Premier unable to stand up against public sector bullying

• Premier compromised after hands-off approach to bullying scandal
• 1 in 5 public sector workers have experienced bullying in the last year
• Liberals still obsessed with blaming others

Premier Will Hodgman is troublingly silent on the results of his own Government’s report which confirmed bullying is increasing in the public sector.

Shadow Treasurer Scott Bacon said it’s obvious why the Premier hasn’t said a word.

“How can Will Hodgman call out bullying in the broader public sector, when he’s willing to sweep the inappropriate behaviour of his Police Minister under the carpet?,” Mr Bacon said.

“The Premier has sent a message to his workforce that only one side of the story matters when it comes to a bullying allegation, the side of the accused perpetrator.

“It’s a terrible message to be sending the whole public service, in particular the 22% of workers who have been personally bullied in the last 12 months.

“How can the Premier expect the culture within the public service to improve after the way he’s handled the Rene Hidding saga?

“Will Hodgman did not even reach out to see if Ruth Forrest was ok.

“Now we’ve got a report that shows bullying is on the rise and the Premier is not in a position to address it.

“A third of public servants say they’ve witnessed bullying in the last 12 months. That’s an alarming statistic.

“Instead of stating what they are going to do to address workplace bullying, we have seen more spin from the Liberals relying on a completely different survey of union members in 2013.

“Tasmanians are sick to death of the Liberals blaming others for their own mistakes.

“Until the Premier deals with the trouble in his own backyard, he won’t be able to help change the culture within his workforce.”
Scott Bacon MP Shadow Treasurer