Page 3624 - Week 08 - Friday, 24 August 2012
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improvement action group, the Commissioner for Public Administration’s investigations and the ministerial improvement directions that have been given.
I am encouraged by the support I have received on this issue from many, many staff—current and former—who are very, very keen to have their day in court, so to speak. It has been a disgrace that they have had to face these issues on their own. Only a couple of weeks ago I received an email from a former CIT member of staff—someone I do not know and have never spoken to—who said:
It is with much joy that many of us bullied by CIT read the article by Anne Morozow ABC … Please keep the pressure up on CIT because I personally know 10 people are cheering in the sidelines.
That is a sad reflection on what many of us have had to do to bring this matter to the attention of the ministers for education that have been in place, and it is now up to Dr Bourke to deliver on that, of course.
MS HUNTER (Ginninderra—Parliamentary Leader, ACT Greens) (3.58): Similar to the broader education and training directorate budget, CIT has received very little increased resources, and questions remain as to the government’s commitments to ensure its viability and competitiveness in responding to national reforms. In fact, the CIT is facing $9 million less due to efficiency dividends. The Greens will ensure that the CIT is able to meet these cuts without losing its focus on student outcomes and ability to deliver quality courses, and that is through keeping an eye on and monitoring what the government is up to.
The CIT has also had to endure a time of great uncertainty as a result of the “now you see it, now you don’t” collaborative venture with the University of Canberra. While this issue has now been resolved, it was an unnecessary period of confusion for all stakeholders involved. I hope we do not see similar rash and incomplete policy announcements regarding the skills reforms in the near future. It sets up a lot of uncertainty and takes up a lot of time and energy.
There have been some fantastic results from CIT this year in terms of enrolments and student outcomes, and it is clear that we have the right ingredients for success. We need to build on this strong foundation and move on from the instability caused by the proposed mergers and new institution debate.
The issue of widespread bullying and harassment over many years, of course, was a large part of the discussion this year. It should not have been allowed to go on for as long as it did. It is unfortunate that it was not tackled and that complaints and issues that were taken up were not properly dealt with by management. I sincerely hope the processes put in place will ensure that all those people who found themselves in the position of being bullied or harassed in their workplaces have been able to take their issues up and are having them properly addressed. We simply have no room in our workplaces—as we do not in our schoolyards or our homes or anywhere in our communities—for bullying.
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