CEPU’s response to former Aurora CEO Dr Davis receiving $2 million dollar payout

CEPU members were devastated to learn today that Aurora CEO Dr Davis received a payout in the order of $2 million.

State Secretary Trevor Gauld said Dr Davis has left the Tasmanian power industry with a legacy of devastation of ruin.

“Just over 5 years ago Dr Davis went on an all-expenses paid junket to Canada and came back with a hair brained idea he called “Will to Grow”. Some of the activities that went on after that would make the recent TasNetworks Lego Movie fiasco look like a Diploma in Business Management. The entire workforce was stood down for two days and forced to play games including hopscotch and throwing balls of string at each other under the guise of team bonding. Employees were embarrassed to turn up to work it was that demoralising.”

Power reliability, jobs and services all declined under Dr Davis systematic destruction of a once iconic company.

“Hundreds of jobs were slashed and Tasmania now experiences 2 and 3 day power restoration times as a result of reduced maintenance and less front line staff. Tasmanian kids can hardly get apprenticeships anymore with the company going from an average of nearly 80 apprentices to barely 15 now. Customer service is close to non-existent after frontline staff were banned from performing any kind of proactive maintenance on the network. And at the end of this he just takes off with $2million dollars of Tasmania’s money like a thief in the night. To say we are disgusted is a complete understatement.”

CEPU members watched in despair as rort after rort appeared under the failed leadership of Dr Davis.

“We saw $1.2million spent overseas without a single tender process followed under the cloud of allegations that the company which received the cash was indirectly connected to personal interests of the CEO. We saw Managers caught red handed stealing from Aurora protected without even facing disciplinary action and we saw the morale of the workforce fall to terrible levels which to this day still haven’t recovered. We saw workers stood down for months with no allegation even made as to what they were supposed to have done wrong.”

“ The decisions this man oversaw resulted in long term loyal employees being thrown on the scrap heap, families being torn apart by stress and even situations of workers attempting to take their own life from the way they were treated. He was hated for what he did to Aurora and for many of our members they will take that hatred to their graves.”
Trevor Gauld State Secretary CEPU – Tasmania