Wilkie’s plea to end battle

Call to settle Ashley whistleblower case

INDEPENDENT federal MP Andrew Wilkie has joined calls for the government to settle a court case it is fighting with the worker who blew the whistle on abuse at the Ashley Youth Detention Centre.

Ashley staffer Alysha went public with claims of abuse at the facility – leading to the government’s announcement in September last year that it would close within three years.

She will be a key witness at the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings, but the government is fighting her workers’ compensation claim tooth and nail.

That has included forcing her to attend four medical assessments, with demands for a fifth.

Mr Wilkie, the Member for Clark, has written to Premier Jeremy Rockliff on her behalf, urging the case be settled quickly so Alysha can focus on giving her vital evidence.

“Whistleblowers are treated appallingly in this country, that’s an undeniable fact,” Mr Wilkie said.

“What should be happening in this case is that the government should, or the system should be, wrapping their arms around Alysha and keeping her safe and expediting the workers’ compensation claim.”

Mr Wilkie said his personal experience as a whistleblower against the intelligence case used to justify Australia’s involvement in the Iraq War had given him a stark insight into how those who speak the truth are sometimes treated.

“I can’t rule out the mistreatment through the workers’ compensation process isn’t deliberate,” he said.

“Because as someone who’s gone through the whistleblower grinder myself, what I’m witnessing here just seems all too typical of what happens to whistleblowers in this country.” Mr Wilkie said he had been given an initial indication from Mr Rockliff’s office that intervention would not be happening, but was hopeful of a more considered reply.

A government spokesman said nothing could be done.

“We recognise the considerable courage and bravery it takes to participate in the commission of inquiry, and we have ensured there are additional supports available to Alysha and her family to allow her to participate,” he said in a statement.

“We also understand Alysha is receiving her lawful entitlements under the Workers’ Rehabilitation and Compensation Act, and her claim is being managed in the usual way such claims are.”

He said Mr Wilkie should know “it would not be appropriate for the government to intervene in active workers’ compensation claims”.