CSIRO Misleads the Senate 3:Findings of Comcare Report into CSIRO

Posted on November 6, 2012. Filed under: Uncategorized |

At Senate Estimates 28 May 2012 when questioned by Senator Colbeck Dr Megan Clark stated:

Dr Clark: Senator, let me just be clear here. I have been very involved in making sure that we had the right team. We have discussed this issue. It is a complex issue. It required specific expertise. I am comfortable that that expertise has been working on this case. I am very comfortable with Mr Roy’s handling of the case. As he outlined, the specific issue was the immediate line manager. Mr Roy has outlined that the one up manager who was relevant was then involved in this, which was Dr Daly and subsequently Dr Johnson. This is the right course and the right process. As Comcare has confirmed, they do not have any issues with this.

Further testimony provided by CSIRO in an answer to a Question on Notice BI-6 received on 27 July 2012 states:

“Line management arrangements remained in place and Dr Lonsdale continued to interact with the employee with respect to appropriate line management matters.”

Well actually Dr Clark is wrong and Comcare do have an issue with these arrangements.Here is what Comcare reports finds:

The CSIRO breached section 16(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1991 regarding the organisation’s point of contact arrangements with the worker during 2010

in that:

a) The ongoing interactions between the particular staff member and the worker during February to October 2010 increased a risk of exacerbating the worker’s health.

b) The CSIRO did not take all reasonable steps to protect the worker from that risk.

The summary of the Comcare Report (EVE207221-0002) is available online at
http://www.comcare.gov.au/about_us/freedom_of_information/disclosure_log/foi_requested_documents/summary_of_report_eve207221-0002_dated_24_august_2012