Page 1030 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 30 March 2011
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colleagues who seek to support her, we get conflicting stories out of the public service about what is going on, and we get conflicting stories from people who have had the courage to come forward and tell the truth about what is truly going on. The only way now to get to the bottom of this mess and actually build a system that serves the community and those that are unfortunately caught up in that system is to get right to the heart of this matter. And the only way to do that is through the inquiry that Mrs Dunne proposes today.
The problem with all of this is the spin from the government and the inability of the minister to control her portfolio. That is what is at the heart of this. This is a minister who is not up to the job. Perhaps you should be back in the ministry sooner rather than later, Mr Assistant Speaker, because—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Careful what you wish for, Mr Smyth.
MR SMYTH: the minister is not interested in this portfolio, and she has displayed that. We know her level of interest. Her level of interest is simply the photo op: “Let’s arrange some photo ops for the minister.”
There has been a corruption of the process; there is a cover-up going on. The workers are being intimidated and we can see that by the number of people that are coming forward and have said, honestly and openly—and we on this side of the house honour the courage of those who have come forward and we respect their courage, and the people who have been genuinely affected by this from the staffing perspective who complain coincidentally lose their jobs. It is quite amazing.
The woodwork teacher has a letter of commendation from the minister for education. He makes a complaint and suddenly everything that he has done actually was not true. So was Mr Barr ill-informed? Does Mr Barr still stand by his letter of commendation? I expect Mr Barr to speak, and speak to that letter of commendation. I assume it was given honestly. I assume that was the purpose of the letter. “This bloke did a good job; thank you, well done.” But in doing a good job and bringing to the light of day and to the attention of the community that things were wrong, he got sacked. We see that people have been identified after they talked to the commissioner. We see the Attorney-General releasing people’s names because he thought somebody knew—whether he thought they knew or not, he did not have the right to make that happen. He did not have the right to do that.
It is most unfortunate that we get the spin from the government. It is most unfortunate that we have the corruption of the process. It is most unfortunate for those that used to have jobs that, coincidentally, if you help, you get sacked or your supervisor is made aware of the fact that you have complained. Indeed, I spoke to one staffer who was told at their induction: “Don’t trust anybody. Don’t tell anybody anything because it all goes back to the bosses. And if the bosses find out, woe betide what will happen to you.” That is what is being told to people in their induction into this service: “Keep your mouth shut. Don’t talk to anybody. Don’t trust anybody.”
Then, of course, we see the catastrophic failure of the systems that have been put in place, or in this case have not been put in place, or indeed put in place and then not
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