Bullying Complaint Against Ministers Dismissed After Lengthy Inquiry
- markdarrenwilkinso
- 20 hours ago
- 1 min read
A former government employee’s complaint accusing senior ministers and States Employment Board members of bullying and pressuring them to resign has been dismissed after a protracted investigation.
The grievance, filed with the Commissioner for Standards in March 2024, named all members of the then-SEB – including former Chief Minister Deputy Kristina Moore – as well as former Health Minister Deputy Karen Wilson and former Treasury Minister Deputy Ian Gorst.
“Without warning”
The complainant alleged they were bullied and asked to resign “without warning”, but the investigation was held up by what officials described as complex legal issues.
In a report published this week, Commissioner for Standards Dr Melissa McCullough concluded that the evidence did not support claims of bullying and found no breaches of the political Code of Conduct by any ministers involved. The Privileges and Procedures Committee agreed, confirming no further action.
The committee also backed the Commissioner’s decision to dismiss a separate complaint against Deputy David Warr. The former Housing Minister had been accused of posting misleading comments online about a colleague’s voting record, but the Commissioner ruled his statements were not untruthful and that he believed them to be accurate at the time.