Power structures keeping prison staff from reporting harassment and bullying: survey

More than a third of Corrective Services staff in Western Australia have experienced harassment or bullying in the workplace, a public sector survey has revealed. A survey of public sector staff was completed last April and initial data was released in October, but it wasn’t until the State Opposition put in a freedom of information request that a breakdown of responses by Corrective Services staff was made public. The new details revealed 36 per cent of staff in the sector personally experienced workplace harassment or bullying, nearly double the rate of the public sector as a whole. However, nearly 60 per cent of those who did experience it, did not report it. When asked why they didn’t report, nearly 20 per cent of respondents said it was because the person was in a position of power, and slightly more than 20 per cent of respondents said it was because of a fear of victimisation. The other major reasons for not reporting was because of a lack of trust it would be confidential at 16.2 per cent and because the behaviour was widely accepted at 15.9 per cent. The revelation comes after a string of controversies in the sector including a hurt feelings report revealed by the South Western Times being sent to a staff member in 2022 who was trying to report sexual harassment. A petition for a parliamentary inquiry into the sector launched by former Bunbury Regional Prison guard Bronwyn Hendry — who is currently suing the Department of Justice for sexual harassment as well as sexual and disability discrimination — and facilitated by shadow corrective services minister Peter Collier has amassed more than 100 signatures. Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia has resisted calls for an inquiry, and said it would not be helpful as a review into the Bunbury Regional Prison by the Office for the Inspector of Custodial Services was currently being drafted. A State Government spokesperson said reports of misconduct were taken seriously by the Department of Justice. “The public sector census was completed in April last year, prior to the appointment of Corrective Services commissioner, Mr Brad Royce,” they said. “Commissioner Royce is steering operational and cultural change within the department to ensure improved outcomes for staff, detainees and the Western Australian public.” A Department of Justice spokesperson said the survey was a valuable tool to understand the workforce and reminded those support services were available. “The information collected in the WA public sector census is an opportunity to learn about the workforce and the experiences of employees in their workplaces,” they said. “Understanding the extent to which Department of Justice staff experience and report matters like bullying and harassment, and the reasons for them, is vital for the department to respond and support employees. “It is also an opportunity to remind staff of the integrity and complaints portals available, and to urge all employees to report any misconduct.”