Call for Independent Inquiry into HCC Staffing

Media release – Councillor Marti Zucco, 11 October 2022

Calls for urgent and immediate independent inquiry into HCC staff allegations

An independent inquiry must be conducted into serious allegations of systemic bullying of staff, a poor workplace culture, discrimination, a lack of duty of care and deficient leadership, made by staff at the Hobart City Council (HCC).

The claims have been made by a group of long-standing HCC employees who are highly critical of the Council’s elected leadership and senior management and who fear for their employment futures under the current regime. The issues are outlined in a letter sent to Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds, Deputy Mayor Helen Burnet and the Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Kelly Grigsby, copied to the Australian Services Union.

Council leadership has not responded to the letter and so they’ve been distributed within the HCC and to the media. Alderman Marti Zucco said he had been made aware of the letter and the staff concerns and believe them so serious that he has called for an immediate and independent inquiry to deal with the matters raised.

“This must occur prior to the installation of the new Council following the current election to enable the new Council to begin working with a clean slate and functioning staff,” Ald Zucco said. “While the staff members have sent the letter anonymously for fear of recrimination and damage to their professional reputations, the claims are extremely serious and worrying.”

Ald Zucco said they confirmed concerns raised with him, other elected members and the union over the past months. “I am extremely perturbed these allegations and concerns were raised with the Lord Mayor, her Deputy and the CEO one month ago, yet the elected Council was not advised and the issues not addressed,” Alderman Zucco said.

“As well as the secrecy on the part of Council leadership, there appears to be a serious toxic culture at the HCC and as an elected member and candidate for Lord Mayor, I seek an immediate and independent investigation. I also urge all relevant staff to immediately contact the office of the Minister for Local Government to express their concerns.

“The claims demand immediate investigation and if proven, urgent action. They should not be hidden by secrecy, spin and simply ignored,” he said.

The letter written by staff outlines serious issues including senior management turning a blind eye to repeated cases of bullying and discrimination, bias towards employing external candidates at significantly higher salaries, staff being singled out, demeaned, and pushed out of the organisation, and staff resigning not by choice, but broken by the system. Staff say recent resignation rates had climbed up to 30 percent of the Council’s previous workforce.

In reference to the current CEO, the letter states “There was genuine hope for change which makes the current situation cut all the more deeply. The view is bleak knowing that a positive change is not for us. We watch on as the organisation continues its path of rewarding the tenants of the ivory tower, ignoring blatant and improper process and abuses of power, and for now at least, rewarding new, high-paid arrivals.

“We are ashamed to be associated with this organisation and ashamed to be privy to the underhanded goings on, and ashamed to be too scared for our own work, life and jobs, to raise our concerns without the protection of anonymity.”

Alderman Zucco has written to the State Director of Local Government and the Minister calling on both to immediately institute a full and independent inquiry into all allegations and to provide protection for staff to enable them to come forward without fear of repercussions or damage to their employment. I fully understand that the responsibility for the day to day management staff is the responsibility of the CEO but all of us must take a duty of care to all the HCC staff in particular their mental state and frame of mind and on that basis I have a right to seek an investigation as the culture is toxic in more ways than one.

This is not about individuals it’s about the whole organisation and the entire reputation of the HCC and not those individuals including elected members. The Australian Services Union is now involved in this matter but as it has been kept secret for a month I have no doubt that the union would support my call for an external independent investigation.

Editor’s note: The quality of this document is as received.