Mr BAYLEY - Earlier, we talked about the three former health service employees subject to findings from the commission of inquiry report. Were any of these people subject to ED5 investigations?
Mr BARNETT - The three that were named in the report? individual names in terms of the findings in the commission of inquiry?
Mr BAYLEY - That's right. We spoke of them earlier, the three former employees.
Mr BARNETT - Would you be able to repeat your question, please?
Mr BAYLEY - Were any of these subject to ED5 investigations, the three former health service employees that we discussed earlier?
Ms MORGAN-WICKS - Those individuals are named within the report and I'm not going to comment on investigations that may or may not have occurred in relation to those three named individuals.
Mr BAYLEY - But you can -
Ms MORGAN-WICKS - I have conducted assessments of each of those three individuals and I've taken action and made all appropriate notifications in relations to those three.
Mr BAYLEY - And you confirmed earlier that they're no longer working with the service?
Ms MORGAN-WICKS - I confirm that they are no longer working.
Mr BAYLEY - Were they terminated?
Ms MORGAN-WICKS - I'm not going to comment on the individual employee matters as they're identified.
Mr BAYLEY - Right. This morning we heard from the head of the State Service that there'd been no terminations. Therefore, under what circumstances did these Health employees with findings against them named in the report finish their employment with the department? We had the head of the State Service talking about no terminations, I think it's a fair question to understand the context around the departure of these three employees.
Ms MORGAN-WICKS - I'm not going to comment on the three individuals, but I can comment in relation to my assessment of the 20 employees that were assessed through my process of looking at the conduct through the commission of inquiry, but I am not going to comment on the three individuals who are very clearly named in the final report. Their own employment arrangements are subject to confidentiality and privacy requirements.
Mr BAYLEY - I guess I would make the case that for victims/survivors and indeed others, the level of accountability and transparency around some of the people named in the report is really important. You've confirmed they're no longer in the State Service. I guess that's welcome, but the questions around what consequences they faced and how they came to no longer be in the State Service are really important ones that I think the public deserve an answer to.
Ms MORGAN-WICKS - I have absolutely every respect for our victims/survivors with whom I have had very lengthy and personal interaction throughout the course of the Health hearings. Many have provided quite significant feedback to me for which I'm deeply appreciative. In relation to identifying individual employees and the outcome of particular actions, I am not able to comment in relation to that. What I can comment, that is, for example, in relation to the three perpetrators that were named in case studies in the Department of Health report: one is deceased; one had an ED5 investigation concluded, a breach found and a sanction of termination determined, but that was prior to the hearings of the commission of inquiry; and one has an ED5 that will commence if they seek to be re-employed within the State Service.
Mr BAYLEY - The inquiry had a key finding in it that, 'James Bellinger did not conduct a proper investigation into James Griffin's complaints history and misled the secretary of the department and the Integrity Commission'. Do you not think it's appropriate that the public have some transparency around the investigation and the action that was taken in relation to this person?
Ms MORGAN-WICKS - The commission of inquiry has clearly made a finding against three individuals in relation to their employment with the Department of Health. My role as secretary is to conduct an assessment of that conduct and to take employment action under the existing employment arrangements which are set in place by the Tasmanian State Service. I can confirm that I have done that but I'm not going to comment in relation to individual -
Mr BAYLEY - But you're not willing to go into the details of the consequences or the employment action?
Ms MORGAN-WICKS - That information has been provided to the head of the State Service, and my understanding also, which she confirmed this morning - Ms Jenny Gale - is that information will be provided in a disclosure and also the annual report in relation to each of the assessments that are undertaken for any employee that has been named in the report.
Mr BAYLEY - When was that going to happen? Forgive me, I wasn't in the room this morning.
Ms MORGAN-WICKS - Neither was I but I was watching online. My understanding was that that disclosure was going to occur this week, but apologies, I don't have a better time line.
Mr BAYLEY - Thank you.
Mr BAYLEY - To tie off the last line of questioning, I respect that you don't want to go into the specifics around those three instances. Perhaps a different way of asking the question is to ask the number of terminations in Health due to matters related to child sexual abuse perpetrating or other misconduct since October 2020. Can you give us that information?
Mr BARNETT - I will jump in before passing to the secretary to make it clear. As I said in my remarks, the secretary has undertaken assessment of all current and former employees and has taken the appropriate action and has passed that information onto the head of the State Service, Ms Jenny Gale. We've heard about the routine disclosure today with 74 that have been identified on that disclosure document which is on the public record. I share that again to assist the committee, and then pass to the secretary.
Mr BAYLEY - Thank you, the question is the number of terminations that are related to child sexual abuse since October 2020?
Ms MORGAN-WICKS - Before I go to since October 2020, because I think that relates then to the 74 individuals that are named in the DPAC routine disclosure table, I mentioned before the one termination that had occurred for a perpetrator that was named in the commission of inquiry final report. In relation to the 74, I'll just consult.
Mr BAYLEY - Thank you.
Ms MORGAN-WICKS - My understanding is in relation to the 74, the one that I've mentioned as being one of the perpetrators for the commission of inquiry is the one termination that we have in relation to that 74, but we have several matters underway.
Mr BAYLEY - So, there is only one termination since October 2020, but then you have active processes going on.
Ms MORGAN-WICKS - Active processes underway. We also obviously have one that is deceased.
