A group of about 15 current and former staff of Launceston College are calling for the department to publicly release the outcome of an investigation which began in March last year.

The department launched the "ED5" investigation after the group took their complaints to former Launceston College School Association chairman Ian Norton.

"These are very broken people, you only have to talk to them to see that," Mr Norton told The Examiner. "And I wanted to do something to help."

An ED5 investigation assesses whether a state service employee or public servant has breached the State Service Act 2000.

The Act stipulates that employees "when acting in the course of State Service employment must treat everyone with respect and without harassment, victimisation or discrimination".

Staff who provided evidence to the investigation said the department did not inform them of the outcome other than a message 12 months later that the investigation had been concluded and "there is no need for further discussion".

The secrecy surrounding the investigation's findings has angered the group, some of whom have shown The Examiner medical documents indicating their doctors have blamed problems at work for severe anxiety disorders, high blood pressure and chronic depression.

It's understood some of the staff involved were under medical supervision over concerns for their welfare after being admitted to hospital with chronic mental ill-health.

"We have not had any closure, and we can't move on because we have not even been told of the outcome," a spokesperson for the group said.

In a statement provided to The Examiner, the department said it could not comment on individual cases but that "allegations of inappropriate behaviour or misconduct are taken very seriously".

"Any formal workplace investigation within DoE is undertaken by an external, independent investigator and all parties subject to the investigation are afforded procedural fairness," a department spokeswoman said.

But Australian Education Union Tasmania branch state president Brian Wightman said the ED5 investigation process "was not appropriate" and the union had offered to help the department devise a new way to embed transparency into the process.

Mr Norton was first contacted by the Launceston College teachers about 18 months ago and said he initially thought it best to "play Switzerland" and be neutral in the process.

He said he began to get emails from staff members, who shared with him what they had experienced personally, and the stories of others, and implored him to help them.

"But I thought that with my role, it would be best to be neutral, but I wanted to help them, so we instigated an informal support group," he said.

The group has about 15 members, all former or current school employees who say they have experienced fear and alienation as a result of inappropriate behaviour relating to the implementation of changes in the school's structure, such as reporting lines and duties.

Mr Norton said since the emails and messages began to snowball, he contacted the school's leadership team, including the principal, Learning Services North and the Education Minister to relay the staff members' concerns.

Then, he took the matter further, to the Education Department, which initiated the ED5 investigation in March 2020.

Staff who gave evidence in the investigation said the department sent only brief email updates on its progress and did not inform them of the outcome, other than a message in March this year to say it was concluded.

The email to the affected staff, sent from Education Department deputy secretary Trudy Pearce and seen by The Examiner, said the investigation "was overseen by an independent investigator external to the department and all parties were afforded procedural fairness".

Ms Pearce wrote that the department secretary's determination was a matter for himself and the affected parties.

"I can advise there is no need for further discussion."

Mr Norton and the group of teachers said the investigation failed to meet their expectations and the secrecy surrounding its findings had only deepened their concerns.

The affected staff say investigations of this nature should be supportive and more transparent.

"We need to have some closure to be able to move forward, because we are still feeling the impacts of mental ill-health even months later," the group's spokesman said.

A staff member, who can't be identified because they are a public servant and still working at the school, said they had a decade's worth of experience in their role but had been on extended sick leave due to their treatment.

"Prior to all of this I had never had any complaints against me, and I was held in high esteem," they said.

Among their roles, the staff member works with at-risk students and describes themselves as "strong and resilient", but a series of incidents that led to a change in duties has left them distraught and a recluse, who had lost their professional identity.

"I have gone from a resilient happy-go-lucky person to a recluse who has been in tears most days and have had suicidal ideations," they said.

"The hardest part is not understanding the behaviour towards you."

Many members of the group said after the investigation had launched, many decided to leave, or be transferred to other schools. Some others retired from working life altogether.

The group's spokesman said the majority of the staff who had left were long-term staff members, who had several decades of experience combined.

Of the group contacted by The Examiner, only three remain on staff at Launceston College.

"Of the people here, most of us have decades of experience, we are concerned about the impact that lack [of experience] will have on the students who are left behind," they said.

Student risk was cited as another of the reasons many of the staff members in the group wanted to share their experiences, especially for the staff member who remains on leave.

"[Before all of this] I loved my job and I was good at it, but something needs to be done for the sake of the students," they said.

"I loved seeing the students I work with achieve, but now I can't perform my job and they are the ones that are missing out."

In a letter sent to affected Launceston College staff, union state president Mr Wightman said the investigation process' confidential nature revealed its flaws.

"Your experience and that of others who made complaints has highlighted the flaws in the ED5 process and the lack of a transparent process to examine, consider and address complaints that indicate actual or perceived inappropriate management processes, particularly where this is negatively impacting on morale or causing fear among staff," he said.

Mr Wightman said the union was hoping to work with the department on devising a new way forward for future ED5 complaints.

The Examiner sent the Education Department 10 questions regarding the Launceston College investigation and its outcome.

However, a department spokeswoman said it could not comment on individual cases and sent back a generic 100-word response.

"The Department of Education places the highest priority on staff and student safety and takes all possible measures to ensure that staff and students are provided with a safe and supportive environment," the spokeswoman said.

"Allegations of inappropriate behaviour or misconduct are taken very seriously and are investigated in accordance with relevant State Service and Departmental policies and procedures.

"All employees are able to access support free of charge through the Department's Employee Assistance Provider.

"Any formal workplace investigation within DoE is undertaken by an external, independent investigator and all parties subject to the investigation are afforded procedural fairness."

In acknowledging receipt of its statement, The Examiner invited the department to respond to specific allegations raised by the group.

But the department chose not to address those concerns, instead adding: "The outcome of any ED5 investigation is a confidential matter to ensure fairness and privacy for all participants is maintained".

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