Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment, Senator Cash. I refer to the minister's answer in question time yesterday concerning registered organisations. Can the minister please further update the Senate on reports of bullying and intimidation of employees by members of registered organisations?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Hume for her question. As I referred to yesterday, it has since been reported that the United Firefighters Union has been on an active campaign to try and cover up allegations of bullying, intimidation and harassment of Country Fire Authority volunteers. The evidence has come directly from Professor Caroline Taylor, who undertook the survey. She has revealed that she herself has been bullied for writing a report highlighting the extent of the bullying within the CFA. In fact, she went on record yesterday on radio and said this: 'There is a very, very serious culture of bullying and harassment that operates largely with impunity.' She also said, 'The heart of this culture is the underbelly of a union structure that doesn't allow transparency or accountability and fails to have any process by which people can be held to account in a transparent way or face any kind of discipline for the behaviours that are brought against their staff.' The behaviours that Professor Taylor has outlined are very disturbing. She has cited bullying, intimidation, sexual harassment and even criminal sexual assault.

We also have an extraordinary report, a comment from Victoria's Human Rights Commissioner. This is what the Human Rights Commissioner has said. She has expressed concerns that 'if individuals approach her commission to report bullying and harassment in the state's fire service, they may actually be photographed entering her building'. In any other workplace, senators opposite would be rightly outraged. But when it happens to the CFA, because of the UFU, they are silent. (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hume, a supplementary question.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the minister for her answer. That is indeed disturbing. Can the minister advise the Senate of the extent of bullying and intimidation described in this report?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again I will refer to the evidence from Professor Taylor. She told the ABC yesterday that there was a 56 per cent response rate to the survey that she undertook amongst the CFA staff. This is extraordinarily high. CFA workers want their voices to be heard. The report detailed numerous allegations of bullying, and it went much further in some situations where, again, some involved in the survey revealed experiences of criminal sexual assault. Professor Taylor—she was asked to undertake the survey—thought this warranted a serious response. But this is what happened, and this is her evidence: she said: 'I myself was warned that I needed to leave and that, if I didn't, the behaviours against myself would only get worse.' I congratulate, at least, the Victorian opposition leader for calling for an inquiry into this appalling behaviour—

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What a surprise! What a surprise!

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and for those like Senator Carr to stop running a protection racket. (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hume, a final supplementary question.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister also outline for the Senate why it is so important for registered organisations to stand up for workers who have been abused and bullied at work rather than trying to cover it up?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said, in relation to the behaviour that I have outlined from words directly from Ms Taylor, who wrote the report from the survey she undertook, in any other workplace, colleagues, those opposite would be rightly outraged, as we all should be. Why? Because unions, members of parliament and senators are meant to stand up for workers. We are meant to ensure that they get a fair go. In fact, you would think that this particular union would actually be horrified by the report that has been handed down. You would think that they would be horrified by reports of widespread harassment, bullying, intimidation and sexual assault of workers and that they would be demanding that the perpetrators be held to account and punished. Instead, what do we have? We have them currently fighting in the Victorian Supreme Court over another report that they want suppressed. (Time expired)