When is a Parliamentary Inquiry NOT a Parliamentary Inquiry

When people are just too frightened to give evidence.

This has been the case in the 2009 Inquiry into the Office of the Public Trustee.

One would think, and certainly as I did with 9 years of whistleblowing under my plastic belt that a Parliamentary Inquiry must be the ultimate earth-shattering event.

When a collective sigh of relief gives way to content minds and happier households. A time when you no longer believe that the light at the end of the tunnel is another train.

Here are two Comments recently posted to my Blog. These Posts are credible. They simply confirm my own firsthand observations and what my Public Trustee sources have been saying for a long time:

Rob McKibbin was NOT the ONLY ONE bullied and continues to not be the only one being (yes present tense) bullied in the SA public service. And I know the place where he used to work and I know of at least three people there who are still being bullied. One more than the rest. It seems the managers think if the person does not take a complaint to higher up that then they can keep bullying the person until they say something to management. But then the people who do not speak up tell me they have seen what has happened to people who have spoken to management and they do not want that to happen to them - retaliation from the middle managers. So lose lose lose all the way. And none of those people would have dared go to the inquiry because they saw what senior management did to Rob. Once again it is lose lose lose at every step. They should have allowed people to give evidence without revealing to management the names of those people. So the Inquiry has not been thorough enough in my view. Where I work in the SA public service many good people have chosen to leave to protect their health after being bullied. And a few bullies have chosen to leave when they have run out of puff to keep bullying in that arena. And sadly some bullies have come back because where I work in the SA public service bullying is allowable and even sanctioned (by inaction by management). Team Leaders are the most prevalent form of bullying followed by middle managers. Bullies are cunning inadequate and pathetic. But the greatest joy for a bully is to destroy people. They also like to subject the person being bullied to far more scrutiny than the next person. And exclude them every step of the way. Wake up Mr Atkinson and Mr Rann the inner core of your ship is septic.If you took better action for the victims and against the bullies it would be harder for bullies to get away with it.

Rob, there are a lot of us witnesses out here. We were all threatened. We were told if we wanted to make submissions to any of the "enquiries" you list, they first had to be submitted to senior management. A complete farce. Those at the top still don't care nor care to understand as to what we are on about. Who are all these dumb people on six figure salaries and how did they get their jobs? Oh golly, they all seem to know each other very well don't they. Just look into the coffee shops in Pirie Street, Gawler Place and Grenfell Street (make sure its between 10 and 3 though).. You will eventually spot them all! Good luck and don't give up.

I have now been unemployed for the past 17 months. I still have troubles with my health, problems that arose through my employment. This has been acknowledged.

Should I be asking myself if I really achieved anything? Should I have just kept my gob shut and checked my bank balance every fortnight?

I just don’t know anymore. It is a struggle out here. We don’t have much money coming in, and even when I do score an interview I start throwing-up. I don’t mind sharing this, as this is what can happen to anyone who takes up the fight.

I am told by the experts not to present myself as a victim or to even think like a victim. Well, you know, when rent day comes around and you’re scrounging around the back of the sofa looking for long lost coins, it’s a big ask!