We are now early in 2025 and my intention in 2024 was to dismantle the protection racket that was being run to benefit a few. I had to be aggressive in my stance; however, the abuses that were allowed to manifest under the leadership vacuum were a disgrace that must be eradicated to prevent further abuses, this still was not going to be easy.

I will endeavour to dismantle the structure that allowed the crony club to prosper; this, I believe offers the best opportunity to eradicate the patronage that afflicts us. The three stooges have abused the privileges they were gifted, they took it way too far, now they have been exposed. So, how do I go about it? I have spent 2023 collecting evidence and documenting safety compliance including the psychosocial factors incorporated in the Act, the investigation from an external contractor that was ordered after an internal complaint rocked the establishment.

So, where to from here? Well, first, the conditions that allowed the abuses to occur need to be scrutinised, these individuals like to operate under established practices, there has been misappropriation of government funds, there has been misuse of resources, there has been breaches of every clause of the Code of Conduct with the exception of the outside employment clause.

Let’s not even review the values statement of the organisation, the integrity of the organisation has been compromised. The question is why has the leadership been so lacking? Why have these certain individuals been emboldened to act in such a manner that discredits the whole organisation? Where is the accountability?

The mission statement should offer a clue, yet the vision, mission and values statement of the organisation whilst found on the intranet are largely discounted. Where is the accountability? The Code of Conduct is pretty clear, do not engage in bullying, but bugger that, people who are accused of bullying are offered promotions. The message is clear, engage in misconduct to further your career.

So, what happens next? The organisation has been investigated by an external provider, this is not the first time this has occurred. So, we need to start asking questions of upper management. Where is the oversight? The upper management needs to answer serious questions regarding their conduct, when accountability and conduct is scrutinised, they cannot continue to their behind their positions. They need to answer questions regarding their management and as this escalation will get them running for cover.