❓ Mr. Love questions the Minister for Corrective Services about a toxic culture at Bunbury Regional Prison following allegations of a staff member being sexually harassed and given an inappropriate response. The Minister acknowledges cultural challenges and refers to the appointment of a change agent.
AnsweredQoN 191Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORRECTIVE
SERVICES — WORKPLACE CULTURE
191. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Corrective Services:
Just before I ask my
question, I would like to congratulate our Clerk on such a lengthy contribution
to the Parliament and wish her all the very best in her next phase,
whatever that might be. Thank you, Kirsten.
My question is to the Minister for Corrective Services.
Yesterday, the minister dismissed allegations of a toxic culture within the
corrective services system as unsubstantiated third-party hearsay. However,
today it has been revealed that a Bunbury Regional Prison staff member who
reported being sexually harassed at work was handed a ''hurt feelings
report'' to lodge their complaint. This report included derogatory
language and dismissive attitudes, such as asking the staff member to, ''Tell
us in your own sissy words, how your feelings were hurt, as if anyone cared'', and that they would, ''make
every reasonable effort to provide you with a 'blankie', a 'binky'
and � a bottle if you so desire''. When will the minister
acknowledge the existence of this toxic culture in his department and
appropriately intervene?
SERVICES — WORKPLACE CULTURE
191. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Corrective Services:
Just before I ask my
question, I would like to congratulate our Clerk on such a lengthy contribution
to the Parliament and wish her all the very best in her next phase,
whatever that might be. Thank you, Kirsten.
My question is to the Minister for Corrective Services.
Yesterday, the minister dismissed allegations of a toxic culture within the
corrective services system as unsubstantiated third-party hearsay. However,
today it has been revealed that a Bunbury Regional Prison staff member who
reported being sexually harassed at work was handed a ''hurt feelings
report'' to lodge their complaint. This report included derogatory
language and dismissive attitudes, such as asking the staff member to, ''Tell
us in your own sissy words, how your feelings were hurt, as if anyone cared'', and that they would, ''make
every reasonable effort to provide you with a 'blankie', a 'binky'
and � a bottle if you so desire''. When will the minister
acknowledge the existence of this toxic culture in his department and
appropriately intervene?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the opportunity to
correct his assertion. Yesterday, I responded to a question about unit 18 and
referred to unsubstantiated third-party hearsay-based allegations that were
reported in the media. The incident the Leader of the Opposition is referring
to today relates to Bunbury Regional Prison. I can say that neither of the two
individuals involved in the allegation or story are in the employ of the agency
any longer. However, I also refer the Leader of the Opposition back to the time
that we, as a government, appointed Commissioner Brad Royce. The Leader of the
Opposition will recall—I am sure that he probably watched it—that
I was at pains to say that a significant part of the reasoning behind
appointing Commissioner Royce was that he was
a known change agent who was capable of addressing the challenges associated
with the culture of the corrective services
department. I have always acknowledged that. That is not an issue or a question.
What I referred to yesterday was a completely different matter in which
the Leader of the Opposition had used an unsubstantiated third-party report
from the media as a means to ask a question about individuals in unit 18.
correct his assertion. Yesterday, I responded to a question about unit 18 and
referred to unsubstantiated third-party hearsay-based allegations that were
reported in the media. The incident the Leader of the Opposition is referring
to today relates to Bunbury Regional Prison. I can say that neither of the two
individuals involved in the allegation or story are in the employ of the agency
any longer. However, I also refer the Leader of the Opposition back to the time
that we, as a government, appointed Commissioner Brad Royce. The Leader of the
Opposition will recall—I am sure that he probably watched it—that
I was at pains to say that a significant part of the reasoning behind
appointing Commissioner Royce was that he was
a known change agent who was capable of addressing the challenges associated
with the culture of the corrective services
department. I have always acknowledged that. That is not an issue or a question.
What I referred to yesterday was a completely different matter in which
the Leader of the Opposition had used an unsubstantiated third-party report
from the media as a means to ask a question about individuals in unit 18.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.