Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Why is there STILL Workplace Bullying at Public Trustee?


We ascribe the word ‘spin’ to the world of politics. Let’s look for some words to ascribe to the Office of the Public Trustee.

Time to focus on the executive management team of that state government agency, an agency that reports to the Attorney-General’s Department, a department headed up by a $6400+ per week bureaucrat, Mr. Jerome Maguire.

Then, of course, you have the grand doyen sitting up there on top of the Christmas tree, Mr. Michael Atkinson, our state Attorney-General.

The trillion-dollar question is: WILL THE STILL-PRACTICING WORKPLACE BULLIES OF PUBLIC TRUSTEE ever be dealt with?

If the Public Trustee, Mr. Mark Bodycoat was asked this question (as he was queried during the 2009 Parliamentary Inquiry), I am certain he would blow rose petals through the air and rattle off all those cotton ball training courses conducted by the Equal Opportunities Commission and all those Policies he has had rewritten concerning Workplace Bullying and Sexual Harassment.

Useless!

Policies are USELESS! Training Courses are USELESS!

Why? It’s not rocket science. In fact, I shouldn’t have to insult the intelligence of the average punter by putting up even the most obvious reason.

Inside the mind of the psychotic workplace bully lurks some pretty heavy stuff, and evil glues it all together.

You see, I don’t give a toss about excuses such as what happened at school, or the family upbringing, or, or, or...

We all are responsible for our actions, irrespective.

Oh, and speaking of actions?

In the Equal Opportunity Tribunal determination handed down 25 June 2004, Judge Rice stated, in part:

‘...In our view, in this instance Public Trustee impliedly authorised Mr H’s conduct (and here we are not referring to management conduct or style) by doing nothing about Mr McKibbin’s complaints or not doing sufficient about them. In our view, Public Trustee has vicariously authorised that conduct...’

AND;

'...We find that Mr McKibbin raised with Mr O’Neill, on a number of occasions before August 2002, the sexually suggestive conduct and behaviour of Mr H. We are unable to say on how many occasions Mr McKibbin did so, but we consider it to be a significant number. We also find that Mr McKibbin was raising these matters in the form of an oral complaint. The precise status of those complaints was the subject of dispute. Certainly there was no need for any such complaint to be in writing. In our view, the number of complaints made by Mr McKibbin and the nature of the conduct about which he was complaining, made it imperative that management intervene at an early stage. This management failed to do. The necessary policies were in place but their application was misunderstood or misguided...'

As I am the Mr McKibbin referred to, I can state with absolute authority that the only reason we all wound up in Court was because executive management did absolutely NOTHING!!! And when I say nothing, I do not refer to the victimisation dished out to me, on a daily basis for bringing one of their own into disrepute.

Let’s now forward to the Parliamentary Inquiry on 2009, and the current grand poo bah Mr Mark Bodycoat.

Page 67 of the report deals with part of Mr Bodycoat’s submission in relation to MOI:

‘...Mister Bodycoat made it clear to the Committee that the allegations of bullying that where the subject of this Inquiry related to a period before 2005...

AND;

‘...The Public Trustee maintained that all allegations made by Mr McKibbin had been taken seriously, and there was evidence that ALL were investigated...’

Oh dear!!

The Public Trustee must know something the Court did not!

First up. Mr Bodycoat, you were the head honcho at Consumer Affairs during the Investigations, and your only contact with Public Trustee was with me because I worked with you from March 2006 through to June of 2007.

Secondly, the GIU Investigator, Ms Pamela Forbes was taking statements re: on-going bullying well AFTER 2006...yep, that IS a SIX on the end.

Thirdly, and this is where I am personally disappointed with you, you have BELIEVED (or so it seems that way) all you have been told, probably by the same people that treated me like shit!

And lastly, YOU ARE DEAD WRONG AND I SINCERELY HOPE YOU DO NOT KNOW IT!!

You spoke of my allegations being investigated. Here is an example of Public Trustee investigation techniques.

Having endured bullying for years, I took my complaints to the new Public Trustee, Ms Catherine O’Loughlin, another lawyer.

I quote from my notes:

“...you should go see him first...” (the bloody bully for dears sake!)

“...I remind you of the laws of libel and slander...”

“...anyone who considers it necessary to go outside of Public Trustee should look for employment elsewhere...”

I now turn my attention to another executive who was there at the time of my trials and tribulations, Dr Mark Witham.

I liked Mark, until the others sucked him in.

I was an Occ Health and Safety elected Representative, and, for a time, Mark was the Chair of the OH&S Committee.

Boy, did I try to make that Committee take heed of the workplace bullying problems, particularly during  2005. At one meeting Mark got quite ‘bothered’ with me when I suggested that Cath O’Loughlin had done bugger all in relation to bullying complaints.

Judge Rice had already confirmed the year before that management had sat on its collective ass, but, well, who was I to argue with a Doctor whose Thesis is titled; ‘A Fair Go: Cutting the cake and Closing Schools’.

So, where does this all take us? Up the Bullyboy Creek without the paddle.

Page 66 of the Parliamentary Inquiry report cites that the Government Investigations Unit took a myriad of statements alleging bullyboy behaviours by FOUR Public Trustee staff members.

ONE is GONE.

THREE remain, and from what I hear, all plying their insidious trades as though nothing has ever changed.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good one Robbo, getting to the crux of the matter now. The good doctor is hated and we all refer to him as "mister". No way we would honour him with any other title. His time will come. He has damaged so many good people. We are scared to put formal complaints in because he and his hanger on team leaders and "managers" would make life even more hellish for us. DON eventually was shown the door, we will form a guard of honour when this menace leaves the building for good. Keep up the good work, you will be our salvation.

Anonymous said...

i definitely adore all your posting way, very interesting.
don't give up as well as keep penning due to the fact that it just simply well worth to read it,
looking forward to browse through alot more of your well written articles, thanks!

Anonymous said...

Rob
your posts tell the truth without lies, without spin. Things are exactly as you say. Truth is repugnant to liars. Spin is beloved of those who know they cannot fix it, but want to keep a lid on the stench of a cover up.

Anonymous said...

Well Robbo, Uncle Mick is not standing so Jerome will now be nervous. Will the new AG and CE hone in on the ongoing troubles at PT? The exec even call jobs correctly, the 7 million dollar computer system is being phased out and they gave the building away. Is there any hope for us? All the best J.D.

Anonymous said...

Our child was viciously bullied at a school in Adelaide. My child is now doing well, at another school. But I could do nothing to stop the bullying at that original school, because the people in charge at the school would not admit there was a problem. Is this normal? I never recall such vicious behavior at my school, when I was there. It made us, the parents, and our child feel powerless. All the Principal did was act all affronted at us accusing three fine upstanding senior boys of bullying. I wonder, will those 'fine upstanding senior boys' go on to be bullies in a workplace?

Anonymous said...

Yipee! That's because I don't work there anymore. It's not worth the unpleasant meanness that slinks into everyone who stays there too long. Takes in the good, turns them this way and that, spits out all meanness. Why is what they should be asking, why. I know, but no one listened. Then you need rehab to get back to being normal after you leave; been there, done that. Back then I thought it could not get any worse, see I was wrong. Yr blog shows still there. The basement was always the place the blokes went to get some sexual harassment going. If those walls could talk?. Full of secrets, lies and meanness.

Anonymous said...

I know Mr Bodycoat very well. Just check the Royal Commission into Finance Brokers Western Australia by Temby QC. He bullied me and i blew the whistle.