Here is my speech from Last night on bullying that saw an extraordinary moment in our NT Parliament history when CLP members voted in favour of disciplining there own Minister. Mr VOWLES (Johnston): Madam Speaker, I move that the Legislative of Assembly calls on the Chief Minister to discipline the member for Greatorex, for the disrespectful and abusive language he used towards the member for Namatjira. Also, that the Legislative Assembly congratulates the member for Namatjira and the member for Araluen for their courage in speaking out against work place bullying, and that the Legislative Assembly makes a powerful statement to all Territory women that bullying in this workplace or anywhere is not acceptable in 2014. This motion has three distinct aspects: failure of leadership, courageous women and an affirmation by this House that certain behaviour - in this case, bullying - is not acceptable in this day and age, if it ever was. The Chief Minister is, for want of a better term, the CEO of that side of the House. It is his responsibility to make sure he provides a duty of care to his members; he needs to lead. We will demonstrate that in the matter of the vile and abusive language used by the member for Greatorex towards the member of Namatjira in the CLP party room, the Chief Minister failed in his duty of care. He should have immediately disciplined the member of Greatorex, but he did not. Like many failed leaders before him, he compounded his lack of leadership by covering up the original offence to protect his frail numbers, but in the process, he diminished himself as a leader and diminished the office of the Chief Minister. There is no doubt that what was alleged to have been said by the member of Greatorex to the member of Namatjira was, in fact, said. The victim has confirmed it, and no one from that side of the House has contradicted it since it was confirmed. For the record, she told ABC radio on 11 March: I want to put this matter to bed. On Monday 17 February at 4:25, at our wing, Matt used the words, ‘Why don’t you do all of us a big favour, Alison, f… off, you c…’ The ABC presenter has asked her a direct question and without hesitation, she answered firmly and certainly that: Matt used the words, ‘Why don’t you do us all a favour, Alison, f… off, you c…’ This is disgraceful, abusive and disrespectful language. There is a chance the Chief Minister did not hear those words, but the member for Namatjira was so hurt, taken aback and insulted that she felt it was her duty to bring the comments to the attention of the Chief Minister. I will again quote from her interview on ABC on 11 March: I bought it to the attention of the Chief Minister and said, ‘Chief Minister, this man has just called me a f**** c****’. Again, significantly, there has been no public contradiction that that happened. The victim approached the leader and told him what had happened, and we were all left with no doubt that is what she did. How did the Chief Minister, the CEO of that side of the House, with his duty of care, react? His reply to his aggrieved college was: We have a full agenda, let’s get on with business. In other words, ‘Do not bother me with such minor matters as work place vilification, as bullying or verbal abuse. Let’s sweep it under the carpet.’ The Chief Minister put it into the ‘too hard basket’; he failed her. At a time when leadership was called for, at a time when any leader worth their position would have intervened and taken action, this leader failed. That is not where it ended. Not content with letting down his colleagues, his values and letting down everyone who heard the comment, the Chief Minister decided it would be best to cover it up. The cover up started on March 8 on ABC TV. When he had the chance to come clean, the Chief Minister uttered these words. Look, I am not aware of any offensive language that may or may not have been used. Maybe he was mistaken, or maybe he had forgotten what the member for Namatjira had said to him. He had another chance to set the record straight on Channel 9 the same day. Again, it was the same script, the same lines that had been worked by the backroom boys in the Chief Minister’s office. The Chief Minister said: I am not aware of any offensive language that may or may not have been used The spin was on; the following day, he was more strident. On Territory FM, the Chief Minister said this: Matt Conlan did not say that. There is no equivocation there, no doubt there, no way out either. Like Lady Macbeth, the Chief Minister was steeped in so much blood there was now no going back. The untruth had to be persisted with. The final insult came on 10 March on Mix 104.9 FM. Pete Davies asked ‘Are you going to sack minister Conlan?’ The Chief Minister laughed. Yes, that is right, he laughed. Being verbally abused is now a laughing matter for this Chief Minister. Then, he replied, ‘Absolutely not’. To his credit, Pete Davies persisted, ‘Why not?’ The Chief Minister replied, ‘Why would I?’ Playing dumb is never a great line of defence, Chief Minister. It was the biggest political story in the Northern Territory that day, and the Chief Minister replied, ‘why would I?’ Where had he been for the previous few days? Pete Davies tries to jog his memory. ‘Well, I mean, he referred to one of his colleagues as well as a c*** word’. Here was the Chief Minister’s chance to finally come clean, to step up, to admit he knew what had happened. But, no, the cover-up was in full swing, ‘Well, Pete’, he said, ‘I actually challenge that. I do not believe that to be actually true’. I will repeat that. The Chief Minister said on live radio, ‘I do not believe that to be actually true’. In a reference to a great political cover-up, let us call this Conlangate. Chief Minister, you must need allies to stick your neck out for that foul-mouthed minister of yours. We have established the comments were said. No one - not a single person on that side of the House - has contradicted the member for Namatjira since she spoke to ABC radio on 11 March. The words were said, there is no doubt. We know the Chief Minister knew the words had been said since 11 March. He has not denied that either. The cover-up lasted from the 8th to the 10th, until the member for Namatjira went on the record. Since then, nothing from this Chief Minister. After failing his duty of care, after failing the leadership test, and after concocting his clumsy backroom boy lines on the subject since 11 March, since the truth came out - silence. He wants it to all go away. It is not, Chief Minister, because today your honesty and leadership is being judged. To the brave woman who took the stand - I have already mentioned the member for Namatjira - her courage in speaking out is to be applauded. Her recollection was clear and precise: On Monday, 17 February, at 4.25 at our wing, Matt used the words ‘Why don’t you all do us a favour, Alison, f*** off, you c***. She remembered it word for word - and who would not? It is not easy to go public about a colleague’s misbehaviour, but some things transcend politics. This was just such a case. The member for Namatjira told ABC listeners: Look, I think any woman would feel insulted. I felt absolutely insulted. Of course she did. It was a big step to reveal the truth, but it had to be done. Throughout the previous three days her character, her recollection, her honesty had been put to the sword by the Chief Minister. Someone had to speak up, and the member for Namatjira did. It was a political risk, but she had the courage of her convictions. She had to put the record straight. It was her word against the Chief Minister’s, the man who had spent the previous three days telling all and sundry nothing had happened. Well, the truth came out and the victim spoke up. But she was not alone. The member for Araluen is also a woman with courage and fortitude. On Friday, 7 March, she told the ABC 7.30 Report: My reason for talking to you today is that I no longer feel that I am a willing or able to defend Matt Conlan or to be part of any sort of cover-up. His behaviour was unacceptable and I stand by the fact that people who are subjected to that sort of bullying and harassment in the workplace should be able to speak out against it. She went further in the Sunday Territorian on 9 March. She said: The six female members of the wing, we banded together and demanded an apology which was not forthcoming in the first place. An apology was not forthcoming in the first place. Just think about that. Six women, insulted by what the member for Greatorex had said just wanted him to say ‘I am sorry’, but he could not. As we know, an apology was eventually dragged out of the member for Greatorex - very big of him. There may be a political cost for the member for Araluen. I hope there is not because, by speaking out, she did the right thing. The member for Araluen’s final words on the subject is perhaps the most telling. She told the Sunday Territorian it was not easy being a woman in parliament. I am here to tell the members for Araluen and Namatjira this man salutes your stand. So, to bullying. About 400 years ago, Irish philosopher Edmund Burke said rudeness is the weak man’s imitation of strength. I am happy to amend it for the 21st century: bullying is the weak man’s imitation of strength. It is weak, cowardly, but it is more than that, it is intimidating, it damages people’s confidence, it messes with their psyche and, for the record, is in total contravention of the Territory’s own anti-bullying policy. The front page of the policy reads: Bullying is not acceptable to anyone, anytime, anywhere. Madam Speaker, this House has to make a decision. Do we say no to bullying, or do we say it is okay? Do we say leaders have a duty of care to their colleagues, or do we say covering up is acceptable? Do we applaud those who have the courage to face bullies head on and say enough is enough, or do we turn our backs on them? The answer is obvious. This motion deserves a unanimous response in the affirmative. I commend the motion to the House.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:11:49 +0000
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