Page 3176 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 22 August 2012
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obstetrics unit were complicated. There were people on different sides of arguments about who had done what to whom and, unfortunately, some individuals went down with that whole way that that was handled. To some extent, the territory lost some very good health professionals on both sides of the argument.
Find me a workplace—indeed, you have had experience of this, in the Liberal Party; I remember all the concerns about bullying and harassment that operated in your individual workplaces just a few short years ago—where there are not concerns raised by staff around management and management around staff. Again, the issue is that you have got to have an environment where those issues can be articulated and followed up. That is what we have put in place.
Again, if you look at the results that are coming through from the workforce culture survey that has just been done, there has been significant change. We went all through this in the public accounts committee or the estimates committee, but it was not really the story you were looking for. The story was that there had been a significant increase in the percentage of staff who felt that bullying was taken seriously across the organisation and a very significant increase in the numbers of staff who said they would be prepared to raise issues around bullying and felt that they would be adequately dealt with.
So they are the changes that are underway. There is a lot of work underway through workplace culture in a large organisation that is under immense pressure and immense public pressure, as this hospital in particular is. My sincere hope is that within 61 days, or 60 days, when the political heat falls away for a few years, that hospital is allowed to do what it does best without constant political badgering and interference.
MRS DUNNE: A supplementary question.
MR SPEAKER: Mrs Dunne, a supplementary.
MRS DUNNE: You stated in the estimates on 5 July that you would not investigate allegations of bullying raised by the Auditor-General. Why are you covering up those allegations and when will you address the issues of bullying in the hospital?
MS GALLAGHER: I do not recall saying that, and before I answer that question I will want to actually review the Hansard to see, because I do not actually trust Mrs Dunne to read out the entirety or the context of that Hansard.
Mrs Dunne: A point of order.
MR SPEAKER: Order, one moment, Chief Minister. Stop the clock, thank you.
Mrs Dunne: It is inappropriate to imply that I lied.
MS GALLAGHER: No, I did not say that you lied. I said I would check the Hansard.
Mrs Dunne: She said, “I don’t trust Mrs Dunne to read something out in its entirety.” That is an imputation on my honesty, and the minister should withdraw it.
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