate conduct, and motivate behavioural change. 
The experience consists of three core scenarios:
1. Sexual Harassment
Participants embody “Jessica,” experiencing workplace harassment, objectification, and boundary violations by colleagues. This scenario illustrates how seemingly dismissive “locker-room talk” and inappropriate comments contribute to a hostile environment. 
2. Gender Bias (Post-Maternity)
In this scenario, participants take the role of “Leonie,” a Navy member returning from maternity leave who encounters exclusion, condescension, and minimising behaviour from peers. It highlights how gendered assumptions and lack of leadership support contribute to bias against women, including by other women. 
3. Cultural Bias
Here, learners experience bias through the eyes of “Akma,” a new recruit from diverse cultural background. Colleagues make assumptions about ability and worth based on appearance and heritage, showing how cultural bias undermines belonging and respect. 
Across all three scenarios, the training uses real examples and immersive perspective-taking to make experiences of harassment and bias felt, not just described — prompting deeper reflection, empathy, and readiness to recognise and prevent unacceptable behaviours in the real world.