Health inspector takes Dandenong Council to court after being denied WorkCover
A health inspector who blew the whistle on a Dandenong council after it allegedly pressured her to fabricate evidence in its pursuit of iCook Foods over a listeria outbreak, is now fighting for compensation.
VIC News
Don't miss out on the headlines from VIC News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
An inspector who blew the whistle on a Melbourne council after it allegedly pressured her to fabricate evidence has been denied access to WorkCover.
Kim Rogerson helped to expose the City of Greater Dandenong’s pursuit of iCook Foods, which had been slapped with 96 charges before the council sensationally withdrew them last month.
The company, which is suing the council for $26 million over the saga, says evidence — including a slug — was planted in its kitchen to try to shut it down.
The pursuit of the company came after iCook Foods was suspended by the Department of Health and Human Services in February after being wrongly linked to a case of listeria.
Ms Rogerson said she was pressured to sign off on a report that contained inaccuracies and she couldn’t watch the council hound iCook Foods over suspect evidence.
“They are just bullies,” she said. “I am absolutely disgusted about the behaviour; they went after iCook with such determination to shut them down.”
She is now heading to court to try to force the council’s insurer, MAV Care, to approve WorkCover payments, saying she had been bullied and was not well enough to return to work.
“I think in their heads they thought I would drop it or I would go away — swat me away like a fly,” she said.
“They treated me as the bad person because I blew the whistle.”
Ms Rogerson also sent a complaint about the matter to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.
Dandenong Council city planning, design and amenity director Jody Bosman said WorkCover claims “are ultimately a matter for and determined by the Victorian WorkCover Authority appointed insurer”.
“Council cannot comment further on any staffing matters,” he said.
“On the broader issue, Greater Dandenong Council strongly refutes all allegations made, however we do take them extremely seriously.”
MORE NEWS:
CASEY COUNCILS FACE ANTI-CORRUPTION PROBE
CITY SIZZLES AS TEMPERATURE CLIMBS
SIMMONS REIGNITES CROWN CASINO RACISM CLAIMS
He said the council was a customer of a separate food preparation business called Community Chef but this “played no role in the investigations into iCook Foods”.
ICook owner Ian Cook said the saga had killed his business and Ms Rogerson was another victim.
“They (the council) want to discredit her, they need to discredit her,” he said. “The health inspectors from Dandenong came in with the intention of closing us down. She was asked to lie.”