‘Brutal’ review exposes NSW ministerial office failings

Political ambition, loyalty to ministers and the tenuous nature of their employment is leaving ministerial staff reluctant to report bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who commissioned a review of the policies and procedures in NSW ministerial offices following Brittany Higgins’ alleged sexual assault in Canberra, said the report was “brutal”.

Pru Goward’s review into NSW ministerial office operations was described as brutal by the NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Credit: Dean Sewell

In her strongly-worded report released on Wednesday, former sex discrimination commissioner and former NSW minister Pru Goward said the “protections and processes available to ministerial staff are unclear, ineffective and inadequate”.

Her review said ministerial offices are “unique workplaces”, where staff are under intense public scrutiny and “employment protections for ministers are vastly greater than those of their staff”.

“The political ambitions of some staff and their frequent involvement in party-political activities, further complicate a staff member’s readiness to complain,” Ms Goward’s review found.

“Merit is difficult to define and subjectively applied to staff appointments...the value placed on loyalty to the minister, the government and the political party may conflict with considerations about the duty of care to the welfare of staff.”

Ms Goward’s report also found that the ability to obtain government information through freedom of information or orders from the upper house could also be barriers for complaints.

“The public, quite rightly, expects government leaders, particularly ministers, to model respectful conduct and set the standard for the rest of the NSW workforce and wider society,” her report said.

“This is particularly so given the role of ministers in administering laws. Any failure on their part to uphold the necessary standards and laws will inevitably contribute to a decline in public trust in the institution of government.”

Ms Goward made 13 recommendations, which included establishing an independent process for those unwilling to have their complaint handled within a ministerial office, as well as training for ministers and their staff about what constitutes bullying, harassment, and sexual misconduct and how to manage a complaint.

Ms Berejiklian said the government would accept all Ms Goward’s recommendations.

“I would like to thank Pru Goward for this comprehensive and forthright report,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“It’s very important to me that we stress test everything that exists in and around NSW ministerial offices to make sure that we have in place good policies and culture.

“I am keen to adopt all the recommendations and there will be an opportunity for consultation in the next phase of this process.

“If we’re serious about making change, we have to do it properly and this will involve engagement with NSW Parliament and any survivors.”

Ms Berejiklian ordered the review two days after thousands of women marched across Australia calling for cultural change and sexual assault reform.

Five members of the NSW government were seen joining about 10,000 protesters at the Sydney march. Ms Berejiklian did not attend.

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