A confidential report prepared by the West Tamar Council has shed a spotlight on poor behaviour in local government with allegations of bullying and sexual harassment.
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West Tamar councillor Peter Kearney put forward a motion at an ordinary council meeting to discuss the issue and release the workplace culture report in an open session rather than behind closed doors.
The report was released in confidence to all staff members of West Tamar Council about a month ago.
Several members of the public who attended the ordinary meeting asked council what was being done in relation to report's findings.
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Cr Kearney said the report shouldn't be confidential because it is an essential aspect of dealing with workplace culture.
"We shouldn't be going to an election in council without one of the major issues that has dominated council being kept secret.
"When an organisation has these sorts of problems they have to be dealt with. I don't think anyone now is going to argue that this is not a problem," he said.
Councillor Jess Greene said council needed to improve the culture within the workplace so people feel safe to come forward and report poor behaviour. "A number of councillors, including myself, raised our concerns mid last year after a number of staff confided in us," Cr Greene said.
"These concerns included perceptions of 'jobs for mates', and bullying and discrimination.
"Whilst we understand councillors are not involved in operational matters, we were concerned about the health and wellbeing of staff, the impact on staff, and the cost associated with potential workers compensation and recruitment due to high turnover.
"That's why we asked for a review. We need to be transparent with our community, and acknowledge what has happened.
"Having a safe workplace is paramount, so I'm pleased the recommendations in the report will be fully implemented. It's been a challenging period for everyone, and I acknowledge there have been improvements already. Cultural change takes time though."
West Tamar Council mayor Christina Holmdahl said in late 2021, council undertook an independent investigation into allegations of work health and safety practices. Cr Holmdahl said the survey confirmed some staff, including senior staff, had exhibited unacceptable behaviour in the workplace.
"There were views that there was mismanagement of workers compensation claims, poor workplace culture and nepotism in recruitment," she said.
Cr Holmdahl said an investigation of staff, as well as a survey, was employed so they could gain an understanding of the perceptions of their employees, and that the report was written as a result of the survey.
"It's very, very hard to determine the motives of the way people answer questions.
"Once we realised the extent of the varying situations in our council, we believed that the best thing that we could do was to conduct a proper review at arm's length, which is what we did."
Cr Holmdahl said one claim of bullying or sexual harassment was one too many.
"Until we did this survey, we did not know the extent of the sort of claims that staff are making.
"There is going to be an executive summary that will be released which will give anybody reading it a very good overview of the issues that were raised by staff and that will also include the recommendations that the West Tamar Council has told staff, it will honour totally."
Cr Holmdahl said the survey did not reveal where the bullying was taking place.
"We're going to make sure that whatever we have to do, we are going to do to ensure that not only does it not happen again, but that the staff and management and councillors all understand fully how we are all to behave in the workplace today," she said.
West Tamar Council will release an executive summary in the coming days in regards to the report.
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Satria Dyer-Darmawan
Satria Dyer-Darmawan is a journalist for The Examiner and considers himself to be an all rounder. Originally from the Central Coast of NSW, Satria has worked in Alice Springs and North Queensland and isn't afraid to immerse himself in regional communities.
Satria Dyer-Darmawan is a journalist for The Examiner and considers himself to be an all rounder. Originally from the Central Coast of NSW, Satria has worked in Alice Springs and North Queensland and isn't afraid to immerse himself in regional communities.
