Heritage Minister Elise Archer must intervene to resolve the cultural issues within Heritage Tasmania, Labor and the Greens say.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Community and Public Sector Union's recent survey of Heritage Tasmania staff has painted a grim picture of the workplaces overseen by the statutory body, highlighting the prevalence of bullying and harassment and ongoing concerns over mismanagement of the state's heritage register.
Labor heritage spokeswoman Alison Standen said there had been a "conga line" of heritage ministers for the past two years, with Premier Peter Gutwein, former premier Will Hodgman and current minister Ms Archer all having had carriage of the portfolio since 2018.
In other news:
"As a result of this instability in leadership, issues of culture and resourcing have been swept under the carpet," she said.
"Heritage Tasmania staff fulfill a valued role and they can only perform their work with the full support and resourcing from government.
"The current situation is clearly untenable and can no longer be ignored. The minister must take responsibility and act decisively."
Greens leader Cassy O'Connor echoed Ms Standen's comments, saying Ms Archer had to take action.
"Minister Archer needs to listen to what the staff are telling her through this survey, ensure Heritage Tasmania is properly resourced and recommit the government to better protecting our heritage treasures," she said.
Ms O'Connor said staff morale had been "on the slide" since the Liberals came to power in 2014 and informed Heritage Tasmania that the heritage register would be cut by a third.
RELATED:
According to a government spokesperson, the survey was an "internal staffing matter for the Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment Department and Heritage Tasmania".
"I trust that they will deal with these important issues in an appropriate and timely way," the spokesperson said.
"There is no doubt that the impacts of COVID-19 have put additional stress on many workplaces.
"[DPIPWE] is committed to addressing the issues in a measured, fair and transparent way."