Resignation Fever

Posted on February 5, 2013. Filed under: Uncategorized |

With the recent resignation of two senior government Ministers, especially the Minister for Science for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research, whose portfolio maintains overarching responsibility for the CSIRO, we can only hope that the incoming Minister, the Hon. Senator Chris Bowen, will heed the call of his opposition counterpart and take the matter of the toxic workplace culture within the CSIRO a lot more seriously.

‘Victims of CSIRO’ and its members, have contacted Senator Evans on a number of occasions requested his immediately intervention in an increasing number of serious issues of workplace bullying and victimisation plaguing the science organisation

Senator Evan’s response to the ‘Victims’ call for action in relation to the science organisation has been lacklustre at best with Senator Evans insinuating during a radio interview conducted by Mike Welsh on Radio 2CC that victims of workplace bullying, and in particular the psychologically vulnerable and suicidal, were sensationalising the issue. This is offensive in the extreme to those who have suffered unrelenting workplace bullying and harassment!

It would appear that even the government itself is failing to set a proper example for Commonwealth agencies with a number of senior ALP figures offering criticism over the toxic culture within the party itself.

There have been calls from a number of groups advocating a change of culture within federal agencies for the Australian government to intervene more generally in relation to the toxic culture which evidence suggests is occurring across the public service.

We call upon the Hon. Senator Bowen to take a firm hand in dealing with the cultural issues plaguing the CSIRO.