Dr WOODRUFF - Minister, on a similar work health and safety issue - it might be to you or to the chair - the Victorian Racing Integrity Commissioner undertook an independent review into the Victorian racing industry's victim support and complaint processes on the back of a number of complaints about physical and sexual abuse, assault and harassment of people in the Victorian racing industry. The conditions raised in that extensive report sound extremely the same as something we could imagine might be occurring in Tasmania. There is no reason, I should say, to think that they would be different - the culture of silence, the power imbalance in the industry and substance use were the conditions for assault and abuse which happened in Victoria.
They undertook an investigation, an independent opportunity for victims/survivors to report their experiences of physical and sexual abuse, assault and harassment, and to review existing processes and systems to respond to those complaints. Would you support that sort of investigation to consider whether the circumstances have fostered that sort of abuse in Tasmania and an opportunity to change it and respond?
Mr ELLIS - I'm aware of the report that's been done in Victoria and it's just awful, particularly our experience here in Tasmania with the commission of inquiry as well. It's absolutely vital that people feel safe and comfortable in their workplace and I know that matter included children as well. I haven't received any specific allegations but can I say anyone in the community and particularly in racing should feel welcome to come forward if they have any allegations or accusations and they will be heard and supported. In my Police portfolio it's a critical piece of work we're doing with our family and sexual violence command as part of it.
One of the things to note about our new racing regulations integrity bill is that the Tasmanian Racing Integrity Commissioner, like the Victorian Racing Integrity Commissioner, will be able to instigate own-motion investigations such as the one you're talking about now and we think that's important because having that additional capability to investigate any matters when it comes to animal welfare or integrity or any broader cultural matters is really important.
Dr WOODRUFF - I just want to pull you up there a little bit because I put it back to you: How can you be confident these things aren't happening in Tasmania? What we've heard from the commission of inquiry and what we understand from the Victorian report is that people don't come and bring these abuses, they don't make complaints because they will be left out of the industry. The conditions are the same - the small community, the intense network, the fact that people have to fight so hard to get a career in the racing industry. It's a tiny industry.
All of these mitigate against people making a complaint, so you won't, and neither will ORI necessarily, be hearing a complaint, but that doesn't mean that there shouldn’t be an investigation. Will you make a recommendation to ORI to consider undertaking a review and calling for people to have a confidential space to talk about their experiences - not an investigation, but a review, and looking at the response that needs to be undertaken to ensure that everyone in the industry is safe? Bearing in mind that 40 per cent of the complaints were in the previous one to three years in the Victorian racing industry, and 80 per cent of them were in under-25-year-olds.
Mr ELLIS - As I said, we want people to feel welcome to come forward with any accusations, because they will be heard and supported. I cannot stress that enough. It is really important in general, and I understand your comments, but it is really important, particularly when it comes to criminal matters. I encourage victims/survivors, if they feel comfortable, to report those to police. We have made significant steps forward in Tasmania around that.
I do not have any specific allegations around that but we are setting up, through legislation, a Racing Integrity Commissioner process that could, for example, in the future, potentially look into any own-motions in that space. More broadly, we want people of any walk of life to feel comfortable coming forward to the authorities if that is what they choose. It is part of the reason why we set up our Arch centres for victims/survivors.
Dr WOODRUFF - Why wouldn't you proactively review the processes and systems that are already in place on the knowledge of what has happened in Victoria and the commission of inquiry? That is a job you could do, you could recommend that. These are the sorts of learnings that we had from the commission of inquiry - to be proactive, not to leave it to victims/survivors to have to come forward.
Mr ELLIS - As I say, we do not have any evidence. But, one of the critical parts of this is around ensuring that our frameworks and systems are right in this space,. And certainly a few questions around making sure that we are establishing, for example, child safe organisations and ensuring that proper complaints-handling processes are in place. We take any learnings that we find from major pieces of work like the Victorian experience seriously.
Dr WOODRUFF - What are you going to do with it? I am asking you to do something - not take a learning but to do something with it. You could recommend to ORI to consider an own motion investigation. You are not telling them to do it; you are recommending, on the back of this and the commission of inquiry, that that would be something they should investigate. That is all that is required. That is something you could do. You've got the power.
Mr ELLIS - I think we are on a similar page, Dr Woodruff. I do not have any evidence specifically around any accusations in that space. It is important that people feel welcome to go to the police because police are the law enforcement in this space.
In terms of process, child safe organisations are going to be a key piece of work right across our community, coming from the commission of inquiry. Noting that, the implementation scrutiny next week in this space is going to be very important, and any learnings we can take. We encourage victims/survivors to come forward if that is what they want to do and report -
Dr WOODRUFF - I think you have not heard me, minister. We may as well move on.
