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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-09-19 Daily Xml
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Public Service Association

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:05): My question is to the Treasurer. Treasurer, what response have you had with regard to the Public Service Association and correctional services officers' protest and behaviour last week?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:05): I thank the member for his question, because I think the widespread response has been one of absolute condemnation—

An honourable member: Horror.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: —horror and condemnation of the behaviour of members of the Public Service Association and correctional services officers in relation to some of their activities. The bullying, intimidation and harassment of a long-serving correctional services officer at the Adelaide Remand Centre has been widely condemned by almost everybody in the community with the exception, of course, of the Leader of the Opposition in another place, Mr Malinauskas, and indeed others.

Those same officers were escorted into Parliament House as part of their campaign by the Leader of the Opposition in another place. They were seen inside the Parliament House corridors being actively egged on by the Leader of the Opposition in terms of their protest against this decision, and it was that sort of behaviour that led to these same officers' shameful bullying and intimidation of that officer. That officer, I am informed, had had a 33-year career in Corrections. He had started off as a correctional services officer.

Because of the decision taken in the Employment Tribunal—an order that minimal levels of staffing had to be maintained in terms of community safety—he took that action, together with others, to allow those who did want to protest to go about their lawful right to protest. He certainly didn't deserve the bullying and intimidation from correctional services officers and members of the PSA—union bosses, similar to the union boss who leads, the Leader of the Opposition. That is the sort of bullying and intimidation that has been widely condemned by all and sundry.

I am advised that there is considerable unrest within the Public Service Association about the activities that ensued over the last couple of weeks. I am told by two people who attended a PSA council meeting this week that Mr Nev Kitchin told that PSA council meeting that 10 correctional services officers had resigned in protest at the actions of the union bosses and the bullying, intimidation and harassment that had gone on as a result of that campaign, which, as I said, had been actively egged on by the activities of the Leader of the Opposition by inviting them in here to Parliament House and, indeed, through sympathetic statements that he had made leading up to those protest actions.

I am also advised by these two people who attended the PSA council meeting—and we thank them for their public service in terms of providing to the parliament, through me, the results of those particular discussions—that Mr Nev Kitchin said that he had then spoken to four—well, I think he had spoken to all of the 10 correctional services officers, but that he had managed to convince four of the correctional services officers to renew their membership after they had resigned. The council meeting was told by Mr Nev Kitchin that 10 correctional services officers had resigned, and he had managed to convince four of them to renew their membership of the PSA.

That is an indication of the disharmony and discontent within the PSA about the bullying and intimidation—

The Hon. C.M. Scriven: Because of your budget.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: —and if the Hon. Ms Scriven wants to support the bullying and intimidation of long-serving public servants, who through no fault of their own had acted in accordance with an order from the Employment Tribunal (Commissioner McMahon) that minimum guaranteed levels of staffing had to continue in the interests of community safety—if members opposite, like the Hon. Ms Scriven and others, want to stand up and support that sort of bullying and intimidation, then shame on them—shame on them!

I would invite the Hon. Ms Scriven and others to join with me in condemning thuggish, loutish behaviour by union bosses in terms of bullying and intimidation of long-serving public servants who through no fault of their own complied with an industrial order for guaranteed levels of staffing to allow those other members of the PSA their lawful right to protest as they would wish.

Indeed, as I said all along, I accept the fact that members of the Public Service Association, and indeed anybody else who wants to go about their lawful right to protest decisions, should be entitled to do so. I have. We never sought to stop their lawful right to protest. All we sought to do was to allow community safety to be assured through guaranteed minimum levels of staffing. This public servant, and others, did that to allow those who wanted to protest. I invite the Hon. Ms Scriven, and all those on the opposition benches, to join with me and with the government in condemning the thuggish, loutish behaviour.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: The Leader of the Opposition has already made some comments about this and you're ignoring them.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: The Hon. Mr Hunter can interject if he wants to.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: You're ignoring them for political purposes. Shame on you!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Let him defend the thuggish, loutish behaviour of union bosses, because I can assure the Hon. Mr Hunter, the Hon. Ms Scriven and the Hon. Mr Maher that the overwhelming view of the majority of South Australians is that they don't support that sort of bullying and intimidation of long-serving public servants.

It will only be members of the Labor Party, because they represent the union bosses. They will defend the union bosses to the end of their days, but that's a call for them. They have to answer to their own consciences. I, on behalf of the government, will stand up for those long-serving public servants, like that public servant who had 33 years of service. I, on behalf of the government, will defend them.

What I am saying is that it's not just the community who are outraged and appalled; there are clearly members of the PSA, members of the union movement themselves, who are appalled, who are outraged, who are so disgusted that they have resigned their membership of the PSA as a result of that sort of behaviour. I congratulate them, and I thank the two members of the PSA who in the public interest shared the discussions that went on this week at that PSA council meeting.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hanson had the call first.

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