Review launched into bullying at Parliament
An independent review into bullying and harassment of staff at Parliament has been launched by Speaker Trevor Mallard, who says all parties have problems in the area.
The review, led by consultant Debbie Francis, will look into whether any harassing or bullying of staff has occurred since October, 2014, the start of the last Parliament.
It covers MPs, staff and contractors in Parliamentary Services, Ministerial Services, and the Office of the Clerk – at least 3000 personnel, including former staffers who have left since 2014. These staff could be based at Parliament, or around the country in electorate offices.
The review comes after several allegations of bullying and harassment emerged during the Jami-Lee Ross saga and Meka Whaitiri incident, although it has been in the works since before those incidents.
‘‘Incidents have occurred over many years in this building that are unacceptable,’’ Mallard said.
‘‘I don’t think you’ll find any party is exempt from these issues. And part of it comes from the intense loyalty and teamwork that people have to their party.’’
He noted that reviews into law firms had inspired the review, as they were somewhat similar workplaces with entrenched hierarchies, long hours, and a power ‘‘bubble’’.
The review will not have the power to subpoena documents or punish individuals. It will instead produce a public report with recommendations for how Parliament should be run based on volunteered information from staff.
All party leaders and whips will be asked to be interviewed.
It is expected the review will cost between $150,000 and $200,000, and will return its report in April 2019.
The information produced will then be destroyed – and won’t be passed to Parliamentary Services or any other agency. But Mallard noted that some staffers could end up taking their complaints further to police or their employer.
Staff and former staff can speak to Francis in focus groups, in a secure online survey, via letter, and in one-on-one interviews.
While the Parliamentary press gallery, who are based inside the building, are not explicitly covered by the review, interactions between them and Parliamentary staff could be.
Francis has worked on a similar review into the New Zealand Defence Force.
Mallard said it was important to make sure that all staff felt safe and secure. ‘‘We want to proactively find out what we can do to improve the Parliamentary workplace.’’
Francis assured staff that all information handed over would be confidential and would be destroyed at the end of the review. None of it would be held on any Parliamentary IT systems.
MPs and their staff were briefed about the review at their caucus meetings yesterday just before the public announcement.