Toowoomba Regional Council CEO faces grilling over investigations into bullying, harassment claims

Just months after it was revealed 97 per cent of instances of bullying and sexual harassment were going unreported, the Toowoomba Regional Council is feeling more heat over investigation timelines.

Toowoomba Regional Council CEO Brian Pidgeon.

Toowoomba Regional Council’s CEO has been grilled by councillors over the organisation’s handling of staff bullying and harassment complaints.

Chief executive Brian Pidgeon was in the firing line at a meeting on Wednesday after a new report revealed less than half of complaints made had been investigated on time.

It comes after bombshell 2020 internal survey results, leaked in March, showed just three per cent of bullying or harassment complaints were formally reported.

The councillors voted to have the survey results reviewed, with both Mr Pidgeon and Mayor Paul Antonio pledging to address the issue.

But according to the council’s latest progress report on its operational plan, which was tabled at the meeting, just 45 per cent of the 120 complaints made in the 2020/21 financial year were investigated within set time frames.

The report said the council hadn’t been able to reduce its backlog of investigations, since complaints had increased in recent month.

Councillors Nancy Sommerfield and Rebecca Vonhoff found the statistic concerning and asked Mr Pidgeon why targets were slipping.

“I’m very concerned only 50 per cent of complaints have been investigated (on time) when there is quite a focus of concern on staff bullying,” Ms Sommerfield said.

In response, Mr Pidgeon said the increase in complaints was good, since it showed staff were feeling more confident in coming forward.

“As you would recall, there was a discrepancy between what was reported anonymously and what was raised throughout the organisation,” he said.