The thought that some of the most vulnerable in our society – the elderly – might be at risk of harm in residential aged care facilities is abhorrent. But even with the best of intentions and the proper guidelines in place, there is still potential for abuse and assault to occur. Abuse allegations in […]
Risk management is an important aspect of running a successful business: Whether this takes the form of ensuring compliance with corporate governance programs, reducing instances of workplace fraud or financial misconduct, or eliminating bullying or other forms of harassment. Having a strong and coherent whistleblower program in place can help protect your organisation’s interests in […]
A recent decision of the Australian Information Commissioner has confirmed that certain categories of internal documents cannot generally be forced to be the subject of a disclosure process. The decision, which was handed down by Commissioner Tim Pilgrim on April 5, 2017, arose from a refusal by Australia Post to produce documents to a […]
Sometimes when we investigate issues of misconduct and/or corruption in workplaces, we find ourselves asking – why didn’t anybody notice this earlier? Yet more often than not the answer to this question will be that people at least partially knew, but for a number of reasons they felt unable to act. Those reasons tend to […]
Jill McMahon – Wednesday, March 23, 2016 This month the NSW Ombudsman hosted a forum reflecting on the past 16 years of Reportable Conduct legislation in NSW. With over 800 attendees, the gathering represented an exceptional group of people with a wealth of expertise in this sensitive and tricky area. Key messages from the […]
Everyone loves perks – they are quite often what makes a job just that bit more enjoyable. The benefits of on-the-job perks were clear in the film The Devil Wears Prada for example, in which the heroine sought a makeover at her fashion magazine employer as a last-ditch effort to save her job. She went […]
The Cost of Ignoring Verbal Reports of Sexual Harassment The recent matter of Trolan v WD Gelle Insurance and Finance Brokers is notable for a number of interlinked reasons. Damage and loss caused by the sexual harassment and bullying behaviour in question led to the sizable sum of $733,723 in compensation being awarded to the […]