Former Catholic Education Tasmania boss Dr Trish Hindmarsh demands urgent review of organisation

The former head of Catholic Education Tasmania has called for an “urgent” review of the organisation, following allegations against her successor in the role. Latest >

Trish Hindmarsh is the former director of Tasmanian Catholic Education.

The former head of Catholic Education Tasmania has called for an “urgent” external review of the organisation following an investigation into alleged inappropriate behaviour by the current executive director.

Catholic Education Tasmania (CET) boss, Dr Gerard Gaskin, wrote to colleagues last Friday to apologise for “any unintentional harm and distress” he may have caused after a complaint was made to the Archdiocese of Hobart regarding an alleged incident at a CET staff meeting at Campbell Town on December 9, 2022.

The complaint accused Dr Gaskin of sexual harassment but was not lodged by either of the two women who were the subjects of the alleged inappropriate conduct.

An independent investigator was appointed to probe what was alleged to have occurred.

According to the complaint, Dr Gaskin allegedly hugged and kissed one female staff member at the meeting, who was said to have “winced and looked surprised”.

A CET spokesman said “no adverse finding” had been made against Dr Gaskin in the course of the investigation and the conclusions made were subjected to an independent legal review.

Dr Trish Hindmarsh, who served as director of CET from 2009-2014 and is currently a member of the Concerned Catholics Tasmania committee, said the investigation into Dr Gaskin was “a catalyst for wider concerns” regarding the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office.

Former director of Tasmanian Catholic Education, Trish Hindmarsh.

“Allegations of wider cultural anomalies within Catholic Education Tasmania have increasingly come to the attention of myself and other senior Catholic educators,” she said.

“These alleged anomalies relate to low morale, lack of employment best practice, lack of consultation with stakeholders about curriculum development and the allocation of financial resources.

“In my view an external review of Catholic education is now urgently warranted. This should happen in collaboration with the National Catholic Education Commission and the [Department for Education, Children and Young People], so that full transparency and wide consultation can be assured.”

“The public interest and the common good of our students and staff require nothing less”.

The CET spokesman said the organisation was “subject to a wide range of views”, given it was the largest non-state education provider in Tasmania.

Catholic Education Tasmania executive director Gerard Gaskin

“While we respect people are entitled to raise matters however they choose, there are mechanisms for these to be considered and we would ask that these are followed,” he said.

In documents obtained by the Mercury, Archbishop of Hobart, Julian Porteous, confirms that the women involved in the investigation relating to Dr Gaskin had said that “they just wanted the behaviour to stop as quickly as possible, and that they did not want to be identified”.

“As a result, Dr Gaskin was spoken to and gave his word that he will not engage in the type of conduct complained of again,” Archbishop Porteous wrote in a document, dated April 5.

“When the individual women were advised of this, they told the investigator they were satisfied with the outcome and the investigation was concluded on that basis.”

Originally published as Former Catholic Education Tasmania boss Dr Trish Hindmarsh demands urgent review of organisation