Public sector workers suspended for child abuse pocket 40 years worth of pay

Three state servants accused of child sexual abuse have racked up more than 1300 days suspended on full pay.

Barrister Regina Weiss. Picture: Linda Higginson

Three state servants accused of child sexual abuse have racked up more than 1300 days each suspended on full pay.

An updated list of the status of state servants on full pay reveals the number being paid while under investigation has dropped substantially since December as the government cracks down on the number of long-running investigations.

There are 34 workers who have been suspended for a combined total equivalent to 40 years, with the average current suspension length of 433 days and the longest being 1368 days.

The figure is down from 74 workers who had pulled in a combined 60 years of salary while suspended to the end of December

Premier Jeremy Rockliff announced last month that respected barrister Regina Weiss would provide advice to state service chief Kathrine Morgan-Wicks and the new “Shared Capability and Centralised Investigations Unit” which has been established to speed up disciplinary action.

Mr Rockliff has directed Ms Morgan-Wicks to consider the status of all Commission of Inquiry assessments and internal investigations and “to improve timeliness of the outcomes.”

According to a routine disclosure by the Department of Premier and Cabinet made on July 19 and 20 there has been 90 state servants suspended over allegations of child sexual abuse since 2020.

State service chief Kathrine Morgan-Wicks.

Investigations have been finalised in 45 of these cases, with 35 found to have involved no breach and 10 upheld.

Of the remaining 45 cases, 38 employees were at that time suspended, including the 34 on full pay. Seven employees resigned before an outcome of the investigation.

Eleven employees have been suspended for more than a year, with five subject to fresh allegations and four in the final stages of determination.

A spokesman for the Department of Premier and Cabinet said were many factors that agencies must take into account in progressing these investigations with due process, including accessing key witnesses, new evidence obtained during an investigation that requires additional allegations to be put to the employee and further engagement with new and existing witnesses. 

Where a civil case progresses for the same allegation this may cause delays to an investigation.

In some cases, an employee can be suspended without pay for reasons such as their Working with Vulnerable People Registration having been suspended.

Of 22 state servants so far identified as perpetrators, one has died, two have been convicted of criminal charges, four have been terminated and eight have resigned.

Four are awaiting the outcome of disciplinary action.